Village Primary School

Village Primary School Village Street, Normanton, Derby, Derbyshire DE23 8DF

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders’ actions are improving standards in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects.  The school has a strong ethos of mutual respect. Pupils understand, respect and celebrate diversity. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.  Pupils behave well at all times. They are polite and their conduct is impeccable.  Children in the early years make a good start to their school life. From their starting points, children make good progress.  Standards in key stage 1 for reading, writing and mathematics improved in 2017 and are close to the national averages.  Pupils make rapid progress in improving their skills in reading and writing. Pupils of all abilities produce work to a good standard.  Teachers use visual imagery and apparatus to help pupils understand mathematical concepts.  Teachers provide pupils with regular opportunities to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills in mathematics.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teachers are enthusiastic and relationships are positive. As a result, pupils have positive attitudes to learning.  Teachers use questioning skilfully to check pupils’ understanding and deepen their thinking.  Teaching assistants provide effective support for pupils’ learning.  Teachers place strong emphasis on teaching pupils to understand important vocabulary in different subjects.  Sometimes, the least and most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, do not consistently make the progress they should, particularly in mathematics.  Teachers’ expectations for the quality and quantity of pupils’ work are not consistently high in different subjects.  Leaders have not ensured that school initiatives are implemented effectively by all teachers.  Leaders’ actions have ensured that attendance, including that of disadvantaged pupils, has improved. Attendance, however, is still too low.  Leaders’ plans for improvement do not focus

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

sharply enough on pupils’ progress to help drive more rapid improvements.  The governing body are not as effective as they could be in holding leaders to account for the impact of additional funding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: – their plans for improvement focus more sharply on pupils’ progress and identify clear criteria for success to help drive more rapid improvement – they check that their actions to improve standards are consistently applied by all teachers – they are tenacious in ensuring further improving attendance, including that of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities – the governing body more stringently holds leaders to account for the use of additional funding, including the pupil premium.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to improve pupils’ progress by ensuring that all teachers: – have consistently high expectations of the quality of pupils’ writing in all subjects – provide frequent opportunities for pupils to write at length in different subjects – use information about pupils’ learning to provide work that is well matched to pupils’

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

abilities, especially for the least and most able in mathematics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Leaders have introduced, or are developing further, a range of initiatives to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment and progress. Leaders’ self- evaluation and plans for improvement are not, however, as sharply focused on improving pupils’ progress as they could be. As a result, improvements are not as rapid as they could be.  Work to improve standards in reading, writing, mathematics as well as other areas, such as promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, or provision for pupils who speak English as an additional language, has had a positive impact on raising standards. Middle and subject leaders support and work alongside staff to secure improvements. Leaders do not, however, rigorously check that initiatives are consistently applied by all staff.  Leaders identify where teaching is less strong and provide support, coaching and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

training to improve the quality of teaching. Leaders provide teachers with targets for improvement and link these with pupils’ progress. The quality of teaching is generally strong or improving.  Leadership of phonics provision is strong. Leaders ensure that phonics teaching is organised well, carefully check pupils’ progress and provide staff with relevant training. As a result, pupils make rapid progress.  The coordinator for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities ensures that additional funding is used well to support pupils’ learning. Pupils make good progress from their starting points.  Leaders are outward-looking and work with other schools to, for example, develop teachers’ expertise in assessing pupils’ learning. Leaders welcome support from the local authority to check standards and develop leadership roles. Leaders’ participation in the phonics leadership support and the English as an additional language leadership

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

programme, for example, is have a positive impact on standards.  Leaders have ensured that the school has a broad and balanced curriculum. This has recently been further enhanced to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education further. Teachers ensure that pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, also benefit from a range of enrichment activities such as school trips and visits to local places of worship. School displays reflect the many opportunities pupils have to develop their understanding of British heritage and culture, to prepare them well for life in modern Britain.  Pupil premium funding has been used largely to provide additional teaching to support pupils’ learning. Most disadvantaged pupils make progress in line with, and sometimes better than, other pupils. Leaders and governors are not, however, as effective as they could be in carefully planning how this funding is used. They do not stringently check

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

the impact on children’s progress to ensure that it has the maximum impact.  Leaders use the additional funding for physical education and sports effectively to support the development of teachers’ expertise in teaching physical education as well as widening pupils’ opportunities to engage in sporting activities. However, leaders’ plans do not have sharp measurable outcomes in order to check that the funding is having the impact it should.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive in their views of the school. They say that their children are happy, make good progress and that the school keeps them safe. The very large majority say that the school is well led and managed.

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Governance of the school

 The governing body, which includes many new or recently appointed members, has a sound overview of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They do not, however, hold leaders to account as effectively as they could, particularly with regard to the uses of additional funding. Their understanding of pupils’ attainment and progress is not rigorous enough for them to be more effective in their role.  Members of the governing body undertake regular visits to, for example, meet with school staff, check standards or review safeguarding arrangements. They have a good understanding of school life and practices. Their visit reports are not, however, sufficiently focused to help drive more rapid improvement.  The governing body is committed to supporting and helping the school to improve further as well as developing governors’ effectiveness.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding. The school’s ethos of care is evident in pupils’ positive interactions with teachers and with each other.  Leaders ensure that the single central register is accurate and up to date. Recruitment checks on the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children are thorough.  The designated leaders for safeguarding ensure that all members of staff are kept up to date with the latest guidance on keeping pupils safe in education. Staff have received training on the government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy. Governors have also received safeguarding training, including for safer recruitment.  Staff are clear on the procedures for reporting any concerns. Leaders record these carefully, including the actions taken. They are tenacious in involving external agencies where this is required.  Bullying is very rare and pupils are confident that adults deal with any concerns they

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Safeguarding

have. Pupils spoke positively about the ‘time to talk’ box, in which they can request to speak to a member of staff about anything that might be worrying them. Pupils say that they feel safe and almost all parents who spoke with inspectors or who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, say that their children are safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching overall is very strong. Teachers are enthusiastic and capture pupils’ interest. They have good subject knowledge which they use to skilfully question pupils, both to check their understanding and to promote deeper thinking. However, teachers do not consistently match work well to pupils’ needs. As a result, the least and most able pupils sometimes do not do as well as they should, particularly in mathematics.  Teachers use a range of teaching strategies to enthuse pupils. In an English lesson, for example, pupils were encouraged to visualise themselves as an animal sitting on a hill. The teacher provided sound effects and encouraged pupils to reflect on their senses as a stimulus for writing. Inspectors observed many instances in which teachers made highly effective use of visual imagery and apparatus to support pupils’ deeper understanding in mathematics.  Pupils are taught early reading skills effectively. A new approach to promoting

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

comprehension skills throughout the school is helping pupils to make rapid progress in reading.  Teachers are skilled in teaching writing skills. They teach pupils how to compose work in a range of genres, and to use accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation. As a result, pupils make good progress. Pupils take pride in their work, and complete work to a high standard. The quality of pupils’ writing, however, is not consistently high in all subjects or classes. Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to write at length in different subjects to practise and further improve their writing skills.  Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do well. Teachers have high expectations for behaviour. Pupils are confident sharing their ideas, working and collaborating together. This supports their learning and progress effectively.  Teachers ensure that classrooms include many resources to support and promote

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

pupils’ learning. Pupils were observed independently accessing, for example, vocabulary prompts. Teachers in all classes ensure that pupils understand important vocabulary in lessons. In a mathematics lesson, for example, a teacher asked pupils to say what words they associated with the addition symbol. Pupils came up with a variety of words, such as ‘add’, ‘sum’ and ‘plus’. This supported the learning of all pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language and those who have SEN.  Teaching assistants are deployed well. They provide effective support for pupils’ learning when working with individual pupils or small groups.

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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 confident. They were happy to talk to inspectors about their work and learning. Pupils understand the importance of learning. One pupil explained to an inspector, why, for example, it was important to learn measuring skills in mathematics: ‘It’s important to learn new skills for life.’ Pupils enjoy their learning and school life.  Pupils are taught how to keep safe in a variety of situations, including aspects relating to the local school context. Teachers emphasise to pupils the importance of making positive life choices. The pupil ‘digital leaders’ lead assemblies as part of the school’s work to ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe when online.  The school has a strong ethos of respect. Adults are positive role models. The curriculum promotes pupils’ understanding and respect for people of different cultures,

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Personal development and welfare

backgrounds and faiths. Pupils are very reflective. Pupils in Year 6 told an inspector, ‘In our school, we’re all different. We treat everyone the same. We respect each other. Our background is irrelevant.’  Bullying is very rare. Pupils are confident that staff will quickly resolve any concerns that they may have. Some pupils raised a concern about the use of derogatory language. Leaders were aware of this. Leaders and teachers are quick to tackle such rare instances.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are courteous. Their conduct in classrooms, corridors or on the playground is excellent. Parents who spoke with inspectors or responded to Parent View were almost unanimous in their view that pupils are well behaved.  Leaders and staff have high expectations for behaviour. Pupils know what is expected and staff praise them for their contributions and efforts. In lessons, pupils pay attention, concentrate and try hard to complete all that is asked of them. Pupils only lose focus when they are unsure, or work is not matched well to their ability or needs.  Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and take pride in their work and the school environment.  Overall attendance improved in 2017 compared to the previous year and current figures also show improvement. Leaders and the attendance officer are working to emphasise the importance of attendance to parents, and work with the families of

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Behaviour

pupils who have persistent absence. Pupils’ attendance, however, including that of disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, is still too low.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 The majority of pupils make progress that is at least good. From their different starting points, they develop secure knowledge, understanding and skills. As a result, most pupils are well equipped for the next stage of their education.  Leaders and teachers identify pupils who need to catch up. They regularly discuss and review the progress of different groups of pupils, such as boys, those who are disadvantaged or those who speak English as an additional language. They intervene to ensure that pupils are taught what they need. On some occasions, however, teachers do not ensure that work is matched well to pupils’ needs and the least and most able pupils do not make the progress that they should. Some of the most able pupils do not make enough progress to reach the high standards that they should achieve.  Pupils are taught well to understand the important ideas in mathematics. They are able to apply their understanding to solve problems and develop their reasoning skills.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

However, the least and most able pupils sometimes do not make the progress that they should when, again, work is not matched well to their needs.  Pupils make rapid progress in improving their reading and writing skills. Pupils read fluently and are secure in applying their understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation to their composition work. Pupils proudly spoke with inspectors about their writing, saying what they liked about it and how they have improved. Writing in all year groups is generally of a high standard. The quality of pupils’ writing is not, however, consistent in all classes or subjects.  Children achieve well in the early years and the proportion of pupils who achieved the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2017 was in line with the national average. In 2017, the attainment of pupils in key stage 1 improved and was close to the national averages for reading, writing and mathematics, including at

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Outcomes for pupils Good

greater depth.  Pupils’ work shows that most disadvantaged pupils make progress in line with, and sometimes better than, that of other pupils.  Pupils’ progress at the end of key stage 2 was broadly average for reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers have ensured that the quality of pupils’ handwriting and presentation, as well as their understanding of mathematics, has improved in all classes. The school’s own assessment information and current pupils’ work show that the majority of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or who speak English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points.  Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receive a good level of support and the majority make good progress from their starting points.

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Early years provision Good

 The leader of early years has a good understanding of learning in the early years and has been effective in improving continuous provision, particularly in the outdoor spaces. Leaders have not ensured, however, that assessment systems and strategic plans for improvement are as focused as they could be to meet children’s needs so as to ensure more rapid improvements .  Many children enter the early years with skills that are below those expected for their age. By the end of Reception, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is in line with the national average. Children’s learning journey records and school information show that most children, including those who are disadvantaged or who have SEN and/or disabilities, make good progress. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The early years leader has ensured that activities are well planned and resourced.

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Early years provision Good

Activities are generally stimulating, engaging and offer a broad range of learning opportunities.  Teachers and adults are enthusiastic. They are effective in using questioning to develop children’s thinking and support their development. The teaching of phonics is effective and often challenging. Inspectors saw evidence of high standards of children’s writing.  Children’s behaviour is good. Children follow instructions quickly and routines are soon established. Children settle quickly and engage positively with the tasks provided for them. They talk positively and confidently about what they are doing and about their learning. One child, for example, explained to an inspector the sequence of actions needed to make a sandcastle and some of the potential challenges.  The leader of the early years is developing effective relationships with parents to support children’s learning and development. Parents are encouraged, for example, to

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Early years provision Good

send into school information about children’s achievements at home. One child had developed her kicking skills in football and this information was included as part of her learning journey record of development.  Leaders manage transition arrangements well. Children are well prepared as they move through each stage of the early years and into Year 1.  The safeguarding and welfare arrangements are met in the early years.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://alvastonjandvillagefed.co.uk

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School details

Email address admin@village.derby.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2–3 October 2012

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Information about this school

 Village Primary School became part of a federation with another school, Alvaston Junior Community School, in September 2013. The former headteacher became the executive headteacher of both schools and the former deputy headteacher became the head of school at Village Primary School.  The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The minority of pupils are of white British heritage.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and who speak English as an additional language are above the national averages.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.  In 2017, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the

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Information about this school

minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all year groups. Forty-eight lessons were observed, some jointly with the head of school. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work, observed the teaching of early reading skills, listened to pupils read and spoke with them to evaluate the quality of their learning. They scrutinised a variety of documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, pupils’ attainment and progress, and staff performance. A range of plans for improvement were evaluated, as well as the school’s self-evaluation of its own performance and documents relating to the work of the governing body.  Inspectors spoke with parents informally at the start of the school day. They took account of the 16 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. There were no responses to the pupil and staff questionnaires.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the

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Information about this inspection

deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher, middle and subject leaders, the coordinator for the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Discussions explored a wide range of subjects, including safeguarding arrangements.

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Inspection team

John Lawson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob Cruise 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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