Flookburgh CofE Primary School

Flookburgh CofE Primary School Winder Lane, Flookburgh, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 7LE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 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 headteacher, senior leaders, staff and governors have been successful in improving the achievement of pupils and the quality of teaching since the previous inspection.  Behaviour is good. Pupils are proud to be part of the school and have positive attitudes to learning. Attendance is above average.  Pupils say that they feel safe at school and they learn how to keep themselves safe.  By the time pupils leave school at the end of Year 6, overall standards in English and mathematics are above average. The good teaching means that pupils’ achievement is good and pupils in all year groups make good progress.  Children get off to a good start in the early years and are ready for Year 1 by the time they leave Reception.  Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They share the same determination as the staff to ensure that the school develops further and that the pace

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

of change does not slacken.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have a good number of opportunities to engage in artistic, sporting and musical activities and the curriculum means that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons in Key Stages 1 and 2 the work that is set for the most-able pupils is not hard enough.  Teachers do not always provide planned opportunities for pupils to improve their work or insist that they make the improvements suggested in the feedback that they provide.  Teachers do not consistently have opportunities to learn from the best practice that is evident in the school and in other schools.  Middle leaders do not yet have the experience or the skills they need to ensure that improvements in their subjects happen quickly enough.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in a range of lessons or part-lessons. Two observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with school leaders, including the leader of early years, the special educational needs coordinator and middle leaders, and four governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. The inspector also met with the school advisor and a national leader in education who has been supporting the school’s development.  Meetings were held with a group of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils and the inspector talked informally with pupils at breaks and lunchtimes. He also talked to parents at the start and end of the school day.  The inspector looked at the work pupils were doing in lessons and in their books over time. He listened to pupils read in Years 2 and 6 and talked to them about their enjoyment of reading.  The inspector observed the work of the school and examined a range of documents concerning pupils’

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Information about this inspection

current achievement, development plans and performance management information. He also looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding and child protection arrangements. Minutes of governing body meetings and the school advisor’s reports were also considered.  The inspector took account of 19 responses to the online survey (Parent View) and 20 questionnaires completed by the staff.

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Inspection team

Peter Evea, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  Few pupils are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or by a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  There have been a significant number of changes in staffing, including at a senior level, in recent years. There has been an acting headteacher for a number of months in the last year during the unavoidable absence of the headteacher, who has now returned to school.  Since the previous inspection, the school has been supported by a national leader in education from the

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Information about this school

South Lakes Rural Partnership Teaching Alliance.  Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in order to raise achievement further, especially for the most-able pupils by:  consistently providing planned opportunities for pupils to respond to suggestions for improving their work, and insisting that they make these improvements  making sure that all teachers plan learning that is hard enough  sharing the best practice that is evident within the school and in other schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Developing the skills of middle leaders so that they can play an increasing role in ensuring that improvements continue to accelerate in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and acting headteacher have overseen important changes since the previous inspection. These have resulted in marked improvements in the quality of teaching and learning, and in pupils’ achievement and progress. Leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are fully supported by an active and able governing body whose members are determined that the pace of improvement will not lessen.  Senior leaders are rigorous in monitoring teaching and learning. There are thorough systems in place and the acting headteacher has been very successful in making sure that teachers are clear about what makes effective teaching. As a result, teaching has improved since the previous inspection.  There are effective systems in place to check on the progress of pupils and, as a result, leaders now have an accurate view of the school. This means that school action plans are focused on the correct priorities

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The leadership and management are good

and are supporting the school to improve. However, the skills of middle leaders, most of whom are relatively new in post, do not yet allow them to play a big enough part in driving improvements in their subjects.  Performance management is focussed well on improving teaching and increasing the rates at which pupils make progress. All teachers are clear that they will be rewarded only when their pupils have done well. There are appropriate targets in place for all teaching staff, which have contributed to pupils making more rapid progress than in the past.  The curriculum is engaging and contributes strongly to pupils’ well-developed spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. While it is focused on developing pupils’ skills in reading, writing and mathematics, it also provides opportunities for pupils to develop a love of art, music and physical education and to develop a good understanding of British values. The programme of visits, including residential visits,

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The leadership and management are good

broadens pupils’ horizons beyond the peninsula.  The school has used some of its sport funding to provide specialists that work with the staff so that the teaching of physical education can be improved further. Funding has also supported the increase in sports activities, such as handball and hockey, and in the number of competitions available to pupils. The headteacher is confident that this spending has had a positive impact on pupils’ physical well-being.  Safeguarding and child protection arrangements meet all current requirements.  The local authority has provided a high level of much appreciated support since the previous inspection, including input from a national leader in education, working with staff and governors to help them to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The governance of the school:  Governance is good. The governing body is determined to sustain the rate of improvement since the

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The leadership and management are good

previous inspection. Its members are well informed and, as a result, have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, particularly in relation to the quality of teaching, pupils’ achievement, school performance data and middle leadership. They ensure that pay and promotion of staff are closely linked. Governors ask increasingly searching questions of the senior leaders and know that this is a skill they could develop further. Governors regard their school as inclusive and ensure that all pupils have the same opportunities to learn and succeed. They make sure that the pupil premium and sport funding is spent well and know the impact that these funds are having. They ensure that child protection and safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and that the school is a safe environment for pupils and staff to work in.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The vast majority of pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are eager to do well. They try hard and enjoy what they do. In class pupils listen politely to adults and, from an early age, cooperate well when working in pairs and small groups.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to behave well and are involved in creating their own classroom codes of conduct. They respond well to staff because their behaviour is consistently well managed.  Behaviour around the school is good. The school fosters good relationships and pupils are friendly, polite and courteous to adults and to each other. Older pupils have roles of responsibility, such as assembly assistants, and they take these seriously and carry out their duties conscientiously.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and, as a result, attendance is above average and has improved.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils say that they feel safe. They have a good understanding of risks and how to keep safe in different circumstances, including when using the Internet and when near tidal water.  There is very little bullying. As a result of the work of the school on anti-bullying, pupils have a good understanding of the different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. They are confident that if bullying ever occurs, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively.  The vast majority of parents believe that the school provides a safe environment.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The impact of teaching over time on pupils’ achievement is good. Evidence from the data about pupils’ progress, the school’s own records and the scrutiny of pupils’ work shows a clear improvement since the previous inspection.  Teachers plan lessons which capture pupils’ interests. In a mixed Year 2 to Year 4 class, pupils were absorbed in rewriting a traditional tale as an Indian folk story. All made good progress and showed independence in their use of resources, including using the Internet for research into Indian names.  Teachers have high expectations of what most pupils can achieve and plan lessons accordingly. However, in some lessons in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, some teachers do not plan work which is hard enough for the most-able pupils and so the progress of some pupils is not as rapid as it might be.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and use the school system of suggesting improvements in green

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The quality of teaching is good

pen. However, teachers do not provide planned opportunities for pupils to make these improvements and do not insist that the improvements are made. As a consequence, pupils sometimes continue to make the same mistakes and this hampers their progress.  Teachers provide frequent opportunities for pupils to write, not only in literacy lessons, but also in other subjects. Pupils develop their skills in writing for different audiences and can adjust their writing style to suit different purposes.  Pupils develop a real enjoyment of reading. They read regularly in school and many say that they read books at home. Teachers work hard to encourage reading, so that by the end of Year 6 most pupils read very well.  Teachers apply the school calculation policy consistently across the school. Pupils master the basic skills early and so are able to develop more complex skills as they move through the school.  Teachers sometimes observe each other teaching. However, the sharing of the best practice that exists

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The quality of teaching is good

within the school, and in other schools, does not happen in a planned and consistent way and so teachers do not learn from each other.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good progress that children make in early years continues in Key Stage 1, so that pupils reach standards that are increasingly above average by the end of Year 2. The good progress also continues in Key Stage 2, so that by the end of Year 6 pupils reach standards that are increasingly above average in reading, writing and mathematics. This is a good improvement since the previous inspection.  The school’s most recent information for the current Year 6 pupils shows that all pupils are on track to make the progress expected of them and for a significant proportion to make more than the expected progress.  Pupils achieve well in reading. In 2014, the results of the Year 1 phonics screening check showed pupils to be above the national average. The good start made in early years and Key Stage 1 is built on systematically throughout the school, leading to the above average standards.  Progress in writing is good. The good teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) means that

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils develop an enjoyment of writing and use their skills to good effect in different subjects and for different purposes.  Pupils have well-developed numeracy skills and can use and apply these skills effectively to solve mathematical problems in real-life situations. In a mixed Reception and Year 1 class, pupils were delighted and proud to be able to explain how to work out and write numbers that were one less than a chosen number.  The most-able pupils achieve well overall. However, because the work in some classes does not provide them with sufficient challenge, they do not make the rapid progress or reach the highest levels of which they are capable.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their individual starting points. Their needs are accurately identified and they receive well-planned support from skilled adults which matches their needs closely.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Extra support is provided for the very small number of disadvantaged pupils where it is needed. They typically make good progress from often low starting points and typically achieve as well as their peers do. The group is too small to be able to compare accurately the standards they achieve by the end of Year 6 with others in the school or with all pupils nationally.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years is led very well. The leader has a clear picture of what the children need and she is very well supported by a committed and enthusiastic team who have the children’s best interests at heart. Children settle in quickly and happily because the team works hard to ensure that everything is in place to allow them to thrive.  There are warm and positive relationships between adults and children, who respond eagerly and become enthusiastic learners who love to talk about what they are doing. They show curiosity and determination in their learning.  The teaching is always good or better and children benefit from this. They are provided with different tasks and activities which cover all the areas of learning well, and they are encouraged to investigate and find things out for themselves.  Children play and learn together well and their behaviour is good. They quickly settle in to the routines

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The early years provision is good

established in the classroom that help them to get along with each other well.  All in the early years take safety very seriously and, as a result, there are thorough systems in place to make sure that children are always safe and secure, especially at the end of their school day.  Most children start with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age. They make good progress throughout the early years and catch up, so that by the end of the Reception Year a good proportion has reached a good level of development and is ready for learning in Year 1. Because the Reception Year and Year 1 pupils are in a mixed-age class, the transition from early years to Key Stage 1 is smooth and the momentum of learning does not slow.

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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 112410 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 452020

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 75 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julia Brown Headteacher Chris Brooksbank Date of previous school inspection 4 July 2013 Telephone number 01539 558434 Fax number 01539 559071 Email address admin@flookburgh.cumbria.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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