Repton Primary School

Repton Primary School Springfield Road, Repton, Derby, DE65 6GN

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 School leaders do not focus clearly enough on identifying and tackling weaknesses, and their roles are not well enough defined or coordinated. As a result, the school is not improving.  Teaching is not consistently good. While in some classes teaching is good, leaders’ actions to improve teaching have not been fully effective because their evaluations of teaching are not frequent enough, nor do they take into account the progress over time made by groups of pupils within classes.  While pupils’ attainment by the end of Key Stage 2 is well above average, their progress as they move through the school is inconsistent. Although pupils in some classes make good progress, in other classes their progress is not strong enough.  Marking and feedback in pupils’ books do not always help them understand how they can improve their work.  Pupils across the school do not have enough opportunities to write extensively. As a result, their

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

achievement in writing is weak.  The most-able pupils are sometimes not challenged with hard enough work. As a result, they do not always make the progress they should.  Systems for recording and analysing data about attainment and progress are not useful in helping teachers and leaders to assess the relative progress of pupils with different backgrounds and abilities.  Although the newly reconstituted governing body is beginning to hold leaders to account, over time it has not kept a close enough check on the quality of education provided.

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The school has the following strengths

 Mathematics is taught well, especially in upper Key Stage 2. As a result, the achievement of pupils in this subject is good.  Children enjoy a rich variety of experiences in the Reception Year. This enables them to make good progress.  Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils have plenty of opportunities to enhance their learning through a wide range of activities. There is good provision for the arts, music and sport. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  There are effective procedures to ensure that pupils are safe. Pupils feel safe and well looked after by staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 11 lessons or parts of lessons, including one seen jointly with the headteacher. One inspector also observed assemblies.  Discussions were held with the headteacher and other leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also held meetings with pupils, and had informal discussions with pupils around the school.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked to them about their reading habits. They also scrutinised samples of pupils’ workbooks.  The inspection team looked at a range of documents, including development plans, the school’s evaluation of its performance, and documentation related to behaviour, child protection and safeguarding. Evidence about pupils’ achievement was analysed.  The inspectors took account of the 76 responses to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View, and the views expressed by parents as they arrived at school to pick up their children. They also considered the 16

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Inspection team

Stephen Palmer, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Children in the Reception Year attend on a full-time basis.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium, at 5%, is well below average. The pupil premium funding is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  At about 7%, the proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  The governing body has recently been reconstituted.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is good in all classes by ensuring that: - all pupils, especially the most able, are set challenging work - pupils are given a wider range of opportunities for extended writing - regular marking and feedback give pupils clear advice on what they need to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership, management and governance by: - defining precisely the roles and responsibilities of each leader - making rigorous analyses of data and other information to identify the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and the actions needed to drive improvements - setting clear timescales and targets for their initiatives to improve the school. - giving effective training and support to teachers whose pupils are not making good progress over time - ensuring that governors understand data and are able to compare the school’s performance with that of other schools, in order to hold leaders to account for pupils’ progress and achievement over their time at the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders’ checks on the performance of the school are not rigorous enough in identifying key weaknesses. Good leadership of the Reception Year has led to effective teaching. However, other leaders do not attach enough importance to their responsibility to check closely on the progress made by pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Plans to develop the school lack focus, and do not set timescales or measurable targets for success. As a result, they are unlikely to lead to rapid improvements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although the parents who spoke to inspectors made positive comments about the school, more than 40% of the parents who responded to the Parent View questionnaire raised concerns about leadership and management. They were of the opinion that the school did not deal effectively enough with the issues they raised. Inspectors confirmed that leaders do not respond quickly enough to concerns raised by parents.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 While class teachers make regular checks on their pupils’ progress, the systems they use to record and track pupils’ progress do not readily give them the information they need about how well different groups of pupils and individuals are doing. Consequently, they do not know which pupils may need more help to make good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Most leaders responsible for overseeing different age groups, as well as subject leaders, do not regularly carry out checks on the quality of teaching and on pupils’ work. They therefore do not have enough evidence to check on the pupils’ performance in their area of responsibility, and so are not equipped to offer advice to colleagues on how to improve. However, leadership in the Reception Year is good because the coordinator gives clear guidance about the children’s learning to the other staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The targets set by the headteacher to improve teachers’ performance are linked to pupils’ progress, but those relating to the achievement of some pupils, especially the most able, are not challenging enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The pupil premium funds are used to support the emotional as well as the academic needs of disadvantaged pupils. They have been used to provide the support of an additional teacher of mathematics for disadvantaged pupils in Key Stage 2. They have also funded some additional support from teaching assistants for these pupils in lessons, although this has not led to significant improvements in the pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum is good. In planning for the new National Curriculum, leaders have devised suitable methods to assess the development of pupils’ skills as they work through a programme of topics. There are themed weeks and days, such as the ‘Arts Week’ and the ‘European Day’, which are effective in helping pupils to extend and deepen their understanding and skills. There are residential visits for older pupils, and the programme of activities outside the classroom offers a wide range of sports as well as opportunities to play a musical instrument. The school promotes equality of opportunity, fosters good relations and tackles all forms of discrimination well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum promotes British values of democracy and tolerance, and gives pupils a good understanding of the beliefs and cultures of other people around the world. A wide range of opportunities, available to all pupils, serves to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. Pupils have a strong sense of fairness and right and wrong. This serves to reinforce pupils’ understanding of being British and prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has used the national primary school sports funding well. It has been used to develop the skills of teachers and teaching assistants. The fund has also been used to enable pupils to participate in inter- school competitions. Older pupils have received training to enable them to lead lunchtime activities for younger pupils. In turn, this has encouraged pupils to adopt more active, healthier lifestyles.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority’s checks have not been rigorous enough to identify the weaknesses in the school’s self- evaluation and action planning. As a result, it has not been effective in helping the school to improve.  The governance of the school:  In the period since the last inspection, the governing body has not been effective in analysing in detail the inconsistencies in pupils’ achievement, nor in checking to find out if actions for improvement have had the impact they should. There has been a lack of challenge to school leaders and this has contributed to the decline in the school’s overall effectiveness.  Although governors now analyse in more detail and with greater independence the data they have about pupils’ progress, they have previously relied too heavily on data provided by the school.  The newly reconstituted governing body is now coming to terms with its responsibilities. It is developing

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The leadership and management requires improvement

its role in checking on the performance of the school, and is beginning to question and challenge school leaders.  Some governors pay regular visits to school to support learning and to monitor provision. They report back to other governors about their findings. They are aware of how teachers’ performance is monitored, and that pay progression is now linked to performance. Governors now recognise that performance targets have not been challenging enough.  Governors are aware of how the school uses the pupil premium and primary sports funds but they have not evaluated the impact of this extra funding.  The governing body has ensured that safeguarding arrangements meet national requirements, and that pupils are well cared for.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. In lessons, pupils are keen to learn and they pay attention to the teacher. They cooperate well with each other, and listen respectfully to each other’s contributions in discussions. This leads to a positive learning environment.

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Behaviour

 From the start of their time in Reception, the children learn to be are respectful to adults and they demonstrate good manners in and around the school.

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Behaviour

 There have been no exclusions in recent years. Behaviour logs show that there have been no incidents of racism. The logs on the bullying issues indicated the action taken to prevent further incidents.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is above average. The school has effective systems for following up reasons for absence.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils agree that they feel safe in school.

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Safety

 Pupils learn how to stay safe. They learn about road safety as pedestrians and cyclists, and have been taught how to stay safe when using the internet.

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Safety

 Pupils are aware of the different forms that bullying can take, such as name-calling, cyber-bullying and intimidation. Pupils are encouraged to report to adults any concerns they have about bullying.

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Safety

 Pupils say there is very little bullying and that it is dealt with effectively. Some parents raised concerns about bullying through the Parent View website, but the parents who spoke to inspectors confirmed that these issues have now been resolved.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because it is not consistently good in all classes. Teaching in the Reception Year and in upper Key Stage 2 is good, but teaching elsewhere in the school requires improvement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of writing, and the limited opportunities offered to pupils to write at length, do not enable pupils to make good progress as they move through the school. As a result, the quality and standard of writing hinder pupils’ overall achievement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers maintain records on the recent progress and attainment of individual pupils in their class but they do not all make enough use of this information to plan lessons that cater for pupils’ different abilities. In some lessons, the work for the more-able pupils is not hard enough. As a result, these pupils do not always make as much progress as they should.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The work in pupils’ books shows that there are inconsistencies in the quality of the marking and feedback offered to pupils. The work in some pupils’ books is untidy, but teachers have accepted this without comment. In a few books, the work is repetitive, which indicates that pupils are not being challenged enough to take on new tasks.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is good, pupils are very enthusiastic to learn. Teachers and teaching assistants use questions and explanations well to promote learning and to clarify pupils’ understanding. They have good subject knowledge, and set clear and challenging objectives for learning, which the pupils are keen to achieve.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of mathematics is good, especially in upper Key Stage 2. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils, and set challenging work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Strategies to teach reading are effective. Pupils in Key Stage 1 learn well the skills of linking letters to sounds (phonics), and reading and forming letters. Teachers in all year groups encourage pupils to enjoy reading.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because the rate of their progress through the school is inconsistent. Pupils in lower Key Stage 2, and the more-able pupils in Key Stage 1, do not make as much progress as they are capable of.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Children start the Reception Year with differing levels of skills and understanding, and there is some variation in the overall levels achieved by children in their different year groups. . However, most children enter the Reception Year with knowledge, skills and understanding which are at least equal to those typically seen in children of their age, and in some cases somewhat better. Because of good-quality teaching in the Reception Year, children make good progress, and most leave this class ready to begin Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are working at levels which are broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of the more-able pupils who attain the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics is also only broadly in line with the national average. Taking into account that pupils are well prepared in the Reception Year, the progress they make in Key Stage 1 requires improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The pupils in Year 6 in 2014 made good progress in mathematics. As well as benefiting from good-quality class teaching, these pupils’ rapid progress was also due to individual tuition, partly funded by the pupil premium, which was offered to all the most able. As a result, a higher proportion than the national average attained Levels 5 and 6 in the Key Stage 2 national tests.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils achieve well in mathematics because they benefit from effective support and challenge. In writing, the lack of opportunity to write at length over a range of subjects limits their progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Despite attaining standards that were well above average in reading and mathematics, pupils’ overall progress over time in Key Stage 2 was only in line with the national average. Their progress in mathematics was good, but their progress in reading was only average and their progress in writing was weaker than average.  The school’s data on the progress of pupils currently in school indicates that the progress made in Years 3 and 4 is not good, but that pupils make more rapid progress in upper Key Stage 2, particularly in mathematics. Data show that writing remains a relative weakness.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There were too few disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 in 2014 to compare their attainment with that of others. However, the progress of disadvantaged pupils through the school is similar to that of their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs also make variable progress. The evidence provided by the school indicates that while some have made good progress recently, there are others who have made little progress.

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The early years provision is good

 As a result of good teaching, children achieve well in the Reception Year. Most leave this class well prepared for Key Stage 1.

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The early years provision is good

 Procedures for introducing children to school ensure that teachers and other adults have a good understanding of each child’s strengths and particular learning needs, and that the children begin school with confidence.

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The early years provision is good

 The Reception Year coordinator leads the Reception Year well. She ensures that her staff record children’s achievements regularly. As a result, she has a comprehensive understanding of each child, and uses this information well to adapt future learning activities to meet their differing capabilities.

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The early years provision is good

 The learning activities for children are purposeful and appeal to their interests. For example, in the approach to Christmas, the home corner became Father Christmas’s workshop. The children were asked to pretend to be his helpers, and to estimate how much paper they would need for each gift, and then use their cutting and sticking skills to wrap it. Meanwhile, children in another group were developing their writing skills by making gift tags.

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The early years provision is good

 Children are confident in choosing activities, and they understand the adult’s expectations for sharing, taking turns and including other children. They work cooperatively, and talk about their tasks. Their good behaviour ensures that there is a purposeful and secure environment in which effective learning can take place. The adults are skilled in dealing sensitively with any lapses in behaviour. The arrangements for safeguarding the children are good.

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The early years provision is good

 The outdoor area is well resourced and is used imaginatively to stimulate children’s learning. For example, testing their knowledge of numbers is made fun for children when an adult calls out a number and they have to ride their scooters to the correct card, of the several posted along the fence, which displays that number.

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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 112976 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 449599

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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 244 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lisa Eaton Headteacher Helen Wallis Date of previous school inspection 28 September 2009 Telephone number 01283 703732 Fax number 01283 703732 Email address info@repton-pri.derbyshire.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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