Nether Kellet Community Primary School

Nether Kellet Community Primary School Bridge Road, Nether Kellet, Carnforth, Lancashire, LA6 1HH

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make excellent progress in all classes across the school. At the end of Year 6 pupils achieve standards in reading and mathematics that are well above average.  Standards and progress in writing are not quite as high as in reading and mathematics, particularly for boys. Pupils do not always have enough opportunity to write at length across the curriculum.  High quality teaching ensures that pupils learn extremely well. It is at least consistently good and outstanding overall.  Staff plan lessons that stimulate and engage pupils exceptionally well. Staff know pupils very well and set work that enables all pupils to make rapid progress, including disadvantaged pupils and those who are disabled or who have special educational needs.  Staff challenge pupils to do well and high quality marking ensures that pupils know what they need to do to improve.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very closely and effectively together to support the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning of individual and vulnerable pupils.  Each pupil’s progress is very carefully checked, and any slower progress is quickly and effectively addressed.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding in lessons and around the school. They enjoy school and have excellent attitudes to learning. Pupils get on very well with one another, and there are excellent relationships between pupils and staff.  Pupils feel completely safe in school and very well cared for. They say that bullying is extremely rare and that there is none in school at the moment.  The school has a rich and varied curriculum that engages pupils very effectively in their learning. There is a strong focus on creativity and the outdoor environment.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.  The school is extremely well led and managed. There is a very calm, orderly and happy atmosphere. The headteacher, staff and governors

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

have high ambitions and are committed to achieving the best outcomes for all pupils. They have secured improvements to the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection.  Parents are very appreciative and strongly supportive of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons taught by five teachers, including one observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also visited a school assembly.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the early years coordinator, the special educational needs coordinator and with eight governors, including the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body. The inspector also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector met a group of pupils to discuss their views of the school and spoke informally to other pupils in lessons and during breaks and lunchtimes.  The inspector reviewed the work pupils were doing in lessons and in their books over time. He listened to pupils in Year 2 read and talked to them about their enjoyment of reading.  The inspector observed the work of the school and examined a number of documents. These included data concerning pupils’ current achievement, development plans and arrangements to check the

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Information about this inspection

performance of staff. The inspector also looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. Minutes of governing body meetings and the school adviser’s reports were also considered.  The inspector took account of 16 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). He also considered 14 responses to the questionnaires completed by staff for the inspection.

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Inspection team

Robert Birtwell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in four classes from the Reception Year to Year 6, including three mixed-aged classes.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average. These are pupils supported by the pupil premium which is funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement and progress in writing, particularly for boys, so that they match those in reading and mathematics, by ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to write at length across the curriculum.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher provides very effective leadership. School leaders at all levels, including governors, have very high expectations for the school and have secured improvements to the quality of teaching, learning, achievement, and behaviour since the previous inspection.  This small school is a very calm, orderly and happy community. There is a strong and very clear ethos that is shared by all staff, and they work very closely to support each other. All staff readily and successfully take on responsibilities and are fully committed to getting the best outcomes for each pupil.  The school has rigorous systems to check and analyse the achievement and progress of each pupil. School leaders use this information to set challenging targets for both pupils and staff. As a result, the school has a very clear and accurate view of how well it is doing. Even though the school is performing strongly, there is no complacency and the school improvement plan identifies where it could do even better, with a

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The leadership and management are outstanding

strong focus on further improving teaching and achievement. For example, leaders are aware that achievement in writing is not as strong as in reading and mathematics, and there are plans in place to address this.  Any underperformance or slower progress by pupils is quickly identified and addressed by providing effective extra help and support if it is needed. This shows the school’s successful commitment to equal opportunities for all pupils.  There is a strong focus on the continual improvement of teaching. Appropriate training and professional development have led to a rise in the quality of teaching since the previous inspection, and teaching is now outstanding overall. All teachers have targets linked to pupils’ achievement and progress, and this is taken into account when making recommendations about teachers’ pay.  The school’s curriculum is well organised, provides excellent learning opportunities and engages pupils

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The leadership and management are outstanding

very effectively in their learning. There is a strong focus on creativity and the using the outdoor environment to enhance learning through Forest School activities.  The curriculum is enriched by a range of activities and clubs, as well as special events, trips and visits. For example, Years 5 and 6 pupils spoke enthusiastically about a recent visit to an outdoor activities centre focused on ‘Planet Inspiration’.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. There is a clear focus on social and moral issues, and the school works very effectively to raise pupils’ spiritual and cultural awareness and understanding of the wider world. For example, there have been visits from Brazilian samba musicians, as well as a rabbi and an imam. Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Procedures for safeguarding pupils are fully in place and are effective.  The school is using the additional primary school physical education and sport funding successfully. A

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The leadership and management are outstanding

specialist teacher takes lessons, runs activities and trains staff, and the school participates in a wider range of sports competitions through the local sports partnership. As a result more pupils participate in sporting activities and this is having a positive impact on their physical well-being and lifestyles.  The local authority provides light-touch but effective support for this very successful school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body meets its responsibilities very effectively. Governors are highly involved in and very supportive of the school in a variety of roles. They have a very good understanding of the use and analysis of data and are well informed about all aspects of the school’s performance, including the quality of teaching and how this is linked to pupils’ achievement and progress. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and are ambitious for further improvement. There is an

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The leadership and management are outstanding

effective committee structure, and governors hold the school to account by asking probing and challenging questions.  Governors have a good understanding of arrangements to check the performance of staff, and set challenging targets for the school as part of the headteacher’s appraisal. They also make sure that pupils’ achievement is taken into account when making decisions about teachers’ pay. They know how pupil premium funding is spent and the impact it is having on raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. Governors ensure that the school’s finances are managed carefully and soundly, and that the school meets all statutory requirements, including those related to safeguarding.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school is exemplary. Pupils are very thoughtful and polite, and show great courtesy to staff and visitors. They get on very well with one another and with adults in the school. This has a very strong impact on their learning and achievement.  Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. They show high levels of engagement and are very keen to do well. They enjoy lessons and settle quickly and enthusiastically to the work they are set. They listen attentively, respond very well to questions and participate fully in all activities. They work very effectively both independently and in groups, and lessons proceed very smoothly with no interruptions to learning.  The inspector observed excellent behaviour in lessons, in assembly and around the school. Pupils play enthusiastically and safely together at break times and behave very responsibly in the hall at lunchtime.

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Behaviour

Pupils are very proud of their school and wear their uniforms smartly.  Pupils readily take on responsibility in a variety of roles. For example, older pupils act as ‘buddies’ for younger pupils and greatly enjoy this. This makes a strong contribution to their excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils say, and school records show, that poor behaviour is very rare, and that the excellent behaviour seen during the inspection is typical. There have been no exclusions in recent years, and no incidents of racist or discriminatory language. On the very rare occasions that pupils misbehave, the school acts appropriately and effectively, and this leads to improved behaviour for the pupils concerned.  As a result pupils greatly enjoy coming to school. One pupil described it as ‘the best school ever’. Attendance has improved and is above average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils say they feel completely safe in school and very well cared for. They have a very good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe in different situations, including on roads, when cycling and when using the internet.  Pupils have a very good understanding of the different types of bullying, and understand the difference between bullying and falling out. They say that bullying is extremely rare and that there is no bullying in the school at the moment. They would report it and have every confidence that school staff would sort it out quickly if it occurred.  Parents who spoke to the inspector were very happy with and supportive of the school. One said that ‘behaviour is very good and I have no concerns about bullying at all’, and another that their child ’absolutely loves it here and is really thriving’. All parents who responded to the Parent View survey think

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Safety

that their children are happy and feel safe in school, and that they are well looked after. Inspection evidence supports this view.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The quality of teaching over time is outstanding. The enthusiasm, subject knowledge and professionalism of all staff ensure that lessons are well planned and work is set to the right levels for pupils. This enables pupils to thrive, grow in confidence and make rapid progress.  Staff know pupils very well and there are excellent relationships between staff and pupils. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They set challenging work that inspires and engages pupils in their learning. As a result, pupils enjoy lessons and show a real desire to do well and improve.  Staff ensure that learning occurs at a rapid pace. They use questioning skilfully to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding and to challenge them to improve their work. Pupils are successfully encouraged to work in different situations, either individually or as part of a group.  In English for example, Years 1 and 2 pupils were retelling the story of The Owl and the Pussycat. They

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

were enthralled by learning and performing the song before moving on to writing tasks. Different pupils had different work and questioning was used very skilfully to make sure that all pupils were suitably challenged. As a result, pupils greatly enjoyed the lesson, had to think hard about what they were doing and made outstanding progress.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly, consistently and well. Staff use praise very effectively to motivate and engage pupils, and give clear guidance about what pupils need to do to improve their work and to challenge them to do better. It is clear that pupils are responding increasingly well to this advice.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very closely to support pupils who find learning more difficult. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those who are disabled or have special educational needs. This support enables these pupils to make excellent progress in line with that of their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils make rapid progress in developing their knowledge, skills and understanding throughout the school. They are extremely well prepared for their next stage of education.  Following a strong start in the Reception year, pupils learn at a rapid rate in Years 1 and 2 because work is pitched at the right level for them. They reach broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 1.  Pupils continue to make rapid progress throughout Key Stage 2 because they receive high quality teaching. Consequently standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 have risen since the previous inspection. In 2013 they were well above average in reading and mathematics and above average in writing. Preliminary results for 2014 show that standards were well above average in mathematics and above average in reading, although they dipped to below average in writing because of

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

particular issues in this year group.  Over the last two years almost all pupils have made at least the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics, and the proportion of pupils who made more than expected progress is high. This represents outstanding progress from pupils’ starting points, especially in reading and mathematics.  Inspection evidence from lesson observations, the work in pupils’ books and the school’s data show that all groups of pupils are currently making excellent progress throughout the school, including the current Year 6, and that achievement is outstanding over time.  Pupils make rapid progress in reading because it is taught very well throughout the school. Pupils have regular opportunities to read, and skilled teachers and teaching assistants make sure that pupils have a good knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make). Pupils say they enjoy reading, both in

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

school and at home. The proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics check has improved and is around average.  Pupils do very well in numeracy, and they apply and use their skills effectively to investigate and solve practical problems in real situations.  Pupils achieve well and make strong progress in writing. However, the standards they reach and their rate of progress are typically not as high as in reading and mathematics, particularly for boys. Pupils have opportunities to write in a variety of styles in different subjects, but they do not write at length often enough across the curriculum.  The most-able pupils make excellent progress, because they are increasingly given more demanding work that challenges them to think hard. As a result, the proportion reaching the higher levels is well above average, especially in reading and mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium achieve very well. They receive effective

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

support if they need it and progress at least as well as other pupils. There are too few disadvantaged pupils in the school to make a comparison of their attainment and progress with other pupils nationally.  There are few disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs in each year group. Their needs are well understood and their progress is carefully monitored. They receive well-targeted support from teachers and teaching assistants. As a result, their achievement and progress match that of other pupils in the school.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 As a result of effective leadership, very strong teaching and excellent provision, children thrive in the early years.  Children join the Reception year with skills and knowledge that are generally slightly below those typical for their age. Their skills in reading and writing are typically weaker than those in other areas of learning. However, because of the small number of children, there can be a wide range of abilities within each year group and from year to year.  Whatever their starting point, children make excellent progress and typically reach or exceed a good level of development and are ready for learning in Year 1. This is because teaching is at least consistently good, and often outstanding, and children learn in highly stimulating indoor and outdoor areas.  Children have excellent opportunities to explore, investigate and enjoy their learning. Staff are very skilled in helping children to become confident in their learning, behave very well and cooperate and work

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The early years provision is outstanding

together.  Children are highly motivated and challenged through effective use of questioning and different learning activities. For example, they greatly enjoyed learning about Hansel and Gretel, and making their own forest trails. They showed a very good understanding of the usefulness of different materials for this, and this led to some creative and inspired follow-up activities.  Staff record and assess children’s progress regularly and accurately, and use this information to plan activities to extend their learning further. The needs of individual children are very well met, including disabled children, those who have special educational needs, those most in need and those for whom the school receives additional funding.  Staff have strong relationships with parents, and keep them well informed about the progress their children are making. As a result, parents are very happy that their children are extremely safe and

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The early years provision is outstanding

achieving well in a very caring and nurturing environment.

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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 119141 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 448835

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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 102 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Holdsworth Headteacher Nicki Brough Date of previous school inspection 22 September 2009 Telephone number 01524 733778 Fax number 01524 733778 Email address bursar@netherkellet.lancs.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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