Lime Tree Primary School and Nursery

Lime Tree Primary School Alexander Road, Reigate, RH2 8ED

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 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 and deputy headteacher have led and managed the opening of the new school extremely well. They have been very effectively supported in this process by the academy Trust, GLF Schools.  Senior leaders carefully check provision. They are knowledgeable about the next priorities. They have ensured that there has been a good pace to improvement since the school opened.  Governors provide good support to school leaders. They have made effective use of training to improve their skills.  Pupils achieve well. Good teaching helps them make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics in both year groups.  Good early years provision ensures that children get off to a good start. Teachers plan interesting work that helps children to acquire new skills quickly.  In Year 1, teachers have high expectations of what pupils should achieve. They fully engage pupils in their work and this helps them develop a love of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning.  Across the school, teachers make excellent use of the school grounds to bring subjects alive and to help pupils appreciate the world around them.  Pupils are very proud of their school. Their behaviour is exemplary at all times. They are polite and courteous and are very eager to learn.  Pupils feel very safe. Members of staff are extremely diligent about teaching pupils how to avoid dangers.  Staff and pupils get on very well together. Pupils copy this in the tolerance and respect they show to each other.  The school works extremely well with parents and carers. They are particularly pleased with the quality of education and care their children receive.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 In early years provision, adults do not always move children’s learning on quickly enough when they have finished a task or are losing concentration.  In Year 1, work is sometimes too hard for less- able pupils, especially in mathematics.  Many middle leaders are relatively new to their roles. They do not yet play a big enough part in checking provision for themselves so that responsibility for securing improvement is shared even more widely.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils’ learning in 11 lessons, six of which were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspector made some short visits to observe learning at other times.  Discussions were held with pupils, staff, representatives from the academy Trust and members of the governing body.  The inspector took account of the views of 88 parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View. The inspector also analysed the school’s own surveys of parental views and talked to parents and carers at the end of the academy day.  The inspector observed the school’s work, heard pupils read and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress; planning and monitoring documents; the school’s development plan; records relating to behaviour and attendance; safeguarding information; and health and safety documentation.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector analysed 22 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is the school’s first inspection. It is a smaller-than-average-sized primary academy that opened in September 2013. It currently has pupils in the Reception Year and Year 1. It is due to begin a move to new accommodation later in the year.  Children in the early years attend full time in one of the three Reception classes.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is also average. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after.  The breakfast club is managed by the governing body.  The school is sponsored by an academy Trust, GLF Schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching from good to outstanding by:  ensuring that adults in early years provision respond more quickly when children have finished a task or are beginning to lose concentration  ensuring that in Year 1, teachers provide work, especially in mathematics, that is not too hard for less- able pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the role of middle leaders in monitoring provision for themselves so that responsibility for securing and sustaining improvement is shared more widely.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are strong leaders who have a very clear vision for the development of the school. Together they have managed the opening of the new school extremely well. They have established a strong team who enable pupils to enjoy school life, behave exceptionally well and make good progress. All staff share this commitment. A typical comment from staff was, ‘The leadership team are very supportive and are extremely passionate about all of the staff and the children.’  The academy Trust provides high-quality support and challenge to leaders. They check provision carefully and have a good understanding of the main priorities for the next stage of the school’s development. Their support when the school opened was key to the process running smoothly.  The senior leadership accurately check provision to find out what is going well and what still needs to be improved. The leadership of teaching is good. Leaders check frequently the quality of teaching across the

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The leadership and management are good

school. Their effective challenge and support are helping each teacher to improve and to build on individual strengths.  Middle leaders such as teachers in charge of subjects make good use of data on pupils’ progress to ensure that any pupils in danger of falling behind are quickly helped to catch up. However, many middle leaders are relatively new and have not been in their role for enough time to check provision for themselves so that responsibility for securing and sustaining improvement can be shared more widely.  The school has had additional sports funding for only a short time but it is already being used to good effect to improve the skills of teachers and to extend opportunities for pupils. A relatively new lunchtime sports club is greatly enjoyed by pupils. They also participate enthusiastically in physical activity in lessons or at playtimes.  The curriculum (the topics and subjects taught) is rich and inspiring. There is a strong focus on improving

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The leadership and management are good

pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, as well as the very effective promotion of their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain. They are taught to respect the views and beliefs of others through a ‘Value of the Month’. The school council and visits from a Member of Parliament help pupils to develop an early understanding of democracy. Pupils happily raise funds for those less fortunate than themselves. They are kind and considerate to each other at all times.  Parents and carers express very high levels of satisfaction with the school since it opened. They support it extremely well by, for example, hearing their children read at home and by raising funds to improve resources in areas such as computing.  The school ensures that the safeguarding of pupils is given a high priority. Arrangements fully meet statutory requirements and are very thorough. All staff work diligently to secure equal opportunity for all

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The leadership and management are good

pupils and to promote good relationships. Together, they ensure that there is no discrimination, whatever pupils’ background or ability.  The governance of the school:  The governing body provides effective support to school leaders. They have made good use of training to increase their skills since the school opened and are becoming increasingly challenging in their questioning of school leaders. They check data and have a clear understanding of how well the school is performing when compared with others, both locally and nationally.  Governors are rightly proud of how much has been achieved in such a short time. They have played a good part in this success. They are strongly committed to maintaining the rapid pace of development as the school begins its move to new purpose-built accommodation.  Governors ensure that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to support both

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The leadership and management are good

their academic and social development. This is helping to close the gap between the attainment of eligible pupils and others.  Governors know where teaching is especially strong and how the school continues to improve it and how to tackle any potential underperformance. Their systems for rewarding good teaching through performance management are thorough and are well understood by teachers.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils, parents, carers and staff are very clear that the exemplary behaviour seen during the inspection is typical. The school’s behaviour logs confirm that incidents of poor behaviour are extremely rare.  Pupils have excellent attitudes towards learning. They are consistently keen and enthusiastic and they show a thirst for knowledge in all that they do. They are constantly talking about their work and what they are learning, and happily share this with visitors.  There is a delightful atmosphere when pupils are working during school time or playing together in the breakfast club. They cooperate with each other and share ideas willingly. If they see that someone needs help, they quickly volunteer it.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and attend regularly. They play together very happily at playtimes, following school rules carefully. Newly arrived pupils are supported well and say that they quickly make

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Behaviour

friends.  The school welcomes the views of pupils. They are regularly surveyed for their opinions on subjects such as ‘how well the school promotes healthy living’. This is helping them to play a full part in planning for the next stage of the school’s development.  School councillors carry out their responsibilities very sensibly. They are very proud of how they have helped recently to improve lunchtime resources.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Parents and carers are very positive about how well the school keeps their children safe. Pupils also say that they feel very safe at school.  From the time children start in the Reception classes, pupils quickly learn that they are part of a safe, secure and happy environment. For example, there are very thorough systems at the end of the school day to ensure that pupils are safely handed over to the correct taxi or bus.  For their age, pupils are very aware of what bullying is and the different forms it can take. They say that there is no bullying and that any occasional falling out is quickly dealt with by staff. As one of the pupils commented, ‘Everyone is kind and looks after us if we have a problem or hurt ourselves.’  Pupils play very well together on the busy playground; they are aware of each other and make sure that their games do not endanger others. For instance, pupils explain clearly why they must only play ball

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Safety

games on the designated part of the field to ‘keep others safe’.  Pupils understand that they have to be very careful when using the internet. They know what to do if they see something they do not like. They are very clear that it is dangerous to share personal information online.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching promotes pupils’ progress well in literacy, reading and mathematics. The relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Teachers encourage pupils to tackle their work without fear of failure. This helps pupils to develop a love of learning and very positive attitudes towards their work.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. They manage pupils’ behaviour well and make work purposeful by, for example, linking it to a central topic. This helps to motivate pupils and to secure good progress over time. For instance, as part of their work on dinosaurs, pupils have used mini-robots to learn about programming computers to move around imaginary volcanoes, have drawn and written about different species of dinosaurs and have used books to carry out their own ‘Lost World’ research.  Teachers regularly mark pupils’ books or give verbal feedback on their work. This good practice is already

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The quality of teaching is good

well established and helps pupils to have a good understanding for their age of the next steps in their learning.  Teachers provide skilled additional support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. This contributes well to their good progress.  Teachers set challenging tasks that match the capabilities of different groups of pupils, including the most able, and this has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. However, sometimes they do not make effective use of the information they have about what pupils already know and can do to ensure that work is not too hard for the less able, especially in mathematics.  Classroom displays are used extremely well to motivate pupils and to provide examples of what excellent work looks like, showing them what is expected and giving them something to aim for.  Nearly all parents and carers who responded to Parent View are pleased with the teaching of their

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The quality of teaching is good

children. They support teachers well by helping their children with homework, by hearing them read or by taking them on visits that link to classroom topics.

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is good

 Pupils in Year 1 are making good progress from their starting points. There is no national comparative data for this year group, but most are on track to be working at or above the expected level for their age by the end of the year.  Pupils write confidently and are beginning to use more complex punctuation such as commas and question marks. Work such as their ‘Dinosaur Information Books’ show a good sense of audience and a clear understanding of the differences between story and information writing.  Pupils read widely and are already beginning to express preferences for authors or genre. They have a secure understanding of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) and use this information well to ‘sound out’ unknown words.  In mathematics, pupils count accurately and they use their skill to solve simple number problems. They have a good understanding of how to measure capacity or distance, often using the correct mathematical

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is good

vocabulary when doing so.  The school successfully ensures that all groups achieve well over time. Good provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs enables them to acquire new skills and knowledge quickly. Occasionally, however, work is too difficult for some less-able pupils, especially in mathematics, slowing their progress.  The most able also achieve well. Work is suitably challenging and helps to move learning on rapidly. The most able pupils in Year 1 read with good expression and are able to retell stories accurately. In mathematics, they successfully solve complex number problems without adult support.  Disadvantaged pupils make the same good or better progress as others. Consequently, the gap between their attainment and that of others in the school is already smaller in Year 1 than it was for the same pupils at the end of the Reception Year.

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is good

 Good quality early years provision means that children achieve well in the Reception Year. They are well prepared, both socially and academically, for life in Year 1.  When children start school, around half are working at a typical level of development for their age. They make good progress in their first year in school and attainment is above average by the end of the Reception Year.  Children’s progress is especially rapid in personal, social and emotional development. Members of staff promote this extremely well in all that they do. They provide calm and sensitive support. Children feel very safe and quickly learn the value of working hard. Consequently, children’s behaviour and their attitudes towards learning are excellent. Children confidently speak to adults, sharing concerns and celebrating each other’s achievements. They help each other and happily take on simple responsibilities, such as tidying up.

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is good

 The quality of teaching is good. Early reading, writing and mathematical skills are taught effectively. Teachers ensure that differing needs, including for the most able, the disabled and those who have special educational needs, are met well. They check children’s understanding as they are working through questioning and discussion but they do not always adapt their teaching immediately in light of this knowledge. Therefore, learning is not always as fast as it could be when, for example, children have finished a task or are beginning to lose concentration.  Adults provide a good range of interesting activities that encourage children to work confidently both indoors and in the extremely well-resourced outdoor area. The ‘Forest School’ enables children to explore nature and the world around them. Children are very proud of the wooden tepees that they have built in the school grounds as part of their ‘Forest School’ work. Activities such as these very successfully promote

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is good

children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Early years provision is well led and managed. Leaders make good use of data to check children’s progress and to identify and tackle areas of weakness. They work very closely with parents, carers and pre-school settings before children start school to ensure that there is a smooth transition.  Parents and carers are very positive about the early years provision. One summed up their views by commenting, ‘The first year has been great and I couldn’t have wished for a better start to school life for my child.’

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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 139557 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 449894

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 173 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Moss Headteacher Jo Newton Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01737 230010 Fax number 01737 230011 Email address info@limetreeschool.org 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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