New Whittington Community Primary School

School report New Whittington Community Primary School London Street, New Whittington, Chesterfield S43 2AQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Although leaders are improving the quality of teaching, it is not yet consistently good enough to ensure that all groups of pupils make good progress.  There is some variation in how well teachers provide work that builds quickly on what disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability know and can do.  Teachers do not have consistently high expectations of what the most able pupils should achieve.  Teachers do not insist that pupils apply what they learn about handwriting, grammar, punctuation and spelling whenever they write.  The regular checks made by leaders on the quality of teaching do not focus sharply enough on the learning of specific groups of pupils.  Leaders do not yet give regular feedback to teaching assistants about the quality of their work.

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The school has the following strengths

 Good leadership by school leaders and governors means that well-defined action plans and regular monitoring are strongly improving the quality of teaching and speeding up pupils’ progress.  The interesting curriculum motivates learning well. It effectively promotes pupils’ personal development and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.  Behaviour is good and pupils enjoy their learning. The school’s work to keep pupils safe is effective.  Children in the early years achieve well because teaching is consistently good.  Pupils who have hearing impairment receive the right level of support to help them to make good progress. They are fully included in daily activities.  Leaders have established positive links with parents who are supportive of the school’s work. School report

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils by making sure that teachers consistently: ensure that pupils apply what they learn about punctuation, grammar and spelling whenever they write implement the school’s handwriting policy to improve the level of presentation in pupils’ books build on pupils’ learning to further accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability have high expectations of what the most able pupils should achieve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by: ensuring a more precise focus on the learning of specific groups of pupils when checking the quality of teaching providing regular feedback to teaching assistants so they know how well they are doing and how to improve.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Strong leadership ensures firm foundations for improvement. Since the previous inspection, leaders have significantly improved development planning and established good systems to check pupils’ progress. They now set clear priorities to move the school forward even further.  Leaders successfully create a whole-school community across the two sites and draw staff together in a common sense of purpose. They ensure that the school is a purposeful place where improving teaching and good behaviour flourish.  The headteacher’s measured approach is thorough and sets clear direction for the school’s work. He, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, identifies what needs to be done to improve teaching and learning, for example in mathematics and phonics (the sounds that letters represent). This is leading to a consistent approach to the teaching of these subjects, with a positive effect on raising pupils’ attainment.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders, including those responsible for subjects, know about the quality of teaching because they use a range of ways to check. They gather valuable information on the effectiveness of the curriculum and identify what needs to improve. However, when they observe lessons or check pupils’ books, leaders do not focus precisely enough on the learning of specific groups of pupils, for example the most able, to be sure that teaching is leading to the best possible progress.  Leaders set targets for teachers to work towards that are linked well to the school’s priorities. Staff share their expertise with each other. Regular links with other schools promote best practice well. Effective support from the local authority develops leadership and teaching skills and ensures that the school’s assessments are accurate.  Staff, including teaching assistants, are given the training they need, for example in the teaching of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

phonics, in order to improve their practice. As a result, standards in phonics are rising. Teachers receive regular feedback about the quality of their work and how to improve but this practice is not yet extended to teaching assistants.  Strong leadership of the specialist resourced provision for pupils who have hearing impairment ensures that staff are well qualified. Good use is made of external expertise and specialist equipment. There is a good balance between the support that pupils receive from the resourced base, known as The Nest, and their inclusion in mainstream classrooms. There are good opportunities for parents to be involved in their children’s learning.  Leaders are committed to ensuring that all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed. Thorough evaluation has led to a more precise and effective use of the pupil premium funding to benefit eligible pupils, with a positive effect on their personal, social and academic development. As a result, progress for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

this group of pupils is speeding up.  The curriculum is broad and interesting. Subjects are linked together creatively to help pupils to make sense of their learning, for example learning about the Egyptians and mummification was linked well to a science study on how fruit decays over time. The curriculum is well supported by a range of extra- curricular activities and experiences, including links with secondary schools and visits from history and theatre groups.  The primary sports funding is used well to widen the range of sports and team games on offer. It develops teachers’ expertise in delivering physical education lessons. This is having a positive effect on pupils’ skills and levels of participation, their health and personal development.  The curriculum promotes British values and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Daily activities inform pupils of current events in Britain and beyond, helping them to form opinions and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

express their views. Pupils learn about a range of faiths, important British institutions, such as the monarchy, and various locations, locally and further afield. As a result, they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The governance of the school Governance is good and has improved markedly since the previous inspection. Governors confidently hold school leaders to account and satisfy themselves of the effectiveness of the school’s work. They make good use of the expertise in their ranks and undergo the training they need to carry out their roles effectively. They know about the quality of teaching and the impact it has on pupils’ learning. They are well informed about the training that staff receive and understand how the school assesses pupils’ progress. Governors check progress information and evaluate the effect of the pupil premium spending on achievement. Together with school leaders, governors forge strong links with parents and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

gather their views regularly, leading to improvements, for example an increase in the number of after- school clubs. Governors carry out their responsibilities well and review school policies regularly.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders, including governors, ensure that staff receive relevant and regular training to keep pupils safe. Vetting procedures for adults who work with children are thorough and systems well maintained. The school’s positive links with parents mean there are clear lines of communication should any concerns over children’s welfare arise.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Although teaching is improving strongly, some variation remains in how well teachers promote the good progress of all groups of learners and make sure that literacy skills are fully applied.  Pupils’ books show that, while there are very good examples of well-presented work, the school’s handwriting policy is not consistently and fully implemented. Regular teaching of English grammar, punctuation and spelling is improving pupils’ skills but teachers do not yet consistently ensure that pupils use these skills whenever they write.  Staff give disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability extra support to develop basic skills but teachers do not sufficiently build on this learning to accelerate pupils’ progress in lessons. When they do, for example in mathematics, these pupils make good gains but the speed of their learning varies from class to class.  Teachers do not consistently expect the most able pupils to reach their full potential. This means that

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

some of these pupils do not quickly build on what they already know and can do in order to fully develop their skills and reach the levels of which they are capable. When work is well matched, the most able pupils develop complex and well-structured writing and deepen their mastery of mathematics.  Teachers make learning interesting, which fires pupils’ enthusiasm and makes them want to do well. There are good opportunities for pupils to write and use their mathematical knowledge in a range of subjects. Well-chosen topics, including in the early years, are helping to close any gaps in attainment between boys and girls. For example, during the inspection, boys in a Year 5 and Year 6 class commented that they ‘love the story of Macbeth’. This is because stimulating teaching fully involved all pupils in interpreting the plot and characters in an imaginative and exciting way.  Since the previous inspection, leaders have ensured improvements to teachers’ marking, which now

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

consistently adheres to the school’s marking policy. In line with this policy, teachers give pupils good verbal and written guidance on how well they are doing. They ask relevant questions to check pupils’ understanding and quickly correct any misconceptions.  The improved teaching of mathematics is leading to rising attainment in the subject. A strength is the way in which teachers link learning to real life. For example, during the inspection, pupils used their knowledge to interpret temperatures and climate in Australia. Others worked out distances travelled by supporters of the Euro football matches. These activities led to good application of mathematical skills and promoted pupils’ knowledge of countries beyond Britain.  A regular and consistent approach to the teaching of phonics is having a positive effect on raising pupils’ attainment because teaching is well matched to pupils’ abilities. The teaching of reading has a clear focus

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

on pupils’ enjoyment and comprehension. As a result, pupils’ skills in summarising, predicting and analysing what they read are developing well.  Teaching assistants are actively involved in lessons. They work well with individual pupils and with small groups. They play an important role in aiding the learning of all pupils, especially the disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs or disability. Their skills are utilised well to help pupils who have hearing impairment to become successful and independent learners.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. There is a strong sense of community and pupils are keen to play their part. Their roles as sports ambassadors and school councillors help pupils to develop an understanding of fairness and democracy. For example, during the inspection, pupils organised themselves into football teams to represent various nations. They took turns to play, to referee and to support, and showed a strong sense of fairness in their activities.  Pupils get on well together and show respect and tolerance to each other. All, including pupils who have hearing impairment, are fully included and relationships are good, leading to increased confidence and sense of well-being. Pupils recognise how they are helped to improve and they value the guidance they receive. They are keen to achieve the school’s awards and merits for their personal and academic

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Personal development and welfare

achievements.  The parents who responded to the online questionnaire unanimously agree that children are happy and feel safe at school. Pupils say they know who to speak to if they have a problem. Although pupils say that bullying can happen, they are confident that the school’s systems are effective in dealing with any incidents that may arise. Pupils know how to stay safe, including when using technology, because safety is promoted well by the curriculum and through frequent visitors, such as the local police force.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils respond well to their learning. They maintain concentration and take an interest because teachers make learning enjoyable. Parents value their children’s level of engagement and express satisfaction with how well teachers motivate learning, reflected in this comment, ‘My children enjoy coming to school and enjoy the work they do; the homework often has fun elements to make learning more fun’.  Pupils behave well with a range of adults because behaviour is consistently well managed. Pupils know the school rules and understand how rules apply in wider society. For example, as a result of their knowledge of current events in Britain and beyond, adults help pupils to form opinions about unkind behaviour and hooliganism. This is having a positive effect on pupils’ moral and social development.  Attendance is average. The school is strengthening its approach to reducing the number of pupils who

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Behaviour

stay away from school frequently by forging good links with parents and families.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Not all groups of pupils are yet making consistently strong progress in all classes. There is some variation in how well the most able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability are doing.  In 2015, by the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6, pupils did not reach the standards expected for their age. This is because pupils experienced a period of underachievement, which prevented them from making sufficiently good progress. At the time, the school’s monitoring systems were not rigorous enough to quickly check and remedy underachievement.  Leaders have urgently addressed the dip in attainment. Improvements made to the quality of teaching and the rigour with which pupils’ progress is checked mean that attainment and progress are now on an upward trend. The pupils currently in Year 6 are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, which means they are better prepared for their move to secondary school than previous

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

Year 6 pupils.  In 2015, the proportion of the most able pupils who reached the higher levels by the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 was well below average because not enough of these pupils made the expected progress or better from their starting points. The most able pupils are now making at least the expected progress but not all are yet making consistently good progress.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make variable rates of progress in line with their peers. They receive a range of support that helps them to develop confidence in their own abilities. Those who have hearing impairment make good progress with their language and communication skills because of the precise level of help and resources that they receive. This means they access the full curriculum and are involved in all aspects of school life.  By the end of Year 6 in 2015, disadvantaged pupils did not achieve as well as their classmates or other

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

pupils nationally because they did not make enough good progress. In reading, disadvantaged pupils were nearly three terms behind their classmates and over four terms behind others nationally; in writing, they were nearly two terms behind their classmates and two terms behind nationally; in mathematics, they were over a term behind their classmates and over two terms behind nationally. The school’s information and work in books show that attainment gaps are closing between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, but not all are yet making the accelerated progress necessary to reach the same levels of attainment.

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Early years provision is good

 School leaders provide effective leadership of the early years provision. They check the quality of teaching and provide useful feedback and support. Staff in the Nursery and Reception classes work well as a team and share expertise and practice with each other. They regularly check the progress that children make and collate useful information across all areas of learning. They establish good links with parents and have good arrangements to ease children’s start into school and for their move to Year 1.  Gaps in attainment between different groups of children, particularly boys and girls, are closing strongly due to changes to the curriculum and the way in which activities are planned. Topics such as ‘Under the sea’ and ‘Long, long ago’ inspire children, and in particular boys, who are making good gains in their learning.  Any additional funding is now used well to narrow gaps in achievement between disadvantaged children

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Early years provision is good

and others. Those with special educational needs or disability, including children who have hearing impairment, receive the resources and support they need to make a good start in their education.  Children behave well because positive attitudes are well promoted by staff. Children happily and safely engage in interesting tasks, indoors and outside, and develop good relationships with each other and with adults. In the Nursery class, children follow daily routines and play their part in tidying up because they know what is expected. In the Reception classes, children develop maturity in understanding the feelings of others. They learn about important events and celebrations from a range of cultures.  When children start in the early years, some have reading, writing and communication skills that are lower than those typically expected for their age. For some, personal skills are underdeveloped. Children

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Early years provision is good

make good progress in these and other areas of learning because of good teaching which consistently builds on what children know and can do. The teaching of basic skills lays firm foundations and prepares children well for their learning in Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 112668 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 10001858

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 324 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Karen Johnson Headteacher Paul Addison Telephone number 01246 450688 Website www.newwhittingtonprimary.org.uk Email address enquiries@newwhittington.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 November 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. It occupies two sites, which are approximately half a mile apart.  Most pupils are of White British backgrounds.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average. The funding is received for pupils who are or have been known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.  The school has specialist resourced provision for children who have hearing impairment.  In 2015, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The early years provision comprises a Nursery class, which children attend for the morning or afternoon session, and two Reception classes, which children attend full time.

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced leadership and staff changes. The headteacher joined the school in September 2014 and the deputy headteacher took up post in January 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons and one assembly. Four lesson observations were carried out jointly with senior leaders. The inspectors also observed some teaching of small groups of pupils and observed the provision for pupils who have hearing impairment. In all, 14 members of staff were seen teaching.  The inspectors looked at samples of work from all age groups. They talked to pupils about their work during lessons and listened to pupils read.  The inspectors held meetings with groups of pupils, governors, school leaders and staff, and met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors analysed 32 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and took account of parents’ written comments. An inspector also spoke to parents during the inspection.  The inspectors observed the school’s work. They looked at progress and attendance information. The inspectors looked at school improvement plans and evidence of the monitoring of teaching, and

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Information about this inspection

scrutinised documentation relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Vivienne McTiffen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Jane Green Ofsted Inspector Karen Lewis 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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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