The Fourfields Church of England School, Sutterton

The Fourfields Church of England School, Sutterton Park Avenue, Sutterton, Boston, PE20 2JN

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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 headteacher provides clear direction for the largely new staff team which enables good teaching to flourish and pupils to achieve well.  Governance has improved and is effective.  Under the strong leadership of the executive headteacher, resources and expertise are shared very effectively across the federation, adding considerable momentum to the pace of further improvement.  Pupils feel safe in school. Attendance is above average. Pupils enjoy learning and behave well.  Pupils are achieving well because they are well taught. This is evident in their books which show well-planned tasks that capture pupils’ interest. Classes are managed sensitively and effectively.  In the Reception Year, children quickly settle into school routines. They soon become eager learners and make good progress.  The pupils continue to make good progress as they move through the school.  The curriculum, with its emphasis on the study of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

exciting topics, harnesses pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. Literacy and numeracy skills, and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness, are all developed well. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for their future lives in modern Britain.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always insist on high-quality layout and presentation of pupils’ work in mathematics.  Teachers’ marking does not consistently give pupils clear pointers for improving their work. Pupils do not always act on the advice they are given.  Occasionally, pupils are not moved on quickly enough to more challenging work.  Not all middle leaders are as effective as others, in continuing to improve learning and progress in the subjects and areas they lead, because they are new to the role.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 11 lessons being taught to full classes and smaller groups of pupils of all ages and in a range of subjects, including mathematics and English. The headteacher and lead inspector made several shorter joint visits to classrooms.  Discussions were held with parents, pupils, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ books, progress data, safeguarding information and other documentation.  The 19 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered, as well as those from the school’s own parental surveys and from school staff.

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Inspection team

Ann Ashdown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The early years provision is for children in the Reception Year, who attend full time.  The large majority of pupils are White British. An average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and a similar proportion speaks English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is similar to that found nationally. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are eligible for free school meals or those in the care of the local authority.  A well above-average proportion of pupils joins and leaves the school part-way through their primary education.  The school is part of the Emmaus Federation with Swineshead St Mary’s Church of England Primary School. The two schools share an executive headteacher and a single governing body. Each school also

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Information about this school

has its own headteacher.  The on-site provision for child care, Sutterton Children’s Centre, is inspected separately. Its inspection report can be found on the Ofsted website.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and achievement by:  insisting on high-quality layout and presentation of work in mathematics  giving pupils clear pointers on how they can improve their work and making sure they act on the advice given  moving pupils on quickly to more challenging work as soon as they are ready.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure all middle leaders play a full and effective role in continuing to improve learning and progress in the subjects and areas they lead.

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The leadership and management are good

 Very effective leadership by the headteacher and executive headteacher are bringing about school improvement and allowing good teaching and good behaviour to flourish. Appropriate priorities have been identified for further improvement and the school is well placed to achieve its goals.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teaching is well led and its quality is closely monitored. Staff performance is well managed and good- quality training helps teachers to improve their skills. Staff feel valued and well supported by senior leaders. Consequently, morale is high.

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The leadership and management are good

 Extra funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used well. This money is spent wisely on, for example, high-quality small-group and one-to-one tuition. Consequently, gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils are closing throughout the school. Disadvantaged pupils are making the same good progress as their classmates.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equality of opportunity so that all groups of pupils have access to all school activities and make equally good progress in their learning. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. The school successfully fosters good relations so that pupils get on well with each other and have an understanding of, and respect for, people who come from different backgrounds to their own.

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The leadership and management are good

 Some middle leaders, who are recently appointed, are not yet fully effective in continuing to improve learning and progress in the subjects and areas they lead. Middle leaders have put in place some new initiatives, such as an improved system for recording the progress of children in the early years, but the full effect of these improvements has yet to be evaluated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum enables pupils to develop good basic skills in literacy and numeracy, and also promotes enthusiasm for learning through the study of interesting topics. Pupils of all ages talked enthusiastically about topics as varied as dinosaurs, time travellers, mini beasts and rain forests in Brazil, all of which had clearly captured their interest. Pupils also have a good awareness of spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues. These are successfully promoted through, for example, meaningful assemblies, exciting residential visits, studies of other cultures, and links with a school in Uganda. Through this wide range of activities, pupils learn values such as tolerance and respect, and are well prepared for their future lives as British citizens and for their time at secondary school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding are effective and meet requirements. Staff are well trained and have a good awareness of child protection and risk assessment procedures.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided very good support for the school by providing an interim executive headteacher until this post is filled permanently. An adviser also visits the school and has given support and advice on improving teaching and raising achievement further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school benefits greatly from working closely with its partner school in the Emmaus Federation with whom it shares specialist staff, expertise, training and resources.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary sports funding has been well spent on specialist coaching, staff training and resources. This enables pupils to take part in new sports (such as taekwondo), attend clubs and participate in more competitions. This promotes their healthy lifestyles and allows them to perform to the level of which they are capable.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is effective and has improved because it has been reviewed and restructured since the last inspection. Governors are knowledgeable about the school’s strengths and weaknesses because they monitor its work closely and are kept well informed about data on the school’s performance. They are also well informed about the quality of teaching and about how good performance is rewarded and weaknesses are tackled. Finances are well managed. Governors hold the school to account for how funding, such as the pupil premium, is spent and know what impact this is having on pupils’ progress. They ensure that health and safety requirements are met and that policies and procedures are effective.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils play happily together in the playground and move around the building quietly and sensibly. They are aware of others and are polite and kind to each other, to staff and to visitors.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are proud of their school. They wear the correct school uniform and come well equipped and ready to learn. Parents are also supportive of the school and most are very pleased with the education their children receive

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Behaviour

 In lessons, most pupils are keen to learn, answer questions readily and want to succeed. A few pupils sometimes lose concentration but classes are well managed and they are usually brought quickly back to the task in hand. Work in mathematics is not always well presented.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is above average. No pupils have been excluded from school. Records show that there are few incidents of challenging behaviour and these are dealt with effectively.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy taking responsibility and talk proudly about being members of the school council, raising money for charities or belonging to ‘Little Fish’ (Faith in Small Hearts). They also value the school’s link with a school in Uganda. The pupils exchange letters with their counterparts in Uganda and send resources to help them in their lessons.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel very safe in school and parents agree that the school keeps their children safe.

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Safety

 Staff are well trained and fully aware of safeguarding policies and procedures. The school site is secure and appropriate checks are made to ensure the suitability of adults to work with children.

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Safety

 Pupils have a sensible attitude to risk taking. They are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe when using computers and also aware of dangers associated with, for example, the misuse of drugs and alcohol. They understand that there are different types of bullying but are, rightly, confident that should this happen in school it will be swiftly dealt with.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work in pupils’ books demonstrates that they make good progress in literacy, reading and mathematics as a result of the good teaching they receive. Teachers set varied and engaging tasks connected to the study of exciting topics that capture pupils’ interest. Pupils made good progress in their learning in literacy through studying interesting poetry which allowed them to draw on their knowledge of the Northern Lights which, in turn, linked to their study of the ‘Frozen Kingdom’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils develop good mathematical skills through solving real-life problems, such as how many counters fill a box or how many ducks there are on a pond. They also use well-developed literacy and numeracy skills to successfully draw and annotate clear and informative maps of the school grounds.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, those who speak English as an additional language and those who join the school part-way through their primary education all receive constructive and sensitive individual support when it is needed. High-quality, small-group teaching, particularly in mathematics, allows pupils who are in danger of falling behind to catch up quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Knowledgeable teaching, well-planned lessons and interesting homework all extend and deepen pupils’ understanding. Teachers explain topics clearly and pupils usually learn a lot in lessons. Occasionally, time is not used to the best effect and pupils are not moved on quickly enough to the next task.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and, in some books, pupils are given detailed advice on how to improve their work. They act on this advice and make good progress. However, this is not always the case. Pupils are sometimes not given clear guidance on how to improve work and do not always act on the advice given.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work in pupils’ books is mostly neatly presented and complete, particularly in literacy. In mathematics, in a minority of cases, work is not as neat and well laid out because teachers do not always insist upon high standards of presentation.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s detailed tracking system and work in pupils’ books confirm the good progress that pupils are currently making in the early years and in both Key Stage 1 and 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in national tests vary because year groups are very small and they are also sometimes affected by a higher than usual proportion of pupils who join the school part-way through their education. In 2013, results overall, at the end of Year 6, were above average. They dipped in 2014 . H owever, the proportion of pupils who made good progress compared very favourably with national figures.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well in reading and writing because they receive good-quality teaching in phonics (the sounds that letters make) and they are successfully encouraged to read widely and enjoy reading for pleasure. In mathematics, pupils develop good basic skills and those who are in danger of falling behind are given specialist extra help to improve their understanding. The school’s current assessments show that pupils, in Year 6, are on track to make good progress and reach above-average standards this year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The numbers of disadvantaged pupils are very small, so their results in national tests cannot be reported in detail without identifying individual pupils. However, across the school disadvantaged pupils make the same good progress as their classmates because extra funding is spent well on providing them with timely and well-targeted small-group specialist teaching when this is needed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, pupils who speak English as an additional language and those who join the school part-way through their primary education develop good literacy and numeracy skills and achieve well. Teachers and teaching assistants provide well-targeted and sensitive help so that they are able to take a full part in the same activities as their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils make good progress because they are given work which provides them with extra challenges. They also receive specialist small-group teaching to enable them to reach the higher standards in tests and assessments.

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The early years provision is good

 Children start in the Reception Year with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They are keen to learn and make good progress and achieve well, including the most able and those who are disabled and have special educational needs. By the end of the Reception Year, most children have reached a good level of development and are well prepared for the next stage of their education in Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 Children usually behave well. Teachers have high expectations of good behaviour and make sure that children understand the difference between right and wrong. Most children follow teachers’ instructions sensibly. They share resources, take turns and usually cooperate well with each other when working in groups. They are kept safe by staff, who are well trained and know the children’s individual learning needs.  Teaching is good. Teachers and teaching assistants work seamlessly together to provide children with interesting learning opportunities, both indoors and out. For example, children enjoyed learning and gained a good understanding of capacity by filling different containers with rice, sand and water.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of the early years are good. The newly appointed leader has already improved both the outdoor and indoor learning areas and has introduced an improved system for monitoring the progress children make. She has ensured that there are good links with parents and pre- school education providers so that children settle easily into school routines.

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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 120559 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 449549

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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 142 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Emma Woods Executive Headteacher & Headteacher Karen Foster & Carol Hayat Date of previous school inspection 21 June 2010 Telephone number 01205 460547 Fax number 01205 460906 Email address enquiries@suttertonswinesheadfederation.co.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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