Ranby CofE Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.1

Mrs Clare Mackinder Headteacher Ranby CofE Primary School Blyth Road Ranby Retford Nottinghamshire DN22 8HZ

p.1

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 10 October 2018, 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 December 2014.

p.1

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are passionate about providing a caring and nurturing environment where pupils can thrive. Your school is bright, friendly and well organised. Pupils’ work is celebrated in vibrant and stimulating classroom displays. There are plenty of appropriate and high-quality learning resources that are easily accessible, including for the youngest children in the school. This encourages pupils to learn independently.

p.1

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

You have strengthened the school’s leadership by recently appointing an assistant headteacher. You are both determined to improve the school, and this is reflected in your self-evaluation, which accurately identifies which areas need improving.

p.1

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

The actions you have taken to bring about improvement have had a positive effect. For example, pupils’ attainment at greater depth in English and mathematics, as indicated in the provisional results for 2017/18, was better than that seen in the previous year.

p.1

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

Parents and carers praise you and your staff highly. They feel that the school works effectively to promote pupils’ well-being. Staff help pupils to overcome barriers to learning, such as anxiety. They also focus on personal achievements and developing important skills, such as resilience. This helps to build pupils’ confidence. One parent said, ‘Our children love school and it is amazing to see their confidence grow.’ Several parents said that the school is like a family, where ‘everyone comes together’. Physical activity is highly prized by staff and by pupils for promoting pupils’ well- being. The ‘daily mile’ run, at the start of each day, prepares pupils well for lessons. Physical education (PE) is often used to focus on personal goals, as well as competition. Boccia is provided for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. One parent said that their child used to dislike PE, but now

p.1

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

enjoys it due to encouragement from staff.

p.2

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

Pupils behave impeccably in lessons and around school. They are polite and respectful to staff and each other. Pupils are enthusiastic about learning and this is reflected in how well engaged they are in lessons. They also willingly take part in activities after school to extend learning, such as writing challenges.

p.2

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

At the last inspection, inspectors asked that leaders improve the progress pupils make in mathematics. Leaders have worked to address this. After close analysis to identify precisely what needed improving, a new approach and resources were deployed to improve pupils’ mathematical reasoning. Teaching assistants now lead groups to boost progress further. Similarly, new resources have been deployed to help with the promotion of in-depth thinking and problem-solving skills. As a result, pupils talk confidently about their learning in mathematics.

p.2

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

You and your staff take safeguarding very seriously and have put in place effective arrangements to keep pupils safe. The school is very well organised, with clear procedures and routines. This helps to ensure that nothing is overlooked. Information about staff is kept up to date on the single central record and in personnel files which are maintained with scrupulous care in the school office.

p.2

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

Staff know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns. They communicate regularly with parents and families and this provides informal opportunities to ask questions. There is a named person, from social care, that can be contacted about safeguarding issues. This is a useful way to follow up any ongoing cases.

p.2

Short inspection of Ranby CofE Primary School

There is a strong safeguarding culture in the school, which is reflected in the way all staff see pupils’ well-being as a top priority. Pupils say confidently that they feel safe and can approach any responsible adult with their concerns. They also say that there is very little bullying in school. This is supported by parents, who report that any issues are dealt with quickly by school staff.

p.2

Inspection findings

 Teachers plan mathematics lessons carefully to ensure that learning is at the right level. This helps pupils to work independently, while being challenged enough to extend their learning. Teachers and teaching assistants provide effective, additional support to those pupils who require it.  Teachers have ensured that pupils receive effective opportunities to learn their times tables and to be able to recall number facts quickly. School leaders have plans in place this year to address pupils’ problem-solving skills further.  The school works with other local primary schools and the secondary academy to check the accuracy of teachers’ assessment of pupils’ work. This, and the school’s effective systems for tracking pupils’ progress, ensure that leaders quickly identify any pupils who are falling behind and provide appropriate support. This work led to an improvement in the proportion of pupils who

p.2

Inspection findings

attained the greater depth in mathematics at the end of key stage 2 in 2018, for example.  In 2018, most pupils in Year 2 made good progress in writing. This was a significant improvement from the previous year. This was due to a greater focus on improving the quality of the teaching of writing and on promoting the development of pupils’ use of vocabulary.  Current pupils’ books, particularly in Years 3 and 4, demonstrate that there is a clear focus on extending the range of sentences and vocabulary pupils use in their writing. Leaders have used the services of a local author and have run a Roald Dahl day to encourage pupils to develop their writing skills, while teachers provide effective guidance to help pupils to improve their writing. In one lesson, pupils improved their writing by including more conjunctions and adjectives in a diary entry about ‘Theseus and the Minotaur’.  Some most-able pupils do not achieve as highly as they should, including in

p.3

Inspection findings

writing. Leaders have identified that the most able pupils need greater challenge to extend their learning. In response, leaders have taken action to improve these pupils’ performance in phonics, handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation. School information indicates that these strategies ensured that the most able pupils achieved more highly in 2018 than previously. Leaders are not complacent in this, and recognise the need to continue with these strategies to ensure that current most-able pupils achieve as highly as they should.  Leaders use the pupil premium effectively to provide support for eligible pupils, including, at key stage 2, additional support by teaching assistants in English and individual tuition in mathematics. Leaders also use this funding to provide enriched learning experiences for pupils. These include musical instrument tuition, theatre workshops and financial education. The school’s assessments

p.3

Inspection findings

show that pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding achieve at least as well as other pupils in the school.

p.3

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.3

Next steps for the school

 pupils continue to improve their problem-solving skills, so that all pupils make stronger progress in mathematics  attainment and progress in writing improve, by making sure that all pupils, particularly the most able, use a wider range of vocabulary when writing independently. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of education for the Diocese of Southwell, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Nottinghamshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3

Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I had discussions with you and the assistant headteacher and reviewed the school information about pupils’ outcomes. I also had discussions with you about safeguarding arrangements in the school and checked documentation relating to safeguarding. Jointly with you, in your role as headteacher, I observed learning in lessons, during which I looked at pupils’ books. I talked to pupils, both informally in lessons and more formally as a group. I met with school staff to discuss pupils’ progress. I met with the chair of governors. I evaluated the views of 27 parents who completed the parents’ questionnaire, Parent View. I met with parents. I also evaluated a number of school documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and school improvement plan.

p.4