The Lantern Community Primary

The Lantern Community Primary School Nene Road, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 2WJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils now achieve well and make good progress. Attainment has improved over the last two years and is above average by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are given calm and sensitive support to help them learn quickly.  In Key Stages 1 and 2, teachers are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. They make learning exciting by providing pupils with interesting and purposeful work.  Pupils feel safe and behave well. They have good manners and take good care of each other.  All leaders, including those in charge of subjects, are relentless in their pursuit of excellence.  Their strong and determined leadership and management have ensured rapid school improvement in pupils’ progress, as a result of major improvements in the quality of teaching.  Governors are knowledgeable about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

worked closely with other leaders to secure the required improvements since the previous inspection.  Parents are very pleased with the work of the school, especially the way that their children are cared for.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are a few occasions when teachers give some pupils work that is too hard or too easy for them.  The quality of feedback and guidance given to pupils to help them improve is not consistently strong across the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 19 lessons, of which five were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made some short visits to lessons.  Discussions were held with pupils, members of the governing body, members of staff and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the views of 62 parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View. The inspectors also read letters from parents and talked to some at the start of the school day.  Inspectors analysed samples of pupils’ work across the school.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and heard some pupils read. They looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, and the school development plan. They also scrutinised records relating to behaviour and attendance, safeguarding information and health and safety

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Information about this inspection

documentation.  The inspectors analysed 29 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Chris Birtles Additional Inspector Susan Hepinstall Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much larger-than-average sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is low. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A pre-school group (Goslings) uses the school’s community room. It is managed by the governing body but is inspected separately.  The current headteacher took up post in January 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding by ensuring that work is never too hard nor too easy for pupils.  Share good practice in the quality of feedback given to pupils, through marking and target setting, so that it is consistently strong across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress across the school. Pupils’ attainment has risen since the previous inspection, especially in Key Stage 2, and it is now above average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because pupils’ progress has greatly improved in response to better teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When children start school, most are working at typical levels for their age. They acquire new skills quickly in the Early Years Foundation Stage, making good progress in all areas of learning. Children’s knowledge of letters and the sounds they represent (phonics) improves quickly. This is reflected in the above-average percentage of pupils that reached or exceeded the expected level in the national phonics screening checks at the end of Year 1 in 2013.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils build well on the good start made in the Early Years Foundation Stage. By Year 6, pupils read widely for a range of purposes. They develop a love of reading, talking enthusiastically about favourite authors. In writing, pupils use their good spoken vocabulary to make their writing interesting.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment in mathematics has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Girls and boys now show good calculation skills. By Year 6, most pupils are able to use their good number skills to help them solve problems or to carry out investigations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school ensures that all pupils do equally well over time. However, pupils’ books show that occasionally work is too easy or too hard for some pupils, slowing their progress. Nonetheless, the most able are challenged well most of the time, and around half of the pupils in the current Year 6 are working more than two years ahead of the expected level for their age in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the same good progress as others. They are given good quality support which helps them to learn quickly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are supported though pupil premium funding are now making consistently good or better progress across the school, ensuring that in the current Year 6 they are attaining at least as well as their classmates. This was not always the case in the past. For example, in 2013, eligible pupils in Year 6 were around a year and a half behind their classmates in mathematics, and almost a year behind in writing, although they attained at similar levels to others in reading. However, they are now given better additional help, both in and out of lessons. Consequently, the gap between the attainment of eligible pupils and others is now closing much more quickly than in the past.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Members of staff are enthusiastic and form strong relationships with the pupils. They have high expectations of pupils and manage their behaviour effectively. They ensure that time is not wasted and help pupils develop positive attitudes towards learning. High quality displays celebrate pupils’ successes and motivate them to do well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children learn rapidly. Adults give children sensitive support to help them become confident. A well resourced outdoor area is used extremely well. This allows children to practise and reinforce skills in literacy and numeracy by, for example, counting and writing in the ‘travel agency’ role-play area.  Across the school, reading, writing and mathematics are taught well. Teachers plan interesting activities that make pupils keen to work hard and learn. One pupil spoke for others by saying that, ‘Work is hard, but fun’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers regularly check up on how well pupils are doing by, for example, asking them challenging questions or listening to their discussions. Teachers are becoming increasingly adept at changing the work they provide in response to this. However, just occasionally, teaching does not take enough account of what pupils already know. This results in work sometimes being too hard or too easy for some pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of feedback given to pupils has improved since the previous inspection but it is not yet consistently strong across the school. It is strongest in Years 5 and 6, where pupils are very clear about the next steps in their learning, because marking identifies what could be improved and teachers set precise targets for pupils to aim at. Pupils improve the quality of their work as a result. Elsewhere in the school, pupils are less sure about how to improve because they are not always given enough feedback.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Nearly all parents who responded to Parent View are pleased with the teaching of their children. They support teachers well by helping their children with homework and hearing them read.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils’ great enjoyment of school is seen in their above-average rates of attendance.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils develop a love of learning, willingly taking on difficult work without fear of failure. They support each other well when working and enthusiastically celebrate the successes of their classmates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents, pupils and staff all agree that behaviour is typically good. This is confirmed by school records, which show that misbehaviour is very rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have consistently good attitudes towards learning across the school. They happily talk about their learning and willingly share their ideas. Pupils try hard most of the time although, just occasionally, they are slow to get started when they have been set work or become restless when they have to sit on the carpet for too long.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school promotes good relationships and tackles discrimination robustly. There is a happy atmosphere on the playground. Pupils from different backgrounds get on together well. As one pupil commented, ‘We are all friends.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Activities such as cycling proficiency training and work in class ensure that pupils learn how to avoid potential dangers in later life.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are very confident that any worries will be sorted out quickly because, as one commented, ‘The grown-ups really care.’ They say that bullying is very rare but, if it does happen, the school has good systems for dealing with it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good awareness of the different forms that bullying can take. For example, pupils are knowledgeable about how they can avoid danger when using the internet.

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The leadership and management are good

 The strong example set by the headteacher and other senior leaders has helped the school to improve quickly since the previous inspection. Weaknesses have been tackled well because leaders make clear they will accept only the best for pupils. Leaders have worked very effectively to secure the necessary improvements in the quality of provision and to ensure equality of opportunity for all pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 There has been a successful focus on improving pupils’ progress, especially in mathematics, and increasing the amount of good teaching. Leaders set teachers challenging targets to help them improve, and follow them up rigorously. Training, in areas such as the teaching of phonics, has contributed well to improved practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 Planning for the next stage of the school’s development is thorough and is based on accurate self-evaluation. Leaders are already doing the right things to iron out the remaining inconsistencies in provision such as variability in the quality of feedback given to pupils across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has given good support to secure these improvements, and continues to do so.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders (such as those in charge of subjects) have been instrumental in recent school improvement. They have a very clear picture of what still needs work because they have good opportunities to check provision in their areas of responsibility for themselves.

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The leadership and management are good

 The topics and subjects taught promote good progress in basic skills. Clubs and visits, as well as activities such as a recent ‘science week,’ enrich learning. These promote good attitudes and make a positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are highly motivated to win the ‘Kindness Cup’ and shows good levels of care for each other at all times.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school focuses well on developing pupils’ healthy lifestyles and their physical well-being. Pupils participate successfully in sporting competitions with, for example, the netball team recently reaching the county finals. The new sports funding provided by the government is used to good effect to introduce pupils to new sports and to improve the skills of teachers. The impact of spending is monitored carefully to ensure that it provides value for money.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Adults are trained regularly on how to implement the school’s safeguarding policies.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body responded decisively after the previous inspection. They have greatly strengthened their role in supporting and challenging the school. Training, in areas such as how to make the best use of data on pupils’ attainment and progress, has helped to improve governors’ skills. The governing body now has a clear understanding of how well the school is performing in comparison with others, as well as what still needs to be improved. Governors are knowledgeable about where teaching is strongest and how weaknesses are being tackled. They ensure that only good performance is rewarded financially. They monitor closely the use additional government funding, including the pupil premium, to ensure that it is now being used to better effect than in the past.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 134014 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 442080

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 437 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nicola Harrison Headteacher Susan Spooner Date of previous school inspection 20 November 2012 Telephone number 01353 664174 Fax number 01353 664041 Email address office@lantern.cambs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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