North Scarle Primary School

Inspection of North Scarle Primary School School Lane, North Scarle, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 9EY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 17 and 18 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils are welcoming and friendly at this small village school. Staff promote the importance of pupils learning the ‘secrets to success’ in life. Teachers recognise and celebrate pupils’ achievements. Pupils are proud of the ‘butterflies’ and certificates they receive in recognition of their successes. Staff get to know them very well. Pupils appreciate that teachers are helpful. They feel teachers explain things to them well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive timely support. Those with complex medical needs receive appropriate care.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe in school. They learn about bullying. They know adults they can talk to when worried. They say that staff sort out any incidents of poor behaviour or bullying fairly. Not all staff share the same high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Leaders work with staff to help them to be consistent in their approach and manage pupils’ behaviour effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They take pride in holding positions of responsibility. Parents and carers are very positive about the new leadership of the school. Typically, parents value the ‘personal attention’ their children receive. They say this helps their children ‘feel special and valued’.

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better?

The local authority has worked effectively with governors to help the school through a significant period of uncertainty. They provide good support to the recently appointed senior leaders to improve the school. Leaders know what needs to be done. They are beginning to make sustainable and aspirational improvements.

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better?

Leaders are redesigning the curriculum. Some leaders have yet to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to lead their areas well. Leaders do not have a clear intent for the curriculum. Work has begun to consider how the curriculum can meet the needs of all pupils effectively. Leaders are consulting with staff to establish ways that pupils can apply their knowledge using enquiry questions.

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better?

In subjects such as mathematics, it is clear what teachers want pupils to learn and when. Teachers understand how pupils’ learning builds over time. But in subjects other than English and mathematics, the curriculum is not as coherently planned and sequenced. It is not clear how pupils will develop specific knowledge from the early years to Year 6.

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better?

Leaders make reading a priority. Teachers read often to pupils. They link themes of learning to good-quality texts. Pupils enjoy the wide range of books that are available to them in school. They take pleasure in reading as part of the school’s ‘read to succeed’ scheme. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. 17 and 18 May 2022

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There is a consistent approach in place to teach phonics. Children in the early years begin to learn phonics from their last term in the Nursery Year. Staff teach phonics well. Pupils who need more help with reading, including those with SEND, receive timely support. They benefit from extra phonics sessions when needed.

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Leaders quickly identify those pupils with SEND. They work with parents to put suitable programmes of support in place. Extra adult support is provided when necessary. Yet, leaders do not check closely the small steps pupils make with the extra support they receive. They do not know if the support is consistently effective in meeting pupils’ needs.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development begins in the early years. Topics of learning are appropriately focused to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of relationships and sex education. They learn the importance of respect for those with protected characteristics. They develop leadership skills through their roles as school councillors, eco-warriors, playground leaders and behaviour ambassadors. Before the pandemic, pupils took part in extra-curricular clubs and experiences. Currently, pupils have limited opportunities to develop their cultural capital. Leaders are seeking ways to enrich pupils’ learning, including through lunchtime clubs. Pupils and parents are eager for the school to offer a more wide-ranging choice of clubs, trips and experiences.

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Leaders are considerate of the welfare of staff. They pay careful attention to their workload. Staff feel valued. They enjoy working at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are kept safe. They are well cared for. They learn about potential risks to safety, including online safety. Staff have up-to-date training in safeguarding. They receive frequent reminders about issues that may be of relevance to ensure the safety of pupils. Staff understand the signs they need to look out for and what to do if they are concerned. Leaders work with external agencies to get pupils and their families the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are revising the way they record and track safeguarding concerns. Previously, records have not been well maintained. A new electronic system is being implemented.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are in the early stages of redesigning the intent and content for some subjects within the curriculum. It is not clear in all subjects what key knowledge teachers need to teach to pupils or when. Leaders should make the intent of the 17 and 18 May 2022

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curriculum clear. The content for each subject should be clearly planned and sequenced from the early years to Year 6.  Leaders identify promptly those pupils with SEND who need extra support. Adult help and programmes of support are put in place. However, leaders do not measure precisely enough the effectiveness of this support. They cannot be sure that it is meeting pupils’ needs well and having the best possible impact. Leaders should carefully assess the effectiveness of their provision for pupils with SEND to ensure pupils’ needs are met and that they are well prepared for their next steps.  New senior leaders are providing inspirational leadership for the school after a period of significant disruption. They are prioritising improvements to the curriculum. However, not all middle leaders have the necessary skills to drive the improvements needed. Leaders should provide middle leaders with the training,

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time and support needed to lead their areas effectively.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 17 and 18 May 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.northscarleprimary.co.uk/ Date of previous inspection 14 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher was appointed in April 2022. A deputy headteacher was appointed in May 2022.  Since the last inspection, a new chair of governors has been appointed. Some members of the governing body are new to their roles.  The school offers pre-school provision for nursery-age children from three years of age.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-aged classes.  The school offers breakfast and after-school provision for pupils.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders 17 and 18 May 2022

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and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the administrator, the leader for the early years, some subject leaders, members of staff and groups of pupils. The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body and the governor responsible for safeguarding. The lead inspector also met with two representatives of the local authority.  The quality of education was considered through deep dives into mathematics, early reading, history and geography. Inspectors looked at curriculum plans for these subjects, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils reading.  The lead inspector looked at planning and pupils’ work for other subjects such as science, religious education and personal, social and health education.

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 To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the school’s policies and procedures, met with leaders responsible for safeguarding and spoke with pupils and staff.  Inspectors spoke with some parents at the start of the school day. The responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Craig Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 May 2022

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regulates and inspects to 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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