Ranby CofE Primary School

School report Ranby CofE Primary School Blyth Road, Ranby, Retford, DN22 8HZ

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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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This is a good school

 Pupils of all abilities make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics because of good teaching.  Pupils’ behaviour is consistently good in class and around the school.  Pupils know how to keep themselves and others safe. There are strong bonds between different age groups, with the older ones taking good care of the younger ones.  Staff have strong working relationships with pupils and offer them lots of support and encouragement.  Curriculum planning is good and there is an interesting range of activities related to real-life situations that engage pupils’ enthusiasm.  The headteacher provides good leadership through an effective focus on improving teaching and tracking the progress that individuals and groups of pupils make.  Staff with responsibilities for English and mathematics carry out their roles well and provide good support for leading the school forwards.  Leadership of the early years is good and ensures

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This is a good school

that activities promote an enjoyment of learning and good achievement.  Staff work as a very effective team. All leaders work closely together to ensure that teaching and achievement are good.  Governors know the school well. They have a good understanding of what data tell them about progress and of their roles and responsibilities.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and pupils develop an effective understanding of British values.  The very large majority of parents are rightly pleased with the quality of education and care provided for their children.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of teaching is not entirely consistent; some activities do not contain a high enough level of challenge for the more-able pupils.  The marking of pupils’ work is better in English than mathematics, and does not always make clear what pupils need to improve.  Pupils do not achieve quite as well in mathematics as they do in other subjects. This is because some do not use what they already know to solve mathematical problems with confidence.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed parts of eight lessons and other school activities. Most of the lesson observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector looked in detail at the work in pupils’ books and heard several pupils read.  Planned and informal discussions were held with pupils throughout the inspection.  There were discussions with the headteacher about all aspects of the school’s work. Discussions were held with the literacy and numeracy leaders and with the leader of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The inspector spoke to members of the governing body. She also spoke to a representative of the local authority by telephone.  There were 28 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector also spoke to several parents at the start of both days of the inspection and received a small number of written communications from parents. She also took account of 11 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector scrutinised a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress. She also took account of documents and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Sue Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  At 13%, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is half the national average. The pupil premium provides additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  A very small percentage of pupils are from minority ethnic groups and speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is less than 5% and below the national average.  There are four classes in the school. Reception pupils attend on a full-time basis and are taught in a single group. The other three classes contain pupils from two year groups.  During this year, several staff have changed the age groups they teach and a member of staff has been appointed as an assistant headteacher.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is consistently effective by:  checking that activities contain a high level of challenge, particularly for the more-able  ensuring that the marking of pupils’ work is good in all subjects and identifies specifically what can be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate the rate of progress made, especially in mathematics, by ensuring that all pupils develop the confidence to use what they already know to solve mathematical problems speedily and accurately.

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The leadership and management are good

 The staff team work well together by sharing a vision and determination for the school to continually move forwards. This is noted in their comments on the questionnaire, such as: ‘Got great confidence in the leadership. Great ethos underpins everything.’ This shared approach to improvement is coupled with good leadership by the headteacher and the maintenance of the long-standing pastoral strengths. This ensures that the school continues to provide a good quality of education and care for all.

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The leadership and management are good

 A strong emphasis by the headteacher and colleagues on raising standards is evident. Leaders use data well to check and track the progress of individuals and groups of pupils. The school has reviewed its approach to assessment in the light of recent changes to the National Curriculum and has made a good start to new arrangements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has developed an effective programme for improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ consequent progress. This includes a growing focus on checking the work in pupils’ books. Feedback to staff is then provided about what works well and where improvement is needed.

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The leadership and management are good

 Joint lesson observations with the headteacher show that she has an accurate understanding of what makes teaching effective and of areas for improvement. Leaders recognise where and why teaching is most or least effective. School self-evaluation is accurate.

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The leadership and management are good

 The previous inspection identified a need to raise standards in writing. This has improved considerably and, last year, standards were above those in other subjects in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

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The leadership and management are good

 Most teaching staff have some leadership responsibility at ‘senior’ or ‘middle’ levels and do these jobs well. The assistant headteacher, including in her role as literacy leader, and the mathematics leader both work closely with colleagues to model strong and effective teaching; they coach other staff as appropriate. Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Systems to monitor the performance of teachers and pupils are effective. There are good links with training activities and with other local schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school curriculum is varied and interesting and meets the needs of the pupils well. A good focus on learning through experience and using the locality was seen when pupils planned their speeches about whether all Years 3 and 4 pupils in the country should complete the topic ‘Urban Pioneers’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is good in all areas. Pupils enjoy acts of collective worship; older and younger pupils enter the school hall, often holding hands, and sit together which encourages a very caring approach.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school places a good emphasis on the development of British values, including democracy and liberty, by developing individual class rules. There is a successful whole-school focus on promoting respect and responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding procedures meet current requirements. The school ensures that it seeks up-to-date advice and carries out careful checks of the suitability of staff to work with children.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium is good, as is that for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Their individual needs are identified and a good programme of support provided including for school visits and after school activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders promote equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination well by ensuring that all pupils are seen as individuals. They ensure that support and advice is provided as needed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary school physical education and sport funding is used well. The school has developed close links with the local secondary school and makes good use of their staff to work with class teachers. This was seen in a very effective gymnastics session with children in the early years.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides effective light-touch support to a school that it rightly identifies as successful. Strengths in leadership and governance ensure that the school has the capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The very large majority of parents are very pleased with the quality of care and education provided for their children. Several note with pleasure how children are nurtured so that they can blossom and grow in confidence. A very small number of parents have concerns whether the school deals effectively with bullying. Inspection confirms that the behaviour of pupils is consistently good and the incidences of bullying are rare.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: – Governance of the school is good and governors have a clear understanding of all aspects of school life. Leaders of the governing body have a good grasp of their role. They have spent time with staff looking at the range of work in pupils books to see for themselves how the curriculum is tailored to pupils’ needs. – Governors are well informed about the quality of teaching and can identify where this is most effective and where improvements could be made. This enables them to make informed decisions about teachers’ pay based on pupil performance, rewarding good work and tackling any issues. Governors are effective in both supporting the school and in acting as a critical friend by holding staff to account for the progress made. This helps ensure that the established staff team are reflective and do not rest on past successes.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This is evident in both lessons and a range of other activities. Of note is how well older and younger pupils get on so well together. This is seen in the playground where older pupils are happy to play with the youngest ones. They also sit with a different partner in assembly every day and eat together in mixed-aged groups at lunchtimes. This helps pupils develop an awareness of their responsibility to others and to develop as caring young citizens.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have positive attitudes to school and to their learning. Where teaching is particularly effective, pupils show high levels of interest in what they are doing. This is seen, for example, when older pupils write a persuasive letter and others work out their speeches to deliver to another school. Children in the Reception group also try very hard when writing part of the Christmas story.

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Behaviour

 The majority of pupils concentrate well and try to improve their work. However, a small number lack confidence in what they are doing, particularly when solving mathematical problems. A few do not readily offer their ideas in discussions and do not develop a wide vocabulary, including in mathematics.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils of all ages develop a good awareness of how to keep themselves and their friends safe because they understand that their behaviour makes an impact on others.

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Safety

 Pupils are able to explain that bullying is a repeated and deliberate action. They know this might include physical bullying or cyber-bullying, and explain what these terms mean. They recognise that the school has good procedures to ensure safety when using the internet.

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Safety

 A very small number of parents have concerns about behaviour and bullying. School records show that there are strong links with a range of agencies and staff work closely with families where concerns are identified. Discussions with pupils indicate inappropriate behaviour and bullying are rare and that staff respond well to pupils’ worries.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A particular strength is that teaching and support staff know the pupils very well and there are strong working relationships. Adults offer the pupils lots of praise for their efforts which builds their self-esteem.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has a positive impact on learning including in reading, writing and mathematics. Staff use questions well to encourage the pupils to explain what they think and to consider how they can improve their work. This was seen to excellent effect in Years 5 and 6, when pupils wrote a persuasive letter to God about his decision to send one baby rather than an army to save the world. Questions promoted a lot of thought and discussion among pupils in developing their arguments.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff explain things well to pupils. This was observed when a sports teacher worked with the Reception group and clearly went through step-by-step instructions about where to place their hands and body when performing a forward roll. The children were particularly impressed with the staff demonstration which served to emphasise the precise sequence of movements.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Support staff are used well to provide additional help to individuals and groups of pupils. This is particularly effective in Years 5 and 6, where support is of high quality, including when working with the more-able pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is also well considered and effective. This includes a good emphasis on helping develop pupils’ confidence, so that they are not dependent on adults for support all the time. Records show that, where additional support is provided for pupils, this accelerates their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The organisation and management of mixed-aged and ability groups is good. Work is often set at three different levels in order to provide an appropriate level of challenge. However, occasionally, the work set is the same or very similar for all pupils, and does not offer a really high level of challenge for the most-able.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has made some improvement in the marking of pupils’ work over the last year. While there is still a little inconsistency in the marking of pupils’ writing, this is generally better than in the marking of their work in mathematics. While this work is marked, there is little identification of what the pupils have done well or what to do to improve.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Reception group with a range of early skills, experiences and levels of confidence that are broadly typical for their age. Children make good progress and many enter Year 1 with a good level of development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the Year 1 national checks of pupils’ phonic skills, standards in 2014 were slightly below the national average. Additional training for staff and other changes have helped to increase pupils’ progress in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils across the school make good overall progress and achieve well from their different starting points. With very small numbers of pupils in some year groups, it is difficult to compare the achievement of different groups year-on-year and identify trends in the rate of progress made.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards are usually broadly average at each key stage but rose in 2014 and were above the national average in both Key Stages 1 and 2, particularly in writing. This had previously been a weakness and a lot of work was undertaken to ensure the reasons to write were interesting for the pupils. Writing is now good across the school and pupils in Year 5 and 6 make excellent progress in developing their use of writing for different purposes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils read well. Many have good skills in using their phonic knowledge, of letters and the sounds they represent, to work out unfamiliar words. Most are well supported in their reading, both in school and at home.  Pupils’ skills in mathematics are generally good although some pupils do not have sufficient confidence in using what they already know to solve mathematical problems speedily and accurately. This was shown when some older pupils struggled to work out the cost of items for the Christmas fair and how much profit they would make.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Data suggest that in some years girls have not done as well as the boys in mathematics and to a greater degree than seen nationally. Observations indicate that a few girls lack confidence in this area and do not readily offer their ideas in class or groups activities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disadvantaged pupils entitled to the pupil premium funding, achieve well from their different starting points and progress as well as their classmates and other pupils nationally. With the extremely small number of these pupils in some cohorts, it is not statistically valid to compare their attainment in tests with that of others. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress made by the most-able pupils is generally good. A reasonable proportion has achieved the highest level (Level 6) in their work. However, at times, not enough is expected from some pupils including those who find learning relatively easy. The school monitors the progress of all individuals and groups and additional support is provided where appropriate.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The funding for primary school physical education and sport is used well to increase staff confidence and pupils’ skills. The school works closely with others, including a local secondary school, to improve skills in key areas including gymnastics. Such work is leading to a greater uptake of additional sports activities and involvement in events and competitions with other schools.

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The early years provision is good

 Children enter the Reception group with mixed early skills which are broadly typical for their age. From their different starting points, they make good overall progress. Children’s behaviour and safety are good and they are well prepared for their move to Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The current focus on improving early writing is apparent in the good work observed when children recorded parts of the Christmas story. Here, the teacher gave lots of reminders to the children to keep repeating very slowly the word they were trying to write. This enabled them to identify the letters and sounds they needed and make a credible try at writing what they wanted to. This led to some children then using writing areas to produce their own work unaided.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership of the early years is good and the curriculum is well matched to the ages and stages of development of the children. During the inspection, there were lots of activities related to Christmas. Children enjoyed turning paper plates into robins and using a computer to click and drop pictures of characters from the Christmas story onto a background of a hillside or stable. Good teaching boosts the progress made in all areas of learning. Staff use questions well to encourage children to think of different alternatives when, for example, building a brick wall in order to ensure the wall was stronger.

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The early years provision is good

 Good use is made of the outdoor learning area, even in the coldest weather. School leaders are aware that the building does not as yet provide much cover for those outside and energy is wasted on ineffective entrance and exit arrangements from the classroom.

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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 122749 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 448536

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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 90 Appropriate authority Governing Body Chair Sarah Wendon Headteacher Clare Mackinder Date of previous school inspection 30 November 2009 Telephone number 01777 703736 Fax number 01777 710929 Email address office@ranby.notts.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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