Claybrooke Primary School

Claybrooke Primary School Main Road, Claybrooke Parva, Lutterworth LE17 5AF

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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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 Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Leaders do not ensure that improvements needed in the quality of teaching are made quickly enough.  The quality of teaching and learning varies across the school. Teachers do not consistently have high expectations of what their pupils can achieve. Pupils are not challenged routinely so do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Subject leaders are in the early stages of developing their leadership skills. They lack confidence in some aspects of the curriculum. Therefore, they are not well placed to advise teachers on appropriate planning and provision for the most able pupils.  Pupils’ outcomes require improvement as few pupils make good progress from key stage 1 to key stage 2.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils are polite and welcoming. They have a mature sense of right and wrong, and are considerate towards each other. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare.  Children in the early years and key stage 1 make progress at rates close to or above average because of the good teaching they receive.  Rates of attendance are above average.  Teachers ensure that pupils are well prepared when they move to the next key stage or to a new school.  The coordination of support for pupils with special educational needs or disability is effective. Teachers and teaching assistants receive the training they need to help pupils achieve their individual targets.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: teachers act swiftly in response to feedback on ways in which they should improve their teaching subject leaders develop their skills and knowledge so that they are able to hold teachers to account for the quality of teaching in their subject areas all teachers use the school’s assessment policy and marking and presentation policy effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by making sure that: all teachers have high expectations of what their pupils can and should achieve teachers are confident in their knowledge and understanding of the curriculum teachers use questioning and refine tasks to provide pupils, especially the most able, with the support and challenge they need to make good progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher identifies accurately the areas for improvement in the school. She recognises that standards have dropped in recent years due to a range of circumstances, including staff changes. During this school year, she has worked closely with external support to help her address the priorities for improvement. She has put in place appropriate systems for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning, but acknowledges that improvements have not been made as quickly as she would have liked. This means that teachers are not consistently giving pupils the right levels of support and challenge. As a consequence, pupils in key stage 2 do not make progress as rapidly as they should.  Leaders have not made all essential checks and kept appropriate files when appointing new staff. Information provided to the inspector demonstrated that the pupils were not placed at risk as a result of this shortfall, which was put right during the first day of the inspection. The single central record meets

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

requirements.  The headteacher has not made sure that all teachers follow the school’s marking and presentation policy effectively.  Subject leaders have had helpful opportunities to develop their leadership skills and experience over this academic year. They have worked with local schools and the local teaching alliance, becoming more familiar with the use of achievement information and tracking systems to identify underachievement. They have completed moderation activities with external support so that they have acquired useful experience carrying out work scrutiny and observations. They have started to work more independently but recognise that they are not holding individual teachers to account for the quality of teaching and learning in their subject areas. Subject leaders acknowledge rightly that they lack confidence in more complex areas of the curriculum. They are not well placed to advise other teachers on ways to challenge

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

pupils and to develop pupils’ reasoning skills.  All staff have received up-to-date safeguarding training and are alert to any concerns about a pupil’s demeanour or behaviour. The headteacher keeps detailed records of behaviour incidents and looks carefully for any patterns. She makes sure that pupils get the right help when they need it to improve their attendance or attitude to their learning. The headteacher rightly reports to governors on any incidents of prejudicial behaviour, which are extremely rare.  Leaders use the pupil premium funding thoughtfully to help disadvantaged pupils receive extra resources and the support they need to do better at school.  Pupils clearly value the opportunity to play a range of games at playtime, using equipment purchased through the primary school physical education and sports premium. Older pupils have developed strong skills in organisation, teamwork and responsibility through their participation in physical education and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

after-school clubs. The headteacher is keen to help pupils pursue particular interests, and consults pupils about new sports they would like to try.  The curriculum provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in mathematics and English across different subjects. The curriculum is especially engaging for pupils when they are able to relate their studies to their own experiences and real-life situations, such as pupils from Year 5 and Year 6 drawing and interpreting line graphs using data they had collected themselves .  The headteacher stipulates the importance of pupils being considerate towards each other so they interact very positively in and around the school. Pupils know the importance of mutual respect and of learning about faiths and cultures other than their own. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is promoted well across the curriculum as well as in assemblies and special events, and through

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. Pupils are able to broaden their social experiences on residential trips and visits to other schools.  The headteacher carries out performance management of teachers to make sure that aspects of teaching that individual teachers need to improve are appropriately linked to the school’s priorities for improvement. She is also mindful of teachers’ aspirations and training needs, and arranges helpful and relevant professional development opportunities for them.  The headteacher is clear that to improve communications with parents is a constant priority for her. She has put in place a number of successful initiatives to boost positive relationships with parents.  The governance of the school The governing body has a realistic view of the strengths and areas needing improvement in the school. Governors have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and complete the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

training they need in order to fulfil them. They are, therefore, increasingly able to ask relevant and intuitive questions of the headteacher and other members of staff when they present information to them. The governors recognise that further actions are needed urgently to improve rates of progress for all pupils. They have reflected this appropriately in the headteacher’s performance management and by increasing capacity in the leadership of the school. They have supported the headteacher well by approving the restructuring of the leadership team and making an appointment of an assistant headteacher for the forthcoming academic year. Governors are considerate of the importance of every pupil having an equal opportunity to take part in all school activities. They take this into account when overseeing the expenditure of the pupil premium, as well as keeping a close eye on the provision for pupils with special educational needs or

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

disability, to make sure they receive the right support.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teachers’ subject knowledge varies and they sometimes lack confidence with some aspects of the new curriculum. This means that opportunities for pupils to deepen their thinking and articulate their reasoning are not routinely incorporated into teachers’ planning.  When teachers and teaching assistants use questioning well, pupils are encouraged to reflect on their answers, work out where they might have gone wrong and how to refine their responses. However, all too often in key stage 2, when pupils show that they are already confident with a topic, teachers do not grasp the opportunity to apply pupils’ skills and knowledge to more complex ideas and challenge.  Teachers’ explanations are sometimes not clear enough so pupils are unsure about what they have to do.  Pupils are generally focused on their work and low-level disruption is very rare. When teachers’ expectations for their pupils’ attentiveness is high, pupils respond promptly and concentrate well on the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

task they have been set. However, when expectations are lower, pupils are inclined to be distracted and fidgety. Pupils’ attitudes to their work become despondent when they clearly are ready to move onto more interesting and challenging tasks.  When the school’s marking and presentation policy is used well, especially in Year 1 and the early years, pupils make better progress, as seen in their books. Teachers evidently use learning objectives and success criteria for most lessons but these are not routinely applied to enable pupils to reflect on their learning, make corrections to spelling and improve their work, as expected in the school’s marking and presentation policy.  Classrooms are full of helpful information, attractively displayed. This includes up-to-date examples of pupils’ work and shows their regular participation in spelling bees and mathematics challenges to help them improve their skills in these areas. Teachers also provide resources for pupils on their tables, such

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

as additional instructions and key words. However, pupils, especially in key stage 2, do not make the best use of these and do not have a confident approach to what to do next if they are stuck.  Pupils gain valuable additional support through a range of interventions led by teachers, teaching assistants and volunteers. The most able mathematicians gain much from this work to extend their skills in mathematics. Those needing more help with reading smoothly and willingly take time out of lessons to read regularly to an adult, recognising that this helps them to catch up.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are polite and welcoming and show consideration for others by, for example, holding open doors for others and greeting visitors with a smile. In discussions with pupils of mixed ages, older pupils are patient and understanding, showing excellent listening skills.  Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong. They are quick to point out that bullying does not happen in the school. As one pupil expressed, reflecting the feelings of others, ‘if there is any name-calling, there is no intention of hurting anyone’s feelings’. Pupils feel confident their teachers will help them if they have any concerns.  Pupils explained very clearly to the inspector how they have felt well prepared for the next stages of their education, whether moving to secondary school or up into key stage 2. This is because they have worthwhile opportunities to visit their next school or classroom and learn about the routines and

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Personal development and welfare

expectations in the new settings.  Attendance is above the national average.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves responsibly around the school. They generally manage well the limitations of space in some parts of the school, needing few reminders to look where they are going, and not rush. Older pupils in particular organise themselves admirably in the playground, making excellent use of resources to play games, or sit quietly. Breaktimes are supervised well by staff and interactions between them and the pupils are very positive, ensuring that everyone has something they enjoy doing at playtime, like playing netball or sitting with friends to share collections of football stickers.  Records show that serious incidents of poor behaviour are rare.  When teachers’ expectations are not high enough, pupils tend to become distracted and do not have an orderly approach to, for example, packing away their things at the end of a lesson.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 The rate at which pupils make progress from key stage 1 to key stage 2 is less than average. There has been a decline in the progress made by key stage 2 pupils in all subjects in recent years.  The rates of progress of groups of pupils vary from year to year, with the numbers of pupils in defined groups being very small. Disadvantaged pupils generally make progress at rates similar to others in the school.  The achievement of pupils with special educational needs or disability is monitored closely by the special educational needs coordinator. These pupils receive the support they need to enable them to make progress towards meeting their individual targets.  By the end of key stage 2, the most able pupils have not made the progress of which they are capable. This is because teachers do not refine their questioning and activities in lessons to provide these pupils with the challenge they need.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 The school’s own achievement information, using new tracking systems, indicates early signs of improvement in the proportions of Year 6 pupils making expected progress in mathematics, reading and writing.  The school has established routines that encourage pupils to read out loud to an adult every day. Reading diaries are used well by most pupils, indicating they have opportunities to develop their reading skills at home and at school. Older pupils are keen to read more, motivated by the bronze, silver and gold rewards they receive when they write reviews for every book they read. Books are readily available for pupils to borrow and they enjoy selecting books about topics that interest them.  At the end of key stage 1, pupils generally achieve standards close to, or above, the national average. Standards have improved in phonics and in the proportion of children reaching a good level of development in the early years. Pupils make progress in the early years and key stage 1 at rates close to

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Early years provision is good

 The early years is well led. The leader ensures that there are efficient systems in place for the regular and frequent assessment of the children’s achievement. This means that each child receives the support they need if they are falling behind. As a consequence, children in the early years make good progress and are well prepared for learning in Year 1.  The early years areas are thoughtfully laid out to provide a wide range of developmental activities for children, making efficient use of limited space both inside and out.  Children are supervised well by adults and are kept safe.  The quality of teaching in the early years is good. Adults use the curriculum well to develop pupils’ skills. Children talked to the inspector enthusiastically about the Rio Olympics, showing how they had applied a range of activities to learning about this event. They practised their writing skills by writing a list of things

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Early years provision is good

to take if they were travelling to the Olympic Games, developed their motor and handling skills when building a stadium and learned new facts about the world.  Children develop a mature attitude to their work, concentrating well alongside Year 1 pupils. When moving to different tasks, children sometimes do not settle as quickly as their teacher would like. On occasions, children do not persist with completing a task and their activities are less purposeful for a while until an adult intervenes.

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School details

Unique reference number 120140 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 10003852

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 97 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Michael Clifford Headteacher Mrs Jo Blackburn Telephone number 01455 209238 Website www.claybrooke.leics.sch.uk Email address office@claybrooke.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 30 November 2010 – 1 December 2010

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of girls is greater than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disability is lower than average.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much less than average. A few pupils represent a range of minority ethnic groups.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium grant (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority) is well below average.  Pupils attend the Reception class full time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.  The school receives support from a national leader of education through the local teaching alliance. This

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Information about this school

support was facilitated by the local authority and extended by arrangement with the governing body.  The headteacher is also the headteacher of another local school and divides her time between the two schools.  The governing body is in the early stages of discussions with other local schools about forming a multi- academy trust.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about pupil premium and governance on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector held meetings with: the headteacher; the subject leaders of mathematics and English; the coordinator of the provision for pupils with special educational needs or disability; the leader of the early years provision; the member of staff with responsibility for the administration of the single central record; and the chair of the governing body, the former vice-chair and the current vice-chair. The inspector also held a telephone conversation with the national leader of education who supports the school through the local teaching alliance.  The inspector toured the school accompanied by the headteacher and visited all classes. She observed parts of seven lessons, two of these jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also attended a whole- school assembly.  The inspector met formally with eight pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 and held informal conversations with pupils at different times during the inspection. She also heard pupils from Year 5 and Year 1 read.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector evaluated a range of documents including: the school’s self-evaluation; records of incidents of poor behaviour, the school’s achievement information; performance management records; examples of governing body meeting minutes; and a range of the school’s policies.  The inspector looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector took into account the responses to Parent View, the online questionnaire. Surveys were not completed by staff or pupils for this inspection.  The inspector observed the behaviour of pupils at breaktime and in the dining hall at lunchtime, as well as in and between lessons.

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Inspection team

Amanda Carter-Fraser lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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

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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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