Louth Eastfield Infants' and Nursery School

School report Louth Eastfield Infants' and Nursery School Lacey Gardens, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 8DQ

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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, governors, leaders, managers and all staff have worked together to sustain good achievement, bring about improvements and create a climate in which good teaching and good behaviour can flourish.  Attendance has improved and gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others are closing.  Pupils behave well. They understand how to look after each other and are kind and respectful to staff and visitors. They feel extremely safe in school.  Teachers expect all pupils to do well, nurture their talents and build their confidence. Interesting activities, knowledgeable teaching and well- planned lessons all help pupils to achieve well and enjoy learning.  Teachers create a calm and supportive environment in the Nursery and Reception classes so children settle in quickly, become more confident learners and make good progress.  Current pupils make good progress as they move through the school. Although attainment dipped in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

2014, school tracking and pupils’ work demonstrate it is now rising again.  The curriculum enables pupils to develop good English and mathematics skills and also successfully promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. It ensures they are well prepared for the next steps in their education and for their future lives as British citizens.  Opportunities to visit a farm, take part in an election campaign for their school ‘MP’, attend the bike club, do yoga and explore the school woodland are all experiences which further enrich pupils’ enjoyment of learning.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Sometimes pupils are not moved on to more challenging work quickly enough.  Pupils’ progress in writing, although good, is not as fast as in reading and mathematics. Pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities to write at length.  Opportunities to work even more closely with parents, so that they can better support their children’s learning, are not yet fully developed.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed twelve 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 inspectors made several shorter visits to classrooms together. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  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 48 responses to the on-line questionnaire, Parent View, were considered as well as those from the school’s own parental survey and from 23 school staff.

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Inspection team

Ann Ashdown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This infant school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and so eligible for the pupil premium is well above that found nationally. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.  Most pupils are White British.  There is an on-site children’s centre, Louth Children’s Centre, which is not managed by the governing body. It will receive its own inspection report which will be available on the Ofsted website.  In the last year, an above average proportion of pupils have joined and left the school part-way through their Key Stage 1 education.  The Early Years provision is in a Nursery class and four Reception classes. Children of Reception age attend full-time. Those in the Nursery class attend part-time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and further accelerate pupils’ progress by:  moving pupils on quickly to more challenging work as soon as they are ready  raising the profile of writing across the school by giving all pupils more opportunities to write at length.  Work even more closely with parents so that they:  are better informed about how to support their children’s learning in literacy and numeracy  understand the importance of listening to their children read regularly  make sure their children always arrive at school on time.

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The leadership and management are good

 The calm and determined leadership of the headteacher, who is well supported by all staff, has been instrumental in promoting school improvement. She has created a climate where the talents of both staff and pupils are successfully nurtured.  Teaching is well led. The performance of staff is well managed and they have access to high quality training to help them improve their skills. Staff feel valued and morale is high.  The school celebrates its strengths but is quick to tackle weaknesses. A successful focus on reading and mathematics has raised standards in these subjects. The school now rightly recognises the need to raise the profile of writing to ensure pupils’ attainment is as good in this as in other areas.  Pupil premium funding is spent wisely to support disadvantaged pupils. Their progress is tracked carefully and small group and one-to-one tuition has ensured that they receive extra help when this is needed.

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The leadership and management are good

Consequently, they make the same good progress as their classmates and the school’s tracking of pupils achievement clearly shows that any gaps in attainment between disadvantaged and other pupils are quickly closing.  All pupils are given equal opportunities to succeed. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and the school successfully fosters good relations between different groups of pupils. Pupils play happily together. They have a growing awareness of each other’s needs and understand that they should be kind and respectful to others who are different to themselves. From an early age, they are gaining a good understanding of British values such as tolerance and respect.  Middle leaders are well trained. They monitor the work of their areas of responsibility closely and have clear plans for further improvement. They are adept at supporting less experienced staff and continually promote good teamwork across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum ensures pupils develop good basic skills in English and mathematics and staff give good advice so pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their education. Their awareness of spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues is successfully developed through both lessons and a wide range of enrichment activities. Pupils speak enthusiastically about, for example, visiting a local farm and raising money to go to a wildlife park. However, the inspection week was dominated by election fever. Pupils had run their own election campaign, put forward policies and cast their votes in ballot boxes in the school hall. This supports pupils to be prepared for their lives as future citizens of modern Britain.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding are highly effective. Staff are extremely well trained and have an acute awareness of, for example, child protection and risk assessment procedures.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school receives good support from the local authority advisor who gives advice on, for example, school self-evaluation and data analysis.  Extra funding for primary sport is well spent on specialist coaches who introduce pupils to new sports, run after-school clubs and help teachers to improve their skills. This adds greatly to pupils’ enjoyment of school, promotes their fitness and allows them to perform to the level of which they are capable.  The school has developed some good links with parents. However, the school does not work well enough with parents so that they understand how literacy and numeracy are taught and the importance of listening to their children read regularly at home.  The governance of the school:  Governance is very effective. Governors use their expertise to monitor the school’s work closely and are well placed to ask challenging questions about how it is performing. They have a good understanding of

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The leadership and management are good

school performance data and the quality of teaching. They are clear about how staff performance is managed and know how good teachers are rewarded and how weaknesses are tackled. Finances are well managed and the school is made accountable for how it spends extra funding such as the pupil premium. Governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements are of the highest quality.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils develop a good awareness of the needs of others and are keen to look after each other. They trust and respect school staff. In the playground and dining hall and around the school, pupils behave sensibly and cooperate well together.  In lessons, most pupils are keen to succeed. They answer questions readily and work harmoniously together in pairs and groups. Work in their books is usually neat and well presented because they take pride in their work.  Across the school, there are few incidents of challenging behaviour or bullying and these are dealt with swiftly and effectively.  Pupils’ attendance has improved and is now average. The numbers of pupils who are persistently absent have reduced markedly. However, some pupils are late for school and the school has not worked closely enough with parents to ensure they get their children to school on time.  Pupils are keen to take responsibility. They enjoy acting as class monitors and helpers, taking part in

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Behaviour

fundraising activities and looking after younger children.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. The school site is very secure and visitors are carefully checked. Policies and procedures to keep pupils safe are well established, clearly understood and consistently applied by all staff.  Staff are acutely aware of the needs of pupils, especially those who are vulnerable, and make absolutely sure they are safe in school. The school works closely with outside agencies and with the parents of vulnerable pupils and those who are disabled or have special educational needs to provide these pupils with good personal support when this is needed.  Pupils say how very safe they feel in school. They have total trust in school staff to sort out any worries they may have. Parents unreservedly agree that their children are kept safe in school.  Pupils are very aware of how to keep themselves safe. They understand the possible dangers associated

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Safety

with strangers and are very clear about how to stay safe when using the internet. They have a sensible attitude to taking risks but are not afraid of, for example, the mud and nettles to be found in the school’s wood.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work in pupils’ books clearly shows that pupils make good progress because they receive consistently good teaching in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers plan lessons carefully, use a range of interesting resources and set varied tasks which engage pupils’ interest. In mathematics, Reception children enjoyed counting and calculating as they added and took away clothes peg ‘legs’ from models of the spiders and ladybirds they were studying.  Pupils make good progress in learning to read because of the good quality phonics (the sounds that letters make) teaching they receive. Those who need extra help in learning to read are given specialist tuition by teachers and teaching assistants, which helps them to become more confident readers and begin to enjoy reading for pleasure.  Year 2 pupils confidently found words such as ‘evil’, ‘selfish’, ‘vile’ and ‘wicked’ to describe the unpleasant character in the story their teacher was reading. However, pupils’ progress in writing is not quite as rapid

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The quality of teaching is good

as other subjects because they are not always given sufficient opportunities to write at length.  Knowledgeable and enthusiastic teaching and clear explanations extend pupils skills and understanding so they achieve well. However, on a few occasions, learning slows when their understanding is not checked regularly enough and they are not moved on to new and more challenging work as soon as they are ready.  Pupils’ work is marked consistently and regularly and they are given helpful feedback, both oral and written, on how to improve their work. Their progress is carefully monitored so that timely extra help can be given to those who may be in danger of falling behind.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported in lessons by both teachers and teaching assistants. Their timely and sensitive help allows pupils to access work that is the same as, or similar to, that of their classmates and achieve well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Work in pupils’ books and the school’s detailed tracking system confirm the good progress that all groups of pupils make from their individual starting points.  Published data shows that, after consistently reaching average standards in previous years, pupils’ attainment dipped in 2014. This was due to a combination of staffing turbulence and to the particular needs and abilities of a cohort of pupils, some of whom have joined the school towards the end of Key Stage 1.  The attainment of current pupils is now rising. The proportion of Year 1 pupils who passed the phonics screening check was close to average in 2014. The school’s pupil progress data indicates that Year 2 pupils are on track to reach standards similar to the national average last year in reading and mathematics, although attainment in writing is a little weaker. The profile of writing is not high enough and pupils do not get enough opportunities to develop their writing skills by writing longer pieces.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disadvantaged pupils make the same good progress as their classmates. Wise spending of pupil premium funding is helping to quickly close gaps between their attainment and that of their classmates and pupils nationally. In 2014, points gained in test scores at the end of Year 2 show disadvantaged pupils were approximately three terms behind other pupils in school and three terms behind pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because they receive good personal support which builds their confidence so they enjoy learning. They also receive timely and sharply focused support to help them achieve well and develop good basic skills in literacy and numeracy.  The most able pupils make good progress. They are given harder tasks in lessons and more demanding homework, which enables them to reach the higher levels of attainment.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who join the school part-way through their education are given good support to help them settle in. Their needs and abilities are assessed quickly and work is tailored to their individual needs so they make good progress in their learning.

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The early years provision is good

 From starting points which are below those typical for their age, and are particularly weak in physical development, literacy and mathematics, children make good progress. By the end of the Reception Year in 2014, over half of children reached a good level of development and are well equipped with the skills they need to succeed in Year 1. Those who do not reach this level have developed much improved skills which can be further built upon in Year 1.  Children feel very safe in the early years because teachers establish a very calm and supportive learning environment where routines are well established. Children behave well and quickly learn to follow instructions. They share toys and resources sensibly and begin to understand how to look after each other.  Children achieve well because teaching is good. Well-planned, interesting activities, both indoors and out, allow children to develop their skills in all areas of learning. For example, children thoroughly enjoyed

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The early years provision is good

working together in a very creative way to make a ‘bus’ out of crates on which to go on a trip to the beach.  The early years provision is well led and managed. Staff and resources are well deployed. Children’s progress is carefully tracked and work is carefully matched to their needs. Their learning journals clearly show how closely teachers monitor their achievement and illustrate the good progress they are making.

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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 120458 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 464179

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 296 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Sizer Headteacher Sarah Akhurst Date of previous school inspection 18–19 October 2011 Telephone number 01507 603376 Fax number 01507 608900 Email address office@eastfield.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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