The Donington-on-Bain School

The Donington-on-Bain School Main Road, Donington-on-Bain, Louth, LN11 9TJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The head of school, supported by the strategic development partner, has brought about rapid improvements to the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement since the last inspection of the school.  Children enjoy a good start to school and make good progress in the Reception class. Pupils now make good progress in all other key stages.  The quality of teaching has improved and is now good. Teachers know their subjects and the pupils very well.  Pupils benefit from exciting and interesting experiences that prepare them well for the next stage of their education.  Pupils behave exceptionally well, are happy at school and enjoy their learning experiences. They are very polite and have good manners. Their excellent attitudes to learning contribute to the improved progress they now make.  Pupils say that they feel completely safe. Parents know that their children are safe and well cared for.  Leaders provide very challenging targets for pupils’

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

achievement and track their progress assiduously. They focus relentlessly on improving teaching by monitoring the performance of teachers closely and providing clear guidance on how teaching can be improved.  Governors are very ambitious for the school and ensure that it is performing well. They play a crucial part in making key decisions about the future of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always provide sufficient challenge for pupils to ensure that they always make outstanding progress.  Teachers do not always give pupils sufficiently helpful information on how they should improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons or parts of lessons, taught by six members of staff. Seven of these were observed jointly with the head of school or the strategic development partner. The inspector also spoke to pupils during lessons, looked closely at their books and listened to younger pupils reading.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, members of the governing body and school leaders. A discussion was held with an education adviser from the local authority.  The inspector took account of 20 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector also spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  The inspector analysed responses from 11 questionnaires completed by school staff.  The inspector looked at information relating to pupils’ attainment, progress and their attendance, school improvement plans, records relating to the monitoring and improvement of teaching, and documents

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Inspection team

David Herd, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The head of school undertakes the role of headteacher. She is supported by a strategic development partner who is the headteacher of King Edward VI Grammar School in Louth, Lincolnshire.  The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  All pupils are White British.  Provision for Early Years children in the Reception class is full time.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is well below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is well below average. The pupil premium applies to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement by:  raising the level of challenge for all pupils even higher by making their work harder  ensuring that pupils are given precise guidance on how to improve their work and then checking that pupils’ responses are correct.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The head of school and the strategic development partner have had a significant impact in bringing about improvements to the quality of teaching and to pupils’ achievement. They have set a culture where teaching is expected to improve and where pupils are expected to behave extremely well, make good progress and meet their targets. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

Leaders have high expectations and set challenging targets for pupils’ achievement. They know what needs to be done to secure further improvement and have exceptionally clear plans for how to achieve it. Together with the school’s strong track record of improving teaching, pupils’ achievement and leadership and management, leaders have outstanding capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders have many ways of checking the quality of teaching and how this makes a difference to pupils’ achievement. They use their findings rigorously to ensure that staff are clear about how they can improve. Detailed information is shared with governors relating to the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The primary school sport funding is being used very effectively to improve the skills of teachers and pupils. A specialist sports coach is making sure that teachers and pupils benefit from his expertise. As a result pupils are participating more in sport and physical education and are benefiting in terms of their fitness and well-being.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The subjects taught by the teachers are brought alive through lively themes and topics. Pupils in Key Stage 1 enjoy learning about how the emergency services help us and pupils in Key Stage 2 are interested in learning about life in the First World War. Pupils benefit from a range of visits and visitors to the school. The school has developed its preferred approach for assessment and is on the way to full implementation.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively. Pupils learn through a wide range of dramatic, musical, artistic, sporting and cultural experiences. For example all pupils learn how to play a musical instrument and take part in many sporting activities. The school has links with schools overseas and they have also visited places of worship, sampled Indian food and tried on clothes from other cultures. They are well prepared to participate as citizens in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Other leaders and potential leaders are well supported in developing their roles in the school. They carry out their roles very effectively and help teachers improve their practice.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school uses the pupil premium very effectively. The funding is focused appropriately on those who are eligible, and leaders make sure that they make at least good progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority has provided timely and effective support to the school and its leaders. In recognition of rapid improvement, this support has reduced.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors have been highly involved in the commissioning of the support of the strategic development partner. They are fully involved in making decisions about the school’s future.  By making regular visits to school and taking reports from leaders they know what the school does well and what still needs to be done.  Governors know how good teaching is in the school, how it has improved and the difference it is now making to pupils’ achievement.  Governors hold school leaders to account for making improvements by asking probing questions and following up on the answers they receive.  They monitor the performance of the headteacher and make sure that good performance in the school is rewarded and that underperformance is tackled.  They understand how funds such as the pupil premium are used and know what impact it makes.  They carry out their statutory duties effectively, including those relating to safeguarding, and make sure

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have very good attitudes to their learning and this contributes to the good progress that they are now making. They are very interested in the things they learn about and are extremely well developed socially. They have very good relationships with the adults in the school and with each other.

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Behaviour

 Pupils say that their school is ‘brilliant’ and that their teachers help them understand their work. They appreciate the support that they receive from all adults in the school.

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Behaviour

 Low-level disruption is extremely rare. Pupils focus on their work, follow instructions and collaborate readily with each other.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are respectful, courteous and have extremely good manners. They behave very well in their classrooms, around the school and when they are at play. They respect their classrooms by keeping them tidy and also take great care of the outdoors, where there is no litter. Pupils dress smartly for school. Parents and staff are extremely positive about pupils’ behaviour.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ attendance has improved and is now above average. Few pupils are late for school. No pupils have been excluded from school in the last 3 years.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All visitors to the school are thoroughly checked and the school’s procedures are monitored regularly by leaders and governors.

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Safety

 Pupils say that they feel completely safe. Parents spoken to by the inspector and those responding to the online survey all agree. Pupils say that language that others might find offensive is non-existent. It is not tolerated by school staff.

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Safety

 Both parents and pupils say that there is no bullying in school. Pupils spoken to have an excellent understanding of different forms of bullying. The school helps them with this understanding by providing regular talks in class and assemblies by staff and visitors to the school. Bullying of any kind is not tolerated.

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Safety

 Pupils know how to stay safe, when, for example, they are using the internet, when using mobile telephones, or near roads, railways and water.

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Safety

 Parents and staff are unreservedly positive about how the school keeps pupils safe and well cared for.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in all areas of the school brings about good progress for children and pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach. They explain learning and tasks clearly so that pupils understand exactly what they have to do. Pupils know what they are going to be learning and what their teachers are looking for because it is clearly communicated.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their questions well to check pupils’ understanding during lessons. They check carefully how well pupils are doing but the information they gather is not used well enough to plan activities at the right level of difficulty for pupils of different ages and abilities. Sometimes teachers do not give pupils work that is hard enough, so do not make sure that they make the best possible progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are very effective in supporting pupils. They provide additional explanations and support all pupils in making good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of early reading skills is good. Pupils are taught phonics well and then are expected to use them in their reading and writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Writing is taught well. For example, in one lesson pupils were expected to use figurative language to describe settings and famous people in the First World War. They write neatly and use punctuation and grammar accurately.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of mathematics is good. For example, in one lesson pupils learned how to tell the time accurately because the work was at the right level of difficulty.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils know their targets for improvement and this helps them to learn well. Teachers check carefully how well pupils are doing and then take appropriate action if some are at risk of underachieving.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers give pupils good-quality feedback on their achievements in lessons. However, in their marking they do not always give pupils the precise guidance they need to help them improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of physical education is good. Both pupils and teachers benefit from the skills of a specialist coach who teaches the techniques of cricket very effectively.

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is good

 Leaders have ensured that pupils’ achievement has improved rapidly since the last inspection. Pupils now make good progress in each key stage in reading, writing and mathematics.

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is good

 In Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress and by the end of Year 2 their attainment is broadly average. Small numbers of pupils in year groups can affect percentages when making comparisons.

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is good

 By the end of Year 6 in 2013, the proportions of pupils reaching age-related expectations was close to national figures in reading and writing, but lower in mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling. However, in 2014, high proportions of pupils attained the expected standards, with many pupils exceeding these. They made outstanding progress in reading and good progress in writing and mathematics.

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is good

 Younger pupils are also making good progress. This is evident from the progress and attainment data the school collects and analyses, and also from the work in their books.

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is good

 Pupils learn early reading skills with lots of enjoyment and go on to read well, show interest in both fiction and non-fiction books and understand what they have read. By the time they leave the school they are using the skills of inference and deduction extremely well.

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is good

 The most able pupils make good progress and go on to attain high standards. For example, one pupil, knowing that 7 times 6 equalled 42, instantly made a link and stated therefore that 14 times 3 must also equal 42.

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is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar good progress to other pupils in the school. The school understands their difficulties and takes effective measures to help them achieve as well as other pupils in the school.  There were not enough pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in 2014 to comment on their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 without identifying individuals. However, school data show that pupils eligible for support from the pupil premium make good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Children start school with skills and understanding that are broadly expected for their age, but this does vary from year to year. They make a good start in the Reception class, where they make good progress throughout the year and many go on to achieve good levels of development.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make particularly good progress in their personal, social and emotional development and in their development of communication and language. As a result children are keen to listen and talk, telling adults and their friends what they have been learning.

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The early years provision is good

 The teaching in the Reception class motivates children to become excited about learning. As a result they make good gains in their understanding of the world. For example, one girl talked excitedly about how a tadpole would develop into a frog.

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The early years provision is good

 Children are inquisitive and curious. They share readily and cooperate with each other.

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The early years provision is good

 The leadership of the setting is good. Leaders track pupils’ achievements closely and provide training and support for the staff who work closely with the children. Staff share children’s achievements with their parents so that they know how well their children are doing.

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The early years provision is good

 Children learn in an environment that is safe. They behave well, are excited in their learning and, by the end of Reception, are ready for Year 1.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 120444 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 449018

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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 71 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Tyerman Headteacher Louise Anyan Date of previous school inspection 6 November 2012 Telephone number 01507 343240 Fax number 01507 343240 Email address enquiries@donington-on-bain.lincs.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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