Cherry Willingham Primary School

Cherry Willingham Primary School Lime Grove, Cherry Willingham, Lincoln, LN3 4BD

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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 Requires improvement 3 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

 Since the last inspection, leaders, managers and governors have not made sure the quality of teaching has been good enough to enable pupils to achieve well in all subjects.  Leaders think the school is better than it is because their evaluations of teaching do not sufficiently take into account its impact on pupils’ achievement.  Leaders do not check carefully that pupils are making good progress in their work. The tracking of pupils’ progress is not rigorous enough.  Subject leaders do not ensure that pupils learn consistently well in their areas of responsibility.  Governors have not thoroughly questioned leaders about pupils’ performance in the National Curriculum tests.  Although pupils are kept safe and feel safe in school, some statutory safeguarding policies have not been agreed by governors.  Teachers do not use the assessment information about what pupils know and can do effectively enough to set work that ensures pupils achieve

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

well, especially the most able.  Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to apply their writing or mathematical skills in different subjects so they do not make better progress.  Subjects other than English and mathematics are not taught in sufficient depth, and teachers do not always expect pupils to produce their best work in these subjects. Consequently, pupils sometimes present untidy and careless work.  Marking does not tell pupils clearly how to improve their work.  Learning in lessons is not always as interesting as it could be and so pupils occasionally lose concentration and their progress slows.  Teachers have too few opportunities to observe best practice in teaching for themselves.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher is implementing actions which are having a positive effect on pupils’ learning. The staff fully support the headteacher’s drive for school improvement.  Pupils enjoy school, as shown by their above- average attendance.  Relationships are good and pupils show respect for adults and for each other. They are polite and courteous to visitors.  Children in the early years achieve well as a result of good teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 13 lessons, two of which were with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with staff, groups of pupils and three members of the governing body. A telephone conversation took place with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors heard pupils read, and spoke to them about their work, behaviour and if they felt safe in school.  Account was taken of the 53 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Inspectors had conversations with parents at the start of the school day. They also considered the 22 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own data on pupils’ current achievement; planning and monitoring documentation; reports on the quality of teaching over time; records relating to behaviour and attendance; the school’s improvement plan; documents relating to safeguarding; samples of pupils’ work and records of various meetings, including

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Inspection team

Lois Furness, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 In this above average-sized primary school, almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is similar to the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for disadvantaged pupils – those who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after.  In the early years, children are taught in two full-time Reception classes.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  A new headteacher took up post in September 2014. A temporary assistant headteacher was appointed in November, due to the extended leave of one of the substantive assistant headteachers. Two newly qualified teachers joined the staff in September 2014.

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Information about this school

 On the school site, there is Cherry Willingham Children’s Centre and a privately run provision for childcare, ‘Cherry Tots Pre-school’. Both these settings are subject to separate inspections and receive their own inspection report, which is published on the Ofsted website.  The Chair of the Governing Body has very recently resigned, and the vice-chair has adopted the role of Acting Chair of the Governing Body until the next full governing body meeting.  Prior to the appointment of the new headteacher, the school did not work closely with other local schools. The headteacher has forged a link with one other school, and there are plans for six schools to work together on school improvement and professional development. The local authority is in the process of arranging support for school leaders from a Local Leader of Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to accelerate pupils’ progress in Years 1 to 6, especially in writing and mathematics, by:  improving teachers’ use of assessment information to set work that challenges pupils of all abilities, particularly the most able, so that pupils gain more interest and enthusiasm for learning  all teachers expecting pupils to do their very best in all subjects, avoiding any lapses in concentration in learning or in good presentation of work  providing opportunities for pupils to practise their writing and mathematical skills across different subjects  marking which helps pupils to improve their work  enabling teachers to visit other schools to see best practice so they improve their own skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by:  leaders evaluating teaching based more directly on how it influences pupils’ learning  checking regularly that the work in pupils’ books shows good progress in all subjects  implementing more rigorous assessment systems to judge pupils’ learning and progress  leaders of subjects becoming more effective in improving pupils’ achievement in their subjects  teaching all subjects, for example, history, geography and religious education, in sufficient depth so pupils make good progress in their learning in all subjects  improving governance so that governors challenge leaders more about the school’s performance  urgently ensuring that all safeguarding policies are confirmed by the governing body.

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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 can be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because leaders have not sustained a culture where teaching and pupils’ behaviour are consistently good. Consequently, pupils’ good achievement seen at the time of the last inspection has not been maintained.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders, including governors, have an overly positive view of the school’s overall effectiveness. This is because their evaluation of the school’s performance does not focus on the impact of teaching on the progress and attainment of pupils over time. As a result, there has been insufficient urgency to improve teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher has brought about some changes in recent months, which are beginning to bring about signs of improvement, for example, pupils’ progress in phonics (letters and the sounds they make) and in teachers’ marking. However, there has not been time for these changes to have more impact on the pupils’ progress. Even so, the action taken is sufficient to show that improvement is taking place and is beginning to have the impact intended on teaching and achievement. The staff questionnaire returns show that staff are fully supportive of the changes, and that they recognise the need for improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject leaders of English and mathematics have received training on their responsibilities for monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning. The new mathematics leader has introduced a new calculation policy, which is ensuring consistency in the teaching of number. However, subject leaders are still developing their skills in judging the effectiveness of teaching by how well pupils are learning. As yet, other subject leaders, such as those leading history, geography and religious education, are having insufficient impact on pupils’ achievement. Their checking of pupils’ progress in their books is infrequent.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive support for learning, but it is not always fully effective. Consequently, as leaders acknowledge, these pupils are not progressing well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Performance management is used to hold teachers to account for the achievement of pupils. The targets set to improve teachers’ skills are suitably linked to pupils’ progress and to priorities in the school’s improvement plan. However, current arrangements for performance management have not yet brought about necessary improvements in the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has made links with local primary schools to begin to improve the accuracy of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ progress and attainment and to carry out internal moderation more frequently. This action is because teachers do not use the data on pupils’ attainment and progress effectively to guide their planning of learning for all abilities. Current tracking of pupils’ progress is inefficient and does not enable leaders to check pupils’ progress readily.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school tackles discrimination and fosters good relationships, but such action does not yet promote equality of opportunity for all groups of pupils, to enable all to achieve well. The pupil premium is used appropriately to provide disadvantaged pupils with extra help. While the progress of these pupils is improving, it is not yet consistently good.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 All required subjects of the National Curriculum are taught, but not in sufficient depth to ensure good gains in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Extra-curricular clubs, including the before-and-after-school club, science club and the ‘Little Stars’ singing group, help to enrich pupils’ learning. There are strengths in the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Core values, such as honesty, respect and tolerance, are fostered and pupils are prepared appropriately for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school makes good use of the additional primary sport funding to extend the range of opportunities available for pupils, to develop teachers’ skills in teaching physical education and in purchasing outdoor playground equipment. As a result, pupils’ levels of fitness and performance have begun to improve.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The early years provision is led well, as shown by the children’s good achievement by the end of the Reception Year.  Safeguarding and safety of pupils are secure, although governors have not maintained all necessary documentation.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Links with parents are good. Those who responded to the online questionnaire were very positive about the way the school cares for their children, and inspection evidence endorses these positive views. Parents spoken to say communication with the school has improved this year.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has an accurate view of the school’s performance and has provided useful training and support since September 2014. The impact of the local authority’s input is shown, for example, in the school adviser’s help to enable governors to become more aware of their roles and responsibilities. There are also plans for a Local Leader of Education to support the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  In the past, governors have not analysed the information the school holds on pupils’ attainment and progress closely enough and have not provided the necessary level of challenge to leaders to account for the school’s performance. Recently, governors have received training from the local authority and have a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They are starting to ask more challenging questions of leaders to account for the school’s performance. They have recently carried out a review of their personal skills to enable them to fulfil the range of their responsibilities.  The governing body is becoming more aware of the quality of teaching. Governors know how performance management is being used to improve teaching and that salary increases are linked to pupils’ progress.  Governors carefully review the financial position of the school and are aware of how resources are spent

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The leadership and management requires improvement

to help pupils eligible for pupil premium support. They also know how the sports funding is used.  Although safeguarding procedures are fully established, safeguarding policies have not been reviewed regularly by the governing body to ensure that recent changes are included in school documentation.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Although pupils enjoy school, there are occasions when they lose concentration in lessons, particularly when the work set does not engage them fully. Also pupils’ positive attitudes are not reflected in their books, where work is too often carelessly presented and untidy, especially in subjects other than English or mathematics.

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Behaviour

 The relationships among pupils, and between pupils and adults, are good. They behave well in their classrooms and around school, including during playtime and in the dining hall. Children in the Reception classes are developing good social and moral skills. They get on well together and respond positively to adults. Records confirm that there are few incidents of misbehaviour in school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are polite and well mannered. They welcome visitors and are eager to tell them that they are proud of their school. Enjoyment of school is confirmed by their regular attendance. They look smart in their uniform, follow school rules and respect the environment.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement. Although there are effective procedures in place to check on the suitability of staff and risk assessments are carried out as required, for example, for school trips, safeguarding policies are not clearly checked and approved by governors. However, staff are conversant with all requirements and understand the procedures they must follow if they have concerns.

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Safety

 Pupils say they feel safe in school and inspection findings endorse they are right to express those views. The Ofsted questionnaire returns show that their parents think their children are safe in school.

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Safety

 Pupils have good awareness of what bullying is, and the different types of bullying that can take place. They know what to do in the case of internet bullying. They say that bullying is rare in school and when it does occur it is dealt with swiftly and fairly.  Pupils have good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in potentially dangerous situations, such as near busy roads, around strangers or when using the internet.

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Safety

 The school provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their social, sporting and other skills in a safe environment. This situation applies in school and at the beginning and end of the school day, in the breakfast and after-school clubs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching does not always get the best from the pupils. Consequently, all groups of pupils do not make consistently good progress and achieve well in all year groups. Inspectors’ observations of lessons, the work in pupils’ books and the school’s own data show that teaching is not yet strong enough in reading, literacy and mathematics across the school to lead to sustained, good achievement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The level of challenge provided by the work set does not always ensure that pupils of all abilities are fully stretched. Too many tasks are the same or very similar for all abilities. This practice has an adverse impact on the progress made by all pupils, particularly by the most able.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling is not effective enough, and teachers do not ensure that pupils apply these skills in their work across the curriculum. Expectations regarding the quality of pupils’ written work are not consistently high enough, and so untidy handwriting, poor presentation and inaccurate spelling and grammar persist for some pupils because they are not guided well to do better. Pupils have too few opportunities to apply and develop their writing skills in subjects other than English.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 New guidelines on performing calculations are contributing to the more effective teaching of key mathematical skills. Most pupils show knowledge and understanding of how to make calculations using all four operations, but progress is slowed when activities are not suitably challenging. Teaching focuses on the learning and practice of key facts and skills, but pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their knowledge in other subjects or to solve problems.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teachers’ marking and feedback to pupils is improving since the introduction of a new marking policy. However, marking does not consistently give pupils clear guidance about how they can improve their work and restricts the progress they make.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well and lessons are conducted in an orderly fashion. Pupils’ positive attitudes to work contribute well to their learning. They sustain their concentration and interest when they are enthused and engaged, but not when teaching activities are dull and uninspiring. Classrooms are well organised, tidy, attractive and encourage learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are often deployed to support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. However, these pupils do not achieve well from the support they receive because the work given to them does not always meet their needs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers ensure pupils read frequently. Pupils read a wide range of literature and are encouraged by teachers to try authors who are new to them. Most pupils enjoy reading and read fluently by the time they leave the school. Younger pupils are improving their phonic skills though improved teaching.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is good in the early years. Children benefit from well-taught activities that are carefully planned, take full account of their abilities and interests in a well-resourced and interesting environment.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children start school with experiences and skills that are generally typical for their age. As a result of good teaching, they make good progress and by the end of the Reception Year an above-average proportion of them attain a good level of development. However, this good attainment is not built upon well enough in Years 1 to 6 and achievement requires improvement. The progress pupils make is too slow to ensure that they all reach the levels of which they are capable.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in the National Curriculum tests in reading, writing, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling are usually broadly average. However, given their starting points in Year 3, attainment should be higher. In 2014, the proportion of Year 6 pupils attaining the higher levels was in line with the national average in reading but fewer pupils than the national attained the higher Level 5 in mathematics and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By the end of Year 2 attainment has declined and was similar to that found nationally in reading, writing and mathematics in 2014. This analysis does not show good progress from children’s attainment on entry into Year 1. Most-able pupils were challenged well in reading and mathematics in 2014, with an above- average proportion of them attaining Level 3 in these two subjects. However, pupils’ work currently does not show secure evidence of pupils’ above-average attainment in mathematics, and scrutinies of pupils’ writing suggest that the majority of them are working at age-related expectations.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils do not make enough progress. In lessons, they sometimes have to complete tasks that are too easy for them before moving on to harder work. This is more evident in writing than in mathematics. Pupils’ current progress indicates that some may attain Level 6 in writing this year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The weakness in the Year 1 phonics screening check has persisted for several years. In 2014, however, this declined to well-below average. As a result of the improved teaching of phonics this is expected to rise in 2015 to the levels seen in 2013.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 At the end of Year 6 in 2014, disadvantaged pupils attained standards lower than those of other pupils in school in mathematics by approximately one a half terms; they were two and a half terms behind in reading and two terms behind in writing. In comparison with other pupils nationally, they were three terms behind in mathematics and two terms behind in reading and writing. The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils in school and other pupils nationally has widened since 2013. However, current school information shows that the progress of these pupils is improving with helpful support.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is not consistently good. The support given to them is not always effective as insufficient attention is given to the prior learning of these pupils and, sometimes, they are given work that is too difficult. Consequently, they do not understand it or make the progress they should.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By the time they leave the school, most pupils read confidently, capably and with understanding. They speak with enthusiasm about their reading and the range of authors that teachers have introduced to them.

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The early years provision is good

 Children achieve well in the early years. Teaching is good, which is why this aspect is judged to be better than the school’s overall effectiveness. By the end of Reception, an above-average proportion of children reach a good level of development. This represents good progress in relation to the children’s starting points on entry to the school, and means that they are prepared well for Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The quality of teaching is good. Staff show a secure and accurate understanding of children’s individual learning needs and provide activities that extend what children, including the most able, can already do.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff observe learning carefully, and take every opportunity to stimulate further thinking. They engage children in conversation, encouraging then to explain their thoughts and reasoning. This builds and extends children’s vocabulary and underpins the successful learning of phonics as preparation for reading.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years setting provides a safe environment. Staff promote children’s moral and social education by establishing routines for them to take turns, share and listen to each other. As a result, children play and work together well. They respond promptly to adults’ instructions. They learn about different cultures through the celebration of various festivals, for example, Chinese New Year.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of the early years are good. The leader has extensive knowledge of every child in the setting. She works closely with the staff team to ensure that this knowledge is used to enable all children to succeed. Parents are appreciative of the way the staff care for their children and are encouraged to be involved in their children’s learning. The leader’s priority to strengthen links further with parents by use of the children’s ‘learning journey’s’ is well chosen.

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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 120505 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 455997

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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 310 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Graham Wilson (Acting Chair) Headteacher Kiera Evans Date of previous school inspection 6 December 2011 Telephone number 01522 751148 Fax number 01522 751166 Email address admin@cherrywillingham-pri.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

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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