The John Harrox Primary School, Moulton

The John Harrox Primary School, Moulton Broad Lane, Moulton, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE12 6PN

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 School leaders have sensitively driven forward improvements since the last inspection and raised outcomes across the school.  The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now consistently good. Teachers give pupils good feedback on how to improve their work and pupils respond positively to this.  Pupils achieve well and now reach standards that are above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Progress in all subjects is good.  Year 1 pupils reach above average standards in the national phonics (letters and the sounds they make) screening test.  Additional funding for the small number of disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. Gaps between their achievement and that of their peers in Year 6 have closed rapidly.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils are immensely proud of their school and have well-developed attitudes to learning.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare are

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This is a good school

notable strengths of the school. They exude the school’s core values and are keen to show how much they value each other and feel safe in school.  Governors have sharpened their skills and have an insightful understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They work closely with the school to ensure that it continues to improve.  Children in the early years make good progress and achieve well. They exceed the national figure for attaining a good level of development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although outcomes are improving across the school, tasks are not always set in a way which encourages pupils to use their own methods to find solutions  At times, activities do not provide opportunities for pupils to take risks and explore more deeply.  Pupils have limited knowledge and understanding of the diverse mixture of other cultures within modern British society.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievements further across the school by ensuring that teachers: – set more challenging tasks and activities, which pupils have the freedom to tackle and solve in their own way – provide work which allows pupils to take more risks and deepen their knowledge and understanding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Put into action the plans to develop pupils’ awareness and understanding of the world around them, so that they have greater knowledge of other cultures within modern Britain.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders and governors have focused their attention on improving key aspects of the school’s work. They have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. Senior leaders have introduced changes to teaching and the use of assessment with sensitivity and taken care not to overload staff with too many changes at once. They have established an ambitious culture of high aspirations, with pupils at the centre, increasingly driving themselves forwards.  Leaders have become more cohesive at all levels and now work together collaboratively to drive improvements in the school. They share a common vision for school improvement and have an accurate awareness of the school’s strengths and areas which could improve further. Actions in place, such as setting pupils’ targets and using new systems to measure progress, are followed through by staff, so that all are accountable for pupils’ achievements.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders check the quality of teaching and make sure that this leads to consistently good progress. They are ambitious for their pupils and have driven forward their commitment to enhance pupils’ learning and thinking skills. Developing resilience underpins the school belief in what pupils are capable of achieving. Pupils’ attitudes to learning have improved and progress is now on an upward trajectory.  Staff express their praise for the way in which they are encouraged to attend courses and participate in training to improve their own skills. Many commented that this is a ‘step’ change for the better and they feel more valued as part of a team. This has contributed to high morale.  The school is a harmonious, fully inclusive environment. All pupils are treated equally and feel valued and respected. They in turn show their respect and regard for each other and there is no discrimination.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well through a variety of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

activities, topics, assemblies and trips. Although there are plans to deepen pupils’ knowledge of living in modern Britain, these have not yet been fully implemented. Pupils are not as well informed about other cultures and communities as they are about their own locality.  The school curriculum is varied and focused around the school’s core values and six key areas selected to heighten specific knowledge and awareness of the arts, sport, enterprise, diversity, community and opportunity. Topics are deliberately chosen to grab pupils’ interest and often launched with an exciting event such as the visit to Cadbury World. Leaders are committed to developing pupils’ personal and social skills and recently took all of the Year 5 and 6 pupils away for a week-long residential trip. This helped to boost confidence and develop pupils’ team building skills, setting the tone for the school year ahead. The curriculum design deliberately encourages pupils to write, problem solve and use enterprise skills across

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

subjects. This helps pupils to enhance their skills and connect their learning to real life. Higher levels of engagement have contributed to good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to boost their personal and learning skills and gaps in attainment are closing rapidly across the years. These pupils make good progress, in line with others in the school.  The additional funding for primary sports and physical education is used effectively. Pupils now have a wide range of sports to choose from, ranging from cricket to dodgeball. A group of pupils, known as the sports crew, have organised events and sought the views of others to find out what they would like. Teachers have developed their own skills to lead physical education sessions and school teams frequently enter sports competitions.  The school has the full support of parents, who frequently come in to attend workshops, read with their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

children and support charity events. Parents’ comments to inspectors, responses to Parent View and to the school’s own surveys, show that they hold the school in high esteem and are happy with the changes made in recent years.  The governance of the school – Governors have transformed their role within the school since the last inspection and the external review of their work. They are focused on the achievement of every pupil and proactively spend time in school looking at how well pupils learn. This allows them to ask challenging questions of senior leaders and also to provide effective support. – Governors understand the school’s strengths and areas where the school could improve further. They are passionate and rigorous in their pursuit of current information about how well the school is doing. Governors have good insights into how additional funds to boost the uptake of sport across the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

are used. They are particularly proud that the school has recently been awarded the gold kitemark for sport. – Governors receive regular information on how pupil premium funds are spent to increase the support for pupils in class and through intervention work delivered by teaching assistants. They frequently raise questions about the impact this has on achievement and make comparisons with other pupils in the school. Governors are aware of the increased numbers of pupils in the school with additional needs and have made more funds available to provide tailored support for them. – Recent training ensures that governors remain fully skilled and highly effective as a body. They echo school leaders’ drive to continue to improve the school and value the views of staff, parents, carers and pupils. Governors have become highly visible at school events and regularly feature in the school blog and newsletters.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School leaders have established partnerships with parents and external agencies and the local authority to ensure that all pupils are supported and feel safe. Governors understand the importance of keeping pupils safe and recognise their role in ensuring that this retains a high level of importance. They are aware of the protocols to follow in the event of a safeguarding concern.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is now consistently good in all year groups and classes across the school. This ensures that pupils make good progress in all of their subjects.  Teachers have focused on developing pupils’ skills and attitudes to learning and the school is passionate about pupils being equipped to help themselves to learn well.  The variety of activities sustains pupils’ interests. However, tasks set do not always allow pupils the freedom to explore more deeply, be adventurous and find their own solutions. Occasionally, learning is constrained because pupils have limited opportunities to take risks, stretch themselves and expand their thinking further.  Relationships between pupils and adults in the classroom are both positive and conducive to learning. Pupils show a keen desire to learn more and to get things right and are naturally inquisitive about the world around them. They absorb all that their teachers offer and rarely stray from the focus of their work.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching assistants are directed carefully by class teachers and frequently lead additional support sessions for groups of pupils with great skill. This enables pupils with additional learning needs, those who are disadvantaged and the most-able pupils to learn effectively and make good progress.  Adults know every pupil well and make sure that lessons are planned and organised to cater for all abilities and needs. Pupils learn through topics which grab their interest and use their reading, writing and mathematics skills across each area. For example, Year 3 and 4 pupils learning about chocolate also speak knowledgeably about the history behind cocoa farming in Ghana. They compare and contrast how village life compares with their own and will go on to weigh out and measure accurately the ingredients for making their own chocolate bars to sell at the school Christmas Fair.  Pupils read with fluency and competence because teaching creates many opportunities to read. Writing

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

across all subjects has been a key focus for teachers since the last inspection. Writing at length is no longer seen as a stand-alone activity, and teachers provide opportunities to pupils to extend their skills across all subjects. Consequently, pupils write for different purposes and reach a consistently high standard in their work.  Mathematics is taught effectively. Teachers’ good subject knowledge is shared with pupils and important mathematics vocabulary is always explained so that pupils are well equipped when tackling problems. Opportunities to use problem-solving skills and apply concepts are woven into several subjects studied and topic work.  Feedback on pupils’ work, both oral and written, is a strong feature across the school and a key contributor to pupils’ good outcomes. Staff are excellent models of oracy (the ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech), articulation and precision in writing; this is replicated in the quality

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

of the feedback provided. Pupils are given time to read and reflect on marking comments before making their corrections and responses. Without exception, all staff follow the school marking policy and pupils value and take pride in their work because of this.  The school’s approach to setting homework has changed this year. Pupils are excited and enthused by the new, creative and more open approach to how they tackle and present solutions. This allows them more freedom when responding to work set and they are passionately proud of their English and mathematics homework journals.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school and are confident in their own abilities to try to resolve their problems. If they need more support, there are several adults who they can turn to for help.  Pupils have very good awareness of the potential perils of using the internet and know how to keep themselves safe online and ‘how to cope with nasty messages’. They are regular users of technology in school and also learn about safety through assemblies and focus weeks. The school website contains many links to online safety resources and this provides more information for parents to use at home.  The school’s core values, the 5 Cs – co-operative, caring, courteous, conscientious and considerate – are known and held in great regard by all pupils. They frequently speak of trying to show these through their actions and appreciate being awarded badges when adults in school notice this.

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Personal development and welfare

 All forms of bullying in the school are exceptionally rare. Pupils echo this and school records show that any incidents are dealt with quickly and effectively.  Pupils recite a vast array of sports activities available to them and show that they understand how to stay healthy. Pupils are proud of the school’s awards for health and sport.  Pupils embrace opportunities to take on extra responsibilities and school councillors have a powerful voice and involvement in making changes within the school. Pupils are unanimously enthusiastic about the new approach to homework and this has had the full involvement of the council. Junior Police Cadet School Officers (JPCSOs), a new role in the school, are highly visible at lunchtimes and check to see that any pupils who are alone or seem worried have somebody to talk to. They hand out small knitted bears for comfort and record incidents in their notebooks. Several pupils applied formally for a small number of

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Personal development and welfare

places, showing their desire to help and support others.  Pupils understand well how British values relate to everyday life and show this through their actions and attitudes towards each other. A weaker aspect is their knowledge and awareness of the beliefs and cultures of others living in Britain today.  Older pupils have opportunities to visit their secondary schools when the time comes in Year 6 and established transition links are firmly in place. They have a good understanding of how to be successful learners and leave with positive desires to succeed.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils in all areas of the school treat each other and staff with the utmost courtesy and consideration. They look very smart in their uniforms and the younger pupils say that they look forward to wearing a ‘proper tie’ when they reach Key Stage 2.  Pupils’ conduct around the school at lunchtimes and playtimes is a credit to them and they were observed trying to resolve their own friendship disputes without the need to ask for adult help.  Inspectors noted that no low-level disruption was seen in lessons or around the school during the inspection. School records show that there is very little.  Pupils have developed, positive attitudes to learning and regularly show their determination to get things right. In lessons, they show their inquisitive natures and are attentive to their teachers and adults leading them. They are respectful and patient with each other and frequently offer to help if they see their

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Behaviour

classmates struggling. Positive, mutually respectful relationships are part of the fabric of the school.  Pupils’ attendance remains high and they arrive in school on time, keen and ready to learn.  Staff, parents and pupils who responded to questionnaires agreed that behaviour in the school is good.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils make good progress across the school from their starting points. Results of national tests have supported good progress, with many more reaching more than expected progress levels. This was not as high in 2015 because of a higher than usual proportion of pupils with considerable additional needs in both year groups and more pupils joining and leaving during the year.  Attainment has remained above average by the end of Year 6 for reading, writing and mathematics. A significant proportion of the most-able pupils reach the higher levels in all subjects. Their attainment in grammar, punctuation and spelling was also well above average at the higher level. They are frequently given challenging work in class, which they expect to get right.  Disadvantaged pupils’ attainment in the national English, grammar, punctuation and spelling tests is significantly above national averages.  School tracking information and pupils’ current work indicate that pupils are making good progress. This

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Outcomes for pupils are good

is a return to previous achievement and is rising consistently across subjects and year groups. Pupils currently in Year 6 are on track to reach standards that are considerably above average by the end of the year.  Disabled pupils and pupils with special educational needs make good progress in line with their peers in school. They receive good support in and out of class and are fully included in activities.  The numbers of pupils who receive the pupil premium funding in each year group are small. In 2015, the very small number in Year 6 were ahead of their classmates by half a term in mathematics and reading and around a quarter of a term behind in writing. Their grammar, punctuation and spelling were a whole year ahead. They made good progress in all subjects, successfully closing in-school gaps. Additional funding is used effectively to provide specific, targeted support, fund school trips and enable pupils to

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Outcomes for pupils are good

participate fully in all aspects of school life. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress and achieve well in most year groups.  The teaching of phonics is particularly good; in Reception and Year 1 pupils have achieved above average results in the national phonics check each year.  Pupils’ achievements are higher than they were at the time of the previous inspection because of the effective changes which have been put in place. Rising standards are preparing pupils well for the next stage of their education.

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Early years provision is good

 Provision in the early years remains a strength of the school. Children enter from a range of different pre- school settings and reach a good level of development which exceeds the national figure. This prepares them well for their Year 1 studies.  Early years staff know the children very well because they assess their abilities and needs accurately and promptly. This enables them to provide appropriate support and challenge and children are frequently moved between the two classes for different sessions. As a consequence, children make good progress from their starting points, which for some are slightly below those typically expected for their age.  The highly effective early years leader works closely with her colleague in the mixed-age class and together they have established systems to check that planning and delivery of information across the different areas of learning are directly linked to how well children are achieving. This ensures that

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Early years provision is good

teaching is of typically good quality.  Early years staff meet regularly to plan activities and experiences which capture the children’s interest and are appropriately stretching for all abilities and needs. The indoor and outside spaces are arranged to reinforce learning points and children have many colourful, stimulating activities to choose from. The ‘Bugs Bottom’ nature area is particularly popular. Children have good opportunities to practise their phonics, early writing and counting skills through topic work, which they do willingly. This helps them to reach a good standard by the end of the year.  Staff expect a lot from the Reception children and quickly establish routines and behaviour guidelines, so that children settle and develop positive attitudes to learning. Children are taught to manage their fall- outs with an appropriate level of support from adults and make very good progress with their social skills.

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Early years provision is good

 Parents frequently come in to read with their children and receive regular progress updates, so that they are more able to help them with their early development.

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School details

Unique reference number 120418 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 10001831

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School details

This inspection 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 268 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Abigail Walters Headteacher Daniel Pilsworth Telephone number 01406 370426 Website www.johnharroxprimary.co.uk Email address enquiries@johnharrox.lincs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5−6 November 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is slightly larger than the average-sized primary school and the number of pupils has increased since the last inspection.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and therefore supported through the pupil premium is much lower than average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is lower than the national average.  The early years consists of children in the Reception class. A small proportion are in a mixed-age class with Year 1 pupils. The majority of pupils across the school are taught in mixed-age classes, covering two year groups.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 20 lessons, one jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked closely at pupils’ work in every class. The lead inspector did this jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors observed support for pupils who need additional help with their learning and attended two school assemblies.  The lead inspector observed parents coming in to read with their children and listened to individual pupils reading in class.  Inspectors spoke informally with parents at the start of each day and took note of their views through school questionnaires and the 44 responses to the online Parent View survey.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils around the school and met with two groups for a discussion about their experiences of life in the school. They also looked at the 30 online surveys completed by pupils.  Staff returned 10 questionnaires during the inspection and these were analysed to gain their views of

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Information about this inspection

how the school is now.  Inspectors met with a group of governors, a school adviser and school leaders responsible for checking English, mathematics, the early years and for coordinating special educational needs.  Inspectors checked school documentation on attendance and behaviour and looked closely at pupils’ current progress and the monitoring of safeguarding. They looked at records of governors’ meetings and how the school manages staff performance.

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Inspection team

Aune Turkson-Jones, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Dorothy Martin Ofsted Inspector Tracey Ydlibi Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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