John Harrison C of E Primary School

John Harrison CofE Primary School North Street, Barrow-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire, DN19 7AP

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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 achieve well at this school. Standards have improved significantly since the last inspection.  From their different starting points, pupils now make good progress across the school.  Teaching is good, with some of high quality. Pupils learn well and are making progress because learning activities are suitably planned.  Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because they receive good support and guidance from all adults.  Behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and show determination in their learning.  Pupils say they feel extremely safe and well cared for in school.  Since the last inspection, the headteacher and other senior leaders have worked diligently to improve teaching and pupils' achievement.  The governing body is extremely supportive and provides appropriate challenge. This has contributed to the improvements in the school's performance.  Parents overwhelmingly value the work of the

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally pupils are not moved onto harder and more challenging work once they have mastered what they are learning.  Pupils need more opportunities to write at length in English and other subjects.  Pupils in some classes are not always given enough opportunities to apply their skills they have learned in mathematics to problem solving.  Not all middle leaders are sufficiently involved in checking on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons, of which two were observed jointly with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher, looked at work in pupils' books and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, other staff, two members of the governing body, a school improvement partner and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils moving around the school outside lessons, including on the playgrounds during breaks.  Inspectors met with parents at the start and end of the school day. A parent also rang the school to speak with the inspection team.  Inspectors analysed the 31 responses that had been submitted to the online questionnaire for parents (Parent View). Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the school's view of its own performance, school improvement plans, minutes of the governing body meetings, records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Alan Chaffey, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Gordon Potter Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  A below average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium funding. The pupil premium provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.  The school is part of collaborative trust, which includes a local secondary school and several local primary schools in the Barton and Barrow area.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the overall quality of teaching to outstanding, in order to increase the proportion of pupils making better than expected progress and to raise standards further by:  making sure pupils are given opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in a wider range of contexts  ensuring all groups are challenged consistently by moving them onto more demanding activities when they are ready  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length across all subjects.  Improve further the role of middle leaders by involving them all in checking on the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils' achievement has improved considerably since the last inspection because teaching is now well planned and the progress of pupils is more closely tracked.  Over time, children have entered the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills below those typical for their age and have made steady progress. Currently, they are making good progress and enter Year 1 well prepared for Key Stage 1. By the end of Year 2, standards pupils achieve are above national averages and show that they have made good progress in Key Stage 1.  From their starting points in Key Stage 2, pupils continue to make good progress and reach standards that are mostly above the national average by the time they leave Year 6. Early indications from school data and assessments show that this year this situation is likely to continue, but with a significant improvement in mathematics which previously had been below national averages.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has strong evidence to show that current Year 6 pupils have made good progress in Key Stage 2. Other inspection evidence confirms this is the case. This is partly because the headteacher and senior leaders carefully tracked the achievement of this group of pupils.  Reading is a strength of the school. Pupils read with fluency and expression and reach standards that are well above average by the time they leave Year 6. They have a love of reading which is clearly apparent; an older pupil was totally engrossed in her book and commented ‘I really like horror and fantasy books.'  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have a good understanding of phonics (the sounds that letters make) because it is taught skilfully by teachers and support staff.  There is a noticeable improvement in writing standards, confirmed by the quality of work evident in pupils' books. However, pupils still do not always have enough opportunities to write at length

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The achievement of pupils is good

in English and other subjects.  The most able pupils are given challenging tasks which accelerate their learning. This was particularly the case with some of the pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 who were totally absorbed in their learning and showed great determination to complete the tasks they had been set.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well, providing a range of additional support for those pupils at risk of falling behind or for those who are working below expectation for their age. In Key Stage 2, a teaching assistant provided good well-targeted support for a group of pupils. As a result, these pupils learnt a good deal about different shapes.  The school has good evidence to show that pupils with special educational needs make similar progress to their peers. Inspection evidence confirms this. There are good systems in place to track the progress of these pupils and the effective support they receive from teachers and

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The achievement of pupils is good

teaching assistants.  Pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding, including those known to be eligible for free school meals receive effective support and as a result, the gap in achievement between these pupils and other pupils in the school has closed. This support is provided in all year groups and current evidence shows they achieve as well as their peers in the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved rapidly since the last inspection and is now typically good. This improved teaching is strongly impacting on pupils' progress in English and increasingly so in mathematics.  Pupils are quickly involved in interesting and relevant activities. This is because work is well planned and effectively builds on pupils' previous learning.  Most teachers have high expectations and a clear focus on what they want pupils to learn and how it will be achieved. Learning activities are well thought out and provide good challenge for all groups of pupils.  Teachers provide good support for pupils. For example, in Year 4 most pupils were completing activities on measuring angles, while the teacher gave more focused support to pupils who needed further help. In Year 1, the teacher had a clear focus on supporting a group of pupils with their writing, and this was possible because she had carefully planned activities for the rest

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The quality of teaching is good

of the class that allowed them to work productively.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children enjoy interesting indoor and outdoor activities which cover all the areas of learning. They enjoy learning and enthusiastically follow their own interests when playing. In this key stage, adults interact well with children to develop their speech.  Many pupils show great resilience and determination to persevere with activities that they often find quite challenging. For example, in Year 5, pupils were set some very challenging activities but they were determined not to give up until the activity was completed.  The teaching of mathematics has improved and work in pupils' books shows a very sound knowledge of calculations. In some instances, this knowledge is used effectively to solve quite complex problems but this is not consistently evident across the school.  A very strong feature of teaching is the contribution made by teaching assistants. They

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The quality of teaching is good

effectively support pupils who find learning more difficult than most, which enables these pupils to learn well.  Writing skills are taught well and evidence in pupils' books is that their writing is of good quality. However, the school acknowledges that pupils’ writing at length in English and other areas of the curriculum, is not so apparent in some classes.  Marking is of a good quality and is used effectively by all teachers to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning. Pupils have regular opportunities to respond to comments from teachers that help to improve and deepen their understanding. During a discussion with the school council, pupils were asked what has improved in the school, and a quick response from one pupil was 'Knowing how well you've done.'  Homework is given to pupils in both Key Stage1 and Key Stage 2, which consolidates well learning that takes place in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Their good attitudes towards school and to each other have a positive impact on their learning.  Pupils are polite and courteous to each other and adults. During breaks and lunchtimes, pupils play well together. As one Year 3 pupil remarked, 'Everybody is friendly to you.'  Pupils usually show determination and apply themselves well. For example, in a Year 6 class, pupils showed real determination to complete the learning tasks, despite the work being very challenging, and made good progress as a result.  Pupils' interest in what they are learning has improved significantly since the last inspection. This is because the quality of teaching has improved.  Pupils’ increasingly positive attitudes to school have had an impact on improving attendance, which is now above average. One parent made the point that her child, 'is always happy to come to school, I never have a problem getting her here.'

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to take responsibility for tasks around the school, such as safety checks each half term and acting as Safeguarding Buddies. Members of the school council take their responsibilities seriously.  The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Most parents who responded to the online questionnaire and those parents with whom inspectors spoke, felt that the school keeps their children safe and pupils are well behaved. The school's records confirm this.  Pupils have a good understanding about the different forms of bullying, which they believe is very rare in the school. They feel that any inappropriate behaviour is dealt with effectively.  Pupils have a good understanding of e-safety. They spoke quite clearly about the issues around cyber-bullying and social networking. This is because the school has addressed these issues well and reinforced them through prominent displays, such as, 'We say no to bullying', which includes

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

pupils' work relating to these areas of concern.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the last inspection, the headteacher and senior leaders, including governors, have worked tirelessly to improve the school's performance. As a result, there has been a noticeable improvement in the quality of teaching and learning, and there is a great determination to improve further.  The headteacher has been relentless in her desire to achieve the very best for all pupils. Since the last inspection, which was shortly after her appointment to the school, she has introduced systems and procedures, which as one governor said, 'ruffled a few feathers', but which have made a positive impact on the school's performance.  The headteacher and other leaders have an accurate view of the school's performance. Their evaluation of how well the school is doing is honest, and identifies what needs to be done to improve further and how it will be achieved.  Senior leaders check pupils' progress carefully so that any underperformance is identified quickly

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The leadership and management are good

and achievement improves. They also routinely observe teachers' classroom practice and check on the quality of pupils’ work.  Middle leaders are clear about their duties and responsibilities. Their effectiveness in checking the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress is developing but the headteacher recognises their need to be even more involved in this aspect of their role.  Pupils find the curriculum interesting and exciting, which promotes their love of learning. The development of pupils' basic English and mathematical skills are central to teaching and learning across the school. Provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and enhanced by the school's close relationship with the church and topics, such as rainforests and Martin Luther King.  Good partnerships exist within the Collaborative Trust, made up of a local secondary school and several primary schools, which has enhanced teaching and pupils' learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Performance management is well managed through effective appraisal, and pay awards are dependent upon teachers' performance in relation to pupils' progress. Effective training for teachers is provided to help them achieve their performance management targets, especially for those teachers who are relatively new into the profession.  The primary school sports funding is used well to improve the breadth of opportunities available to participate in healthy activities. This is helping pupils to develop healthy lifestyle habits.  Pupils have opportunities to participate in a range of activities and clubs, within and beyond the school day. Pupils speak highly of the various opportunities available, such as cross-country running, football, choir, music and gardening, which were prominently shown on 'Bored, Us, Never' display board.  The local authority and a school improvement partner have been very supportive of the school

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The leadership and management are good

and have provided good guidance. This has contributed to the improving performance of the school since the last inspection.  Safeguarding and child protection procedures are rigorous and meet requirements.  Parents are pleased with the way the school has improved and make positive comments about the difference the headteacher has made. One parent, who voluntarily came into the school to speak with the inspection team, commented on the excellent support his children, one of which has specific needs, receive from the school. His final comment was 'There has been a big improvement in the school since the headteacher was appointed'.  The governance of the school:  Governors are knowledgeable and have a clear understanding of the school's strength and areas for improvement. This is as a result of their knowledge of national performance data and the detailed information they receive from the headteacher. A governor described the

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The leadership and management are good

relationship between the governing body and the headteacher as 'open and honest.'  Governors support the headteacher, but also provide good challenge. For example, governors have challenged the headteacher on the progress of pupils with special educational needs and as a result, regular meetings are held between the teacher responsible for this and the vice- chair of the governing body to track pupils’ progress and identify any underachievement.  Governors have discerning discussions about value for money when making decisions on spending. They have detailed information about staff salaries and have made difficult decisions about whether to award pay increments based on performance. As a result, governors have a good understanding of performance management procedures throughout the school. The governing body knows how the pupil premium and primary school sport funding is spent and understand the difference it has made to eligible pupils' performance.

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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 118005 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 442265

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 177 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Raistrick Headteacher Jacqueline Poustie Date of previous school inspection 11 December 2012 Telephone number 01469 530350 Fax number 01469 530350 Email address admin.johnharrison@northlincs.gov.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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