Caton Primary School

Caton Community Primary School Broadacre, Caton, Lancaster, Lancashire LA2 9NH

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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 Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Since her appointment, the new headteacher has improved the quality of education and outcomes for pupils. She has motivated staff and governors to share her clear vision for the school.  Leaders and governors have evaluated carefully the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Their accurate view has helped them to plan improvements that have moved the school forward.  The highly committed governing body asks leaders a range of questions to hold them to account for the outcomes of pupils. They are less challenging about the spending of the pupil premium funding because they rely too heavily on information provided by the headteacher.  Leaders and governors have made important improvements to the quality of teaching, learning and assessment since the last inspection. These improvements are having a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes, including those of disadvantaged pupils, and especially in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The good teaching that younger children and pupils now receive is helping them to develop their phonics skills well. They apply these skills effectively in their reading and writing.  Teachers plan learning that helps pupils to practise their reading, writing and mathematical skills across a range of subjects. On occasions, the learning that teachers plan in some subjects does not challenge pupils sufficiently, especially the most able pupils. When this happens, they make less progress.  The curriculum that leaders and governors provide ensures that pupils develop well spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and for disadvantaged pupils is effective and ensures that they make strong progress towards their individual targets.  Leaders have established effective relationships

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

with other local schools to share and learn from good practice and to support pupils’ transition to secondary school. There is scope for them to develop their work in a similar way with the private nursery that is located in the school in order to benefit the youngest children.  Leaders and governors have established effective systems for pupils’ welfare and for keeping them safe from harm. Pupils say they feel safe in school and their parents and carers agree strongly with this view.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: – governors play a bigger part in decisions about the needs of disadvantaged pupils so that they can ask more challenging questions about the spending of the pupil premium funding – strengthen even further the school’s work with the nursery that is located in the school, in order to share good practice and support transition for the youngest children.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – teachers plan work in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics that consistently challenges pupils, especially the most able, so that they make the progress of which they are capable.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and governors have successfully steered the school through a period of considerable turbulence since the last inspection. Their commitment to improving the school has ensured that Caton Community Primary is now a safe, welcoming and happy place in which children learn well.  Since her appointment, the new headteacher has improved the quality of education and outcomes for pupils. She leads staff and pupils through the example of her own hard work and high aspirations. This has earned her the respect of governors, staff and parents alike and has motivated everyone to share her clear vision for pupils to thrive and to achieve well.  Leaders and governors have drawn upon a wide range of information to arrive at an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This has enabled them to devise detailed plans for improvement, which keep pupils’ achievement at the heart of the school’s work. These plans are having a positive impact on the progress

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

that pupils are making across the school, especially in reading, writing, mathematics and phonics.  Leaders carry out a range of activities to monitor the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across a range of subjects. They check the work in pupils’ books and provide clear feedback and guidance to teachers and support staff so that they can improve their teaching. They have made good use of the timely support provided by the local authority to improve particular aspects of pupils’ learning, for example in mathematics. As a result, the quality of teaching across the school is now good and continues to improve.  Leaders have established effective systems for measuring the progress that pupils and groups of pupils make, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. This enables them to hold teachers to account and to take action where pupils are at risk of falling behind. Consequently, most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are making at least

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

the progress that is expected of them and some are making progress that is better.  Leaders and teachers make effective use of the opportunities presented by working with other local schools; for example to share and learn from good practice and to check the accuracy of their assessments. Teachers value these opportunities and say that they help them to improve their work. Teachers have fewer opportunities to work in a similar way with the private nursery that is located in the school. There is scope to develop this work further in order to share good practice and strengthen transition for the youngest children.  Leaders and governors have made improvements to the curriculum to enable pupils to learn across a wider range of subjects and through experiences that help to deepen their understanding. For example, key stage 2 pupils visited London to learn more about the events that took place in the Great Fire. When they returned to school, they

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

wrote about what they had learned and displayed it for others to read. This enabled them to make progress in their understanding of history, as well as in their writing. Pupils talk excitedly about the trips and visits that they make and say that they help them to learn better.  Pupils develop well spiritually, morally, socially and culturally and are prepared for life in modern Britain as a result of the curriculum that leaders provide. For example, pupils developed respect and reverence through their work in planning and leading the Christmas service in their local church. Work in their books and in school shows that they learn about other religions and cultures and about the rule of law and democracy.  Leaders make effective use of the physical education and sports premium to increase pupils’ participation in sports. Pupils talk proudly of their achievements in local competitions and about the range of sporting activities that leaders provide.

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Governance of the school

 The highly committed governing body is fully involved in the life of the school and has a strong understanding of the needs and interests of the community that the school serves. Governors fully acknowledged the concerns that parents had following the last inspection and have not shied away from consulting them for their views when considering how best to move the school forward. This has enabled them to make sure that the improvements they have made carry the support of parents, who are highly appreciative of the changes already made, which they see as making the school even better.  Governors carry out a range of activities to monitor the school’s work. They make regular visits to the school and compile detailed reports on their findings. These reports help them to ask challenging questions about leaders’ progress with their plans to improve the school. They are less challenging about the spending of the pupil premium

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Governance of the school

funding because they currently rely too heavily on information provided by the headteacher about the ways in which this is used to improve pupils’ outcomes.  The effective decisions that governors have made about the school’s leadership and staffing have made an important contribution to its improvement since the last inspection. They have rightly taken advice from the local authority, whose guidance they appreciate. As a result, leadership at the school is now secure and there is good capacity for even further improvement.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Governors and leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. There are robust systems in place for checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children. Governors carry out checks to ensure that records are up to date and in order. Leaders ensure that staff are trained to recognise the signs of abuse and neglect and to protect them from extremism and radicalisation.  Staff are vigilant and know how to report any concerns they may have about the welfare of pupils. Systems for working with a range of children’s services are effective in ensuring that pupils receive the help they need. The actions that leaders take are timely and appropriate. Pupils say they feel safe in school and their parents agree.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers’ generally effective planning helps pupils to learn well, with little time lost in lessons. Pupils almost always focus well on their learning because they know that their teachers have high expectations of their behaviour. Their teachers’ clear explanations help pupils to understand what they have to do and to settle quickly to their work.  Teachers provide opportunities in lessons for pupils to develop and deepen their knowledge and understanding. For example, in a mathematics lesson, pupils in key stage 2 who had been learning about division had opportunities to develop their understanding further by applying their skills to solve problems. Pupils have time to review what they have learned and to explain their understanding. This helps teachers to assess what pupils have understood and to take action if they start to fall behind.  Teachers provide work for almost all pupils that is challenging and helps them to make

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

strong progress, especially in English and mathematics. Work in pupils’ books shows that they generally make strong progress in other subjects as a result of the improvements that leaders and teachers have made. However, sometimes the work that pupils receive in other subjects, especially the most able pupils, does not challenge them enough to make the strong progress of which they are capable.  Teachers make sure that pupils have opportunities to practise their reading, writing and, where appropriate, their mathematical skills in other subjects. For example, pupils typically use what they have learned in mathematics about bar charts and graphs to help them decide how to present the results of their science experiments. This contributes to the progress that they make in mathematics.  Teachers provide pupils with experiences that build on their prior learning and on their interests. For example, in the early years and key stage 1, younger pupils who had

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

been learning about the artist Claude Monet were excited to explore ways of making their own ‘Japanese bridge’ like the one they had seen in the artist’s painting. In key stage 2, pupils studying French were keen to find out more about life in the different countries of the world where French is spoken. These experiences help pupils to become keen learners who are motivated to find out more.  Teachers use questioning skilfully to encourage pupils to think carefully and to provide opportunities for them to explain their thoughts and ideas. This enables teachers to assess pupils’ understanding and to adjust their teaching to address any misconceptions or misunderstandings.  Teachers’ high expectations ensure that pupils develop very positive attitudes to learning. They quickly become immersed in discussions about their work and enjoy competing with each other to be the first to meet the extra challenges that teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

set. Their teachers help them to see mistakes as an opportunity to learn and they develop confidence and self-assurance as a result.  Teachers provide pupils with homework in line with the school’s policy. They also provide feedback to pupils in line with the school’s assessment policy. Work in their books shows that pupils use this feedback to improve their work.  Leaders and teachers provide important opportunities to enable parents to share in their children’s learning. For example, parents of younger children have regular opportunities to listen to stories with their children and to bring younger siblings along to share in the experience. Parents who spoke to the inspector said that they value these opportunities and the regular information that teachers provide about their child’s progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils feel secure and confident in class because teachers and support staff have established clear rules and expectations for them to follow. The strong working relationships and high expectations that teachers establish encourage pupils to try their best and their attitudes to learning are consistently positive.  Pupils listen respectfully to their teachers and respond quickly to instructions. They have plenty of opportunities to work together to discuss their work and to work out solutions to the problems that teachers set. This enables pupils to learn how to listen to each other and to take account of each other’s views.  Pupils enjoy taking on roles of responsibility in school that help them to support other children. For example, older pupils help younger ones with their reading through the school’s ‘reading buddies’ initiative. Pupils who serve as members of the school council

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Personal development and welfare

have benefited from opportunities to work with the school councils of other local primary schools. This has helped them to develop important skills, such as team working, setting agendas and keeping minutes. These opportunities and skills prepare them well for the next stage in their education and for their future working lives.  Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of fundamental British values as a result of the activities that leaders provide. For example, they recently learned more about democracy through questioning and listening to their community’s local Member of Parliament, who paid a special visit to the school. They develop a good understanding of differences and similarities between different faiths and cultures and within families.  Leaders ensure that pupils leaving key stage 2 are well supported in making a smooth transition to secondary school. Pupils who spoke to inspectors talked proudly about the

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Personal development and welfare

ways in which they in turn are supporting Year 5 pupils who are soon to start Year 6, for example, through their ‘top 5 tips for staying calm in the SATs’.  Leaders and staff know their pupils and their families well. The school’s open culture helps staff, parents and pupils to share important information about pupils’ welfare. This enables leaders to take appropriate action if help is needed. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when they are online and know who to speak to in school if they are worried.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school is an orderly place in which pupils learn well because teachers have high expectations and apply rules consistently. Pupils conduct themselves well in classrooms and as they move around school, for example when coming back into school after playtimes. Older pupils set a good example for younger children to follow.  Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors, such as inspectors. They are keen to talk about what they are learning and can explain what they have understood. They are proud of their school and of their achievements.  Parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire were unanimous in their agreement that the school ensures that its pupils are well behaved. Pupils say that bullying is rare and are confident that if it did occur, their teachers would deal with it quickly.  As a result of the actions that leaders have taken, attendance at the school is similar to

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Behaviour

the average for pupils nationally and continues to improve. Leaders have established effective systems for monitoring attendance and take the right action if there is a cause for concern. As a result, very few pupils are absent persistently.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 The very small cohorts of pupils in each year group mean that the proportion represented by one pupil can vary considerably from year to year. Statistics about pupils’ outcomes can therefore show wide variation and comparison with other schools nationally can be unreliable. However, information published in recent years shows that pupils at Caton Community Primary School, including disadvantaged pupils, make progress in reading by the end of key stage 2 that is in line with the national average. Progress in writing and mathematics over the last three years has been slightly more variable but is generally in line with the national average overall.  Across all year groups, disadvantaged pupils who are currently in the school make similar progress in reading, writing and mathematics to that of other pupils with similar starting points. Pupils with SEND make strong progress from their individual starting

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Outcomes for pupils Good

points as a result of the good support they receive.  Pupils currently in the school are making strong progress in reading. Those who read to the inspector did so with enjoyment, fluency and understanding. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they read in school and at home. They particularly enjoy collecting their ‘golden tickets’ when they borrow books from the school library and exchanging them for a new book of their choice to keep. Younger pupils and children use their developing phonics skills well to help them read unfamiliar words and develop a love of reading through the wide range of stories they share in class.  Improvements to the teaching of writing are having a positive impact on the progress that pupils are making across the school. Leaders and teachers ensure that pupils have opportunities to develop their vocabulary. For example, pupils across all key stages enjoy competing for the ‘Word Hunters’ trophy, awarded to the class that finds the

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Outcomes for pupils Good

highest number of new words to use. Work in pupils’ books shows that they write for a range of purposes and across a range of subjects. They use teachers’ useful feedback to help them to correct and improve their work.  Pupils currently in the school are making strong progress in mathematics. They develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills in a range of ways. This is evident in work in their books and in their explanations of their answers during lessons. Younger pupils develop a good understanding of numbers, shapes and measures as a result of the good teaching they receive. They use mathematical language correctly and can explain their thinking in appropriate ways.  Pupils learn across a range of subjects, including science, history, geography, French, art, computing and design technology. Leaders are ambitious to develop the curriculum further and the changes they have made to some subjects are enabling pupils to make

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Outcomes for pupils Good

better progress from their starting points. This is particularly the case in science. In other subjects, the work that they receive on occasions is not sufficiently challenging to enable them, especially the most able pupils, to make the progress of which they are capable.  As a result of the improvements that leaders have made to the teaching of phonics, younger pupils and children in the school are developing their phonics skills well. They learn to break up and blend sounds and letters in order to read and to write readable sentences, with good attempts at the spellings of more complex words. Information from the school’s assessments shows that pupils are clearly making progress and that most are on track to achieve the expected standard in the national phonics screening check at the end of Year 1.

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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

Date of previous inspection 7–8 February 2017

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Information about this school

 Caton Community Primary School is much smaller than an average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are from a White British background. The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is well below the national average.  The proportion of pupils known to be entitled to free school meals is lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils receiving support for SEND is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average.  The school provides accommodation on site for a private nursery registered separately with Ofsted and which was not part of this inspection.  Since the last inspection a new headteacher has been appointed and there have been a number of staffing changes.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in all classes.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work across year groups and across a range of subjects.  The inspector listened to some pupils reading, spoke informally with pupils and observed pupils’ behaviour in classes and around the school.  Discussions were held with senior leaders, governors, teachers and staff. The inspector also spoke to two representatives of the local authority.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including the school’s plans for improvement, safeguarding and recruitment information, behaviour logs, assessment information and minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspector spoke to some parents and took into account 19 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. The inspector also took into account 19 responses to the pupils’ survey and six responses to the staff survey.  In order to maintain confidentiality and to avoid the identification of individual pupils,

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Information about this inspection

there is no separate section in this report covering the early years provision.

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Inspection team

Mavis Smith, lead inspector 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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