St Bartholomews CofE Primary School

St Bartholomews CofE Primary School Leaveslake Drove, West Pinchbeck, Spalding, PE11 3QJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 previous good work of the school has moved on even more since the last inspection. There is now a culture of increased expectations for pupils’ learning and achievement. This has been driven relentlessly by the current headteacher.  Leaders and governors have created a school community in which pupils blossom and families feel supported and cared for.  The majority of teaching is good and there are some examples of outstanding teaching over time.  Pupils work hard because there is a culture where everyone tries their best and everyone feels valued. The behaviour of pupils is superb.  Pupils make good progress in all subjects. Reading is a strength of the school and the percentage of pupils making accelerated progress in reading is significantly above the national average.  Staff and governors ensure that pupils are safe. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and feel confident that adults in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school will always listen and help them.  Parents and older pupils talk about the ‘great changes’ that the current headteacher has made to their school. It is clear that she is much loved and respected by the school community as a whole.  The leadership of early years provision at the school is very strong. Parents unfailingly praise how well children are helped to settle into school and how quickly children make progress in their learning.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Support staff are not always used effectively to improve pupils’ learning.  Not enough pupils make more than expected progress in writing.  Not enough teaching is outstanding.  A small minority of staff do not have consistently high enough expectations of themselves or their pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited eight lessons and two assemblies. She listened to groups of pupils read and carried out three observations and a learning walk with the headteacher.  She spent time with pupils during playtime and lunchtime and spoke to pupils from each class.  The inspector scrutinised work in pupils’ books. She also looked at a range of documentation including the school improvement plan, minutes from governors’ meetings, and pupils’ progress data.  The inspector met informally with parents and looked at the school’s most recent questionnaire. She also took account of the 12 responses on the Parent View website.  Separate meetings were held with senior leaders, governors, teachers and teaching assistants. She also spoke to an advisor from Lincolnshire’s school improvement service.

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Inspection team

Clare Cossor, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Bartholomew’s Church Of England Primary School is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  It is set within the small rural community of West Pinchbeck.  The headteacher has been in post for three years and started just after the last inspection.  There have been significant staff changes during this time.  While most of the pupils are White British heritage, 15 per cent of pupils come from other backgrounds. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is above average. The majority of these children are from Polish speaking families.  Just over a fifth of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority. This is below average.  One fifth of pupils are disabled or have special educational needs. This is above average.  There are four classes in the school, each with a mixed age range. Children in Reception are taught in the

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Information about this school

same class as some Year 1 pupils. There is a mixed Year 1 and Year 2 class, a class for Year 3 and 4 pupils and an upper Key Stage 2 class for Year 5 and 6 pupils. Children in the early years attend full time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  New building work is currently underway at the school. The new extension will provide much needed space.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the amount of outstanding teaching in both Key Stage 1 and Key stage 2 by ensuring that: – all staff share the headteacher’s high expectations for all pupils – teachers consistently show pupils the highest standards of presentation in their own writing and work.  Ensure teaching support staff are always used effectively to support pupils learning.  Help more pupils make accelerated progress in writing throughout the school by providing more stimulating opportunities for them to write at length in different subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 The current headteacher has been relentless in raising standards in every aspect of provision at the school. She has created an ethos in which only the best standards of teaching and care are good enough. The majority of staff have risen admirably to this challenge. As a result, the picture of attainment for pupils has improved dramatically during the past three years.

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The leadership and management are good

 Strong Christian values and a sense of moral purpose drive all aspects of leadership and management in school. While senior leaders ask a lot of their staff they also expect a great deal of themselves and very much lead by example. The headteacher spends a lot of time in classrooms, demonstrating best practice and this has been instrumental in securing improvements across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders and governors now have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of their school and a shared vision for improvement. Their self-evaluation is rigorous. Leaders have ensured that robust systems are in place to keep all pupils safe and all safeguarding arrangements are met. There are clear systems to record concerns and check that agreed actions have been completed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium is used creatively and effectively to narrow gaps in pupils’ achievement. It is closely monitored by senior leaders and this means that they have a clear view of which types of support are making the biggest difference.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior and middle leaders have visited the local nurseries and pre-schools where children attend before they start at St Bartholomew’s. As a result, staff have a good understanding of their individual needs before they start in Reception. This means that not only do children settle quickly but that staff at the school are supporting other settings in developing their practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior and middle leaders have good subject knowledge. They have recently reviewed curriculum policies and plans to support the introduction of the new National Curriculum. This has included increasing the amount of topic-based learning across the school. The headteacher is passionate to ensure that ‘our curriculum allows the children to learn through real-life experiences’. The senior teacher with responsibility for English and mathematics has been instrumental in working with the headteacher to implement these changes successfully so that the curriculum is effective. The school is making good progress towards assessing pupils without levels.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leadership is particularly strong in the early years. The excellent use of assessment, detailed planning and the exciting learning environment combine to ensure that children make rapid progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 All teachers are now using the agreed systems for tracking pupils’ progress. All teachers and teaching assistants are involved in regular pupil progress meetings. This has contributed to a sharper focus on pupils’ individual learning needs and to improvements in their attainment and progress. The school has ensured that all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed. It fosters good relations and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.

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The leadership and management are good

 The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils at the school is outstanding. All pupils are given opportunities to play instruments, sing, and to develop their own unique talents. Pupils at St Bartholomew’s show a huge amount of self-confidence as well as a very mature understanding of one another’s qualities and differences. This combination of attitudes and values is equipping them well for later life and learning in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary physical education and sport premium has been used effectively because it is monitored carefully by the headteacher and governors. The involvement of experienced sports coaches in school has increased the skills and confidence of class teachers to teach an ambitious range of sports including girls’ and boys’ football, netball, gymnastics, tag rugby, Taekwondo and cheerleading. Pupils have an increased awareness of the importance of staying fit and healthy and are more confident in taking part in competitive activities.  The local authority has supported the school effectively. Teachers have accessed Lincolnshire’s ‘developing teaching’ program and governors have also accessed governor training. These opportunities have contributed to the rising standards across school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body fulfils its statutory duties well. There are several new members of the governing body who have brought new skills and confidence to the group. They have an accurate grasp of aspects of their responsibilities and are highly committed to the school.  The governing body provides skilled and effective support to the headteacher. Governors are increasingly confident to challenge and hold senior leaders to account. They are reflective in their practice and they recognise and value the ‘openness’ of discussion and debate which the current headteacher has established.  Governors have a good understanding of data and how it compares with pupils’ performance nationally and the quality of teaching. Governors are confident to ask the senior leaders probing questions and also challenge one another to ensure that agreed actions have been carried out and that improvements in the school are taking place as quickly as possible.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors have an in-depth understanding of the systems for managing of teacher’s performance and have supported the headteacher in challenging mediocre teaching in the school. They know what the school is doing to reward good teaching and how this is linked to pupils’ progress.  Governors monitor the school’s finances effectively and are developing increasing skill in monitoring the impact of additional funding on pupils’ achievement. As a result, they are able to make informed decisions about how funding can be used to best effect.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are understandably very proud of their school. They talk enthusiastically about their learning and about the ways in which they take care of one another.

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Behaviour

 The strong Christian ethos of the school underpins an exceptionally high level of care and respect throughout the school. This is modelled by all adults in the school. Older pupils are proud of their role in taking care of younger pupils in the school. An example of this is the way in which they sit with the youngest children at dinner time.

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Behaviour

 Pupils conduct themselves impeccably in all parts of the school, at all times of the day, with all members of staff. School rules and expectations are on display in every classroom, in the school hall and in the playground.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. Staff model high levels of care and respect and all pupils know that the headteacher expects them to try their best at all times. Pupils know that it is ok to make mistakes and as a result there are confident to share their ideas in lessons.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is good and exclusions are very rare. The headteacher strives for 100% attendance for all pupils and families are increasingly rising to this expectation.

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Behaviour

 Pupils take good care of their school environment and there is no litter outside or untidiness inside classrooms. This is because the headteacher sets the highest of standards by ensuring that every part of the school building is as clean, bright and as stimulating as possible.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that they are becoming confident and caring young people who want to make a positive difference in their own school and wider community. Pupils almost burst with pride as they told the inspector about the £700 they have recently raised for ‘Children in Need’.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All staff follow the agreed policies and procedures and have are familiar with up-to-date guidance.  Parents are confident that leaders and teachers have the interests of their children ‘at heart’ and that their children are safe in their care.

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Safety

 Pupils of all ages say that they feel safe in school. They also talk about things they have learnt about staying safe inside and outside school. Local police officers often come into school and as a result the children are confident about how to seek help in the wider community.

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Safety

 Pupils told the inspector that there is no bullying in the school. They talk about very infrequent instances of bullying in the past but say that things ‘never go wrong because teachers always help us and sort things out’.

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Safety

 The headteacher ensures that policies and procedures for safeguarding are reviewed and updated regularly. Staff receive regular training and current building work in school is aimed at improving site security even further. There is a culture of no complacency in relation to safeguarding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching at St Bartholomew’s is good and becoming even better. This is driven tirelessly and skilfully by the headteacher and senior teacher, resulting in marked improvements in pupils’ achievement in all subjects over the past three years.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classrooms and other learning environments are very well organised and high quality learning resources motivate pupils and help them to learn. Teachers know what resources and displays they are expected to provide in their classrooms and there is now a consistency in the way rooms and resources are organised across the school. As a result, pupils are confident at using learning resources wherever they are working or playing and this helps them make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There is a clear marking policy which the majority of teachers implement well. Pupils record what they have learnt and achieved on ’review stickers’ for each piece of work they do. As a consequence, they have an accurate understanding of what they have learnt and what they need to do to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The majority of lessons are well planned. Group activities and one-to-one support for pupils who need additional support or challenge are usually well targeted and help pupils make good progress. However there are rare occasions, in a minority of lessons, when the impact of support staff is not as strong as it needs to be because they are not actively involved in the pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The strongest teachers ensure that learning is always exciting and challenging for all pupils. Teachers in the mixed Reception/ Year 1 and Year 5/6 classes, place particular emphasis on learning through first- hand experiences. Year 5/6 pupils clearly loved the challenge of applying their mathematical skills in measuring the new extension and calculating the amount of carpet and paint which the school would need to buy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading is now a strength of the school. Specific programmes have been introduced and have helped this improvement. Teachers carefully track the progress pupils are making and plan and adapt resources and activities to meet their individual needs. As a result, the majority of pupils make more than expected progress in their reading by the end of Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are adapting well to the requirements of the new National Curriculum. There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills across a range of different subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 When teaching is less than good the majority of pupils still behave exceptionally well. This is because they know what other staff and leaders expect of them. It also reflects the high expectations which pupils have of themselves and one another.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Writing is taught well in the majority of classes but not in all. Where teachers model poor handwriting and their expectations are not high enough, pupils’ writing is weaker and they are making less progress. There is more to be done to make sure that stimulating opportunities for extended writing are provided for all pupils in all classes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good start which children enjoy in their Reception year prepares them well to make good progress in Key Stage 1. In 2014, the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics reading check (the sound that letters make) rose for the third year running and was above the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, by the end of Key Stage 1, pupils achieved above the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because expectations are rising and teachers now track pupils' progress accurately.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils develop a love of books and reading during their time at St Bartholomew’s. High quality resources, a well-stocked library and good teaching mean that as pupils move through the school they become fluent and expressive readers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 During their time in Key Stage 2, all pupils make at least expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This includes the very small numbers of children who speak English as an additional language, disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs. In 2014, the majority of all pupils made more than expected progress in reading and just under half of all pupils made more than expected progress in mathematics. There has been a greater emphasis on practical problem solving in mathematics over the past two years and this has contributed to an increase in pupils' enjoyment and greater success in the subject.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in writing is less rapid than in other subjects. The teaching of writing in some classes it is still not consistently good enough or exciting enough. Actions have been outlined in the school improvement plan and performance management targets identified to ensure that writing is taught in a consistently lively and engaging way across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils make outstanding progress in reading and mathematics. This was not the case three years ago. Standards have risen because of the headteacher’s determination to improve the quality of teaching and raise adult expectations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium make good, and in some cases excellent progress from their different starting points. The differences in achievement for the very small groups of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils at the school are smaller than those found nationally. In 2014, there were too few disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 to comment on their attainment without identifying them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good progress during their time at St Bartholomew’s. Careful tracking ensures that pupils needing support are identified quickly and their needs are met. In 2014 by the end of Key Stage 2, this small group of pupils had all made good or better progress in all subjects.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and teaching in the early years are good. The teacher ensures that there is an effective balance of adult-led and independent play activities in this mixed Reception / Year 1 class. As a result, children are developing the important skills needed for investigation, thinking for themselves and how to keep trying even when things are difficult.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff work together as a team to provide an exciting learning environment centred on the needs of each individual child. Every part of the classroom has been planned with a clear focus for play and learning. During the inspection, children were observed in a range of exciting and meaningful activities. Reception children were observed giggling with delight while learning how to add and double numbers in a skittles game outside.  The Reception teacher skilfully weaves opportunities for children to gain the essential skills in numeracy and literacy through play-based, first hand experiences. For example, a corner of the classroom had been creatively transformed into a woodland area with a tent and camping equipment linking to a story about ‘Percy the Park Keeper’. The area was planned and resourced so that children had opportunities to retell the story by themselves, and count and read the names of the animals which were hiding in the tree.

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The early years provision is good

 The quality of teaching is always good and increasingly outstanding. This is because teaching staff have high expectations of the children and planning is good.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff regularly record their observations of children’s learning and identify individual ‘next steps’ to help them improve their work.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make good and in some cases outstanding progress during their time in Reception. A large proportion of children start Reception lacking confidence in speaking and listening skills. They make rapid progress because their needs are quickly identified.

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The early years provision is good

 Relationships with parents are superb and families unfailingly praise the quality of care and education which children receive. Staff ensure that they know as much about the children as possible before they start school and visit them in their nurseries and playgroups.

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The early years provision is good

 The parents, children and staff are understandably, especially proud of this part of their school and this is reflected in children’s outstanding behaviour.

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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 120551 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 449349

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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 92 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bryn Chappell Headteacher Michelle Parker Date of previous school inspection 7 July 2011 Telephone number 01775 640357 Fax number 01775 640357 Email address enquiries@stbartholomews.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

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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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