Legsby Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs S Beveridge Consultant Headteacher Legsby Primary School Legsby Market Rasen Lincolnshire LN8 3QW

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Short inspection of Legsby Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 12 January 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2011.

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Short inspection of Legsby Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection and the school is continuing to improve. Its commitment to improving the school has ensured that the impact of the long-term absence of the substantive headteacher has been minimised. School staff and governors focus on providing the best possible education for the children and are ambitious for the school’s future. They look beyond the locality for inspiration and enrichment activities, and this is typified by the school having the honour of representing the United Kingdom in an international film festival, which is to be held in Paris later this year. The Year 6 pupils I spoke to told of how much they enjoy school but also know that their work is challenging; in the words of one pupil, ‘They push us to the limit.’

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Short inspection of Legsby Primary School

Leaders and governors have high aspirations and expectations for all pupils. Parents recognise this, as is shown in the school’s annual satisfaction survey, which is wholly positive. Leaders are keenly aware of any dips in pupils’ attainment and are constantly seeking to improve the school and outcomes for pupils. This has been highlighted by the reaction to a disappointing set of Key Stage 2 writing results in 2014. In response to this, school leaders introduced a number of initiatives, such as extended periods of independent writing and the development of portfolios of work to highlight pupils’ progress over time. External moderators praised the success of these initiatives in 2015. Work in books shows that pupils of all abilities and backgrounds have made progress this term, although teachers are not always precise enough in their identification of the next steps in pupils’ learning. Leaders and governors have acted effectively on the areas for improvement identified at the

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Short inspection of Legsby Primary School

time of the last inspection. However, this success is not always reflected in published data, which are influenced by the small number of pupils in each year group.

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Short inspection of Legsby Primary School

Leaders and governors place a high priority on keeping pupils safe. Years 5 and 6 pupils talk confidently about the measures taken to keep them safe from harm. They are adamant that the small size of the school is an advantage and show concern for pupils of all ages who attend the school. They are also very clear about online safety, which reflects the school’s drive to integrate new technologies into everyday learning. Pupils are confident that any adult in school will help them, should the need arise, but are equally sure that incidents of bullying and name calling are negligible.

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Short inspection of Legsby Primary School

Leaders and governors ensure that all safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and records are detailed and of high quality. They acted quickly to ensure that there is sufficient cover in place to meet statutory duties during the absence of the substantive headteacher. Staff undertake regular training to ensure that their knowledge and practice are current. Governors understand the potential threats to pupils’ safety and are increasingly aware of issues such as child exploitation and extremism.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas in need of further development. Governors have responded to the findings of the previous inspection report by insisting on and carefully reviewing regular pupils’ performance data. They use this information to help them understand and address areas in need of improvement and to hold school leaders to account. The substantive headteacher has ensured that record keeping and pupils’ performance information is of good quality and easily accessible. The local authority adviser knows the school well and has provided very effective support, minimising any potential disruption. These factors have combined to enable you and other school leaders to provide very effective cover during the substantive headteacher’s absence, and to ensure that the momentum of school improvement has not been lost. Leaders have evaluated the school’s

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Inspection findings

performance accurately, and the school’s plans for further development are appropriate, ambitious and achievable.  Leaders review the progress of each pupil regularly through lesson observations, work scrutiny and ongoing assessment. Work is well underway to introduce a new tracking system which meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. From the review of pupils’ books, which you and I undertook during the inspection, this system appears to be creating an accurate picture of pupils’ attainment and progress. There is strong evidence that the quality of pupils’ writing is improving, with some particularly good examples seen in Key Stage 2 in a range of genres. Reading continues to be a strength of the school. Mathematics books show that pupils are provided with plenty of opportunities to practise and apply their learning, and this is helping to secure their knowledge and understanding. However, there are occasions

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Inspection findings

in both Key Stages 1 and 2 when pupils have not fully mastered new skills or embedded new learning in writing and mathematics. Teachers are not always sharp in identifying the next steps in pupils’ learning and sometimes miss opportunities to address misconceptions quickly enough. As a result, pupils are not always able to transfer what they know to new situations or tasks and recurrent errors are not addressed consistently well.  Children enter the early years at levels of development which are often just below those expected of children of their age. There is good evidence to support this within each child’s learning journey document. The proportion of children leaving the Reception Year with a good level of development was below the national figure in 2014, but this was a statistical anomaly created by the small cohort. All children left having made progress to ensure that in reading, writing, number, speaking and listening they had reached levels of

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Inspection findings

development that were typical for their age. Achievement in the Year 1 phonics screening has increased annually with all Year 1 children reaching the expected level in 2015. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils continue to make progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the number of pupils attaining at higher levels is lower than might be expected, based on their earlier rates of progress.  By the end of Key Stage 2, the vast majority of pupils make at least the progress expected for children of their age and often more than that. Pupils attending the school for prolonged periods often make more than expected progress and those who join later show that their progress accelerates. As with Key Stage 1, not enough of the most-able pupils attain at the higher levels in each subject. The small number of disadvantaged pupils are well supported through the use of the pupil premium. The full impact of this

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Inspection findings

funding is not fully apparent through published data, but there is strong evidence to show how their achievement is improving and potential barriers to their learning are being dismantled. Pupils with special educational needs or disabilities also achieve well.  Pupils behave well around the school and at different times of the day. Older pupils are protective towards younger ones and pupils of all ages are often seen helping and playing together. Pupils are very willing to talk about their work and explain what they are learning. By Year 6, they are able to have well-developed conversations about what they have learned, while expressing mature and well-informed opinions. The school’s values engender tolerance and respect for others, and these provide a firm basis for the development of fundamental British values. The curriculum gives pupils a wide range of experiences which ensure that they are well prepared for each stage of their

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Inspection findings

education as well their future life in modern Britain.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and governors should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 pupils’ outcomes, particularly for the most able, are improved by ensuring that the next steps in learning are clearly identified and embedded, and that misconceptions or errors are identified and addressed in a timely fashion. This inspection was conducted with half a day’s notice.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Director of Children’s Services for Lincolnshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met you, the school’s subject leaders, five governors, parents and the pupils from Year 6. We visited both classes in the school, spending a short time in each, and looked at a sample of pupils’ work together. In the absence of sufficient responses from Parent View, I considered the results of the school’s most recent annual parental surveys and the responses to the electronic surveys for staff and pupils. I looked at a range of documents including an evaluation of the school’s performance and plans for further improvement, information on how the pupil premium is spent and a number of policy documents, including those for child protection and special educational needs.

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