Great Steeping Primary School

Inspection of Great Steeping Primary School Great Steeping, Spilsby, Lincolnshire PE23 5PT

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. They learn to have a positive attitude to their work and school. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to become active citizens. The head boys and girls take their roles and responsibilities seriously. The ‘mini police’ enjoy supporting pupils should they become sad or if pupils fall out with each other. Pupils have a strong moral understanding. They learn how to keep themselves safe, happy and healthy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents, carers and pupils say the school has a family feel. The school cares about its pupils. One parent, with a comment that was typical of many, said, ‘Staff are willing to go above and beyond for the welfare of the children in the school.’ Pupils feel cared for by the school. They consider each other’s needs. Pupils behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk positively about the experiences they receive in school and trips they go on. They enjoy their residential trip in Year 6 and the adventure activities they do. Visits to places such as Nottingham Castle and the Wolds wildlife park enhance the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Although the school has high expectations, this is not always realised for all pupils. However, the school has a clear focus on what needs to improve.

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better?

Pupils begin to learn to read as soon as they join in the Reception Year. There is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Skilled staff support pupils should they make mistakes. Pupils receive the support they need should they begin to fall behind. Books match the needs of pupils. They read fluently as a consequence and become confident readers. Pupils say that they enjoy reading. Beyond phonics, the school has recently introduced a reading curriculum. This is not yet consistently implemented. The school provides pupils with a wide range of books. The school library is well used.

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better?

The school has recently made changes to its curriculum. Where subjects are well established, the school has a clear vision for these subjects. For example, in mathematics, the school wants pupils to see errors as a positive learning experience. However, the school is not checking carefully enough on the implementation of recent changes to the curriculum. In all subjects, there is a clear structure to lessons. Teachers use ‘Flashback’ to revisit previous learning. In a few subjects, the curriculum is not ambitious enough and does not set out the detailed knowledge that pupils should know and remember. Furthermore, in these subjects, there is not a systematic approach to check what pupils know and remember long-term. This means there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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better?

Children settle quickly in the early years foundation stage. Staff have high expectations of them. There are well organised areas in the classroom. Children enjoy the activities provided. However, in some activities, the school does not make 19 and 20 September 2023

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the intended learning clear enough. Children work well together and on their own. There are many opportunities for children to communicate with each other. Adults model language and extend children’s vocabulary. Children really enjoy story time. This is because teachers make it fun, for example by encouraging the children to join in with actions and to repeat rhymes.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The school makes sure that these pupils’ needs are well known and understood. Clear targets make sure that staff provide the help that these pupils need. Parents appreciate the support their children receive.

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The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They expect all pupils to live up to these. As a consequence, pupils behave well. Pupils play well together at breaktime and lunchtime. Should pupils fall out, they know that staff will support them. If bullying occurs, pupils know staff will deal with it. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. The school understands the barriers to securing good attendance. Leaders adapt systems to overcome these barriers with great success. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive.

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The school provides many opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Pupils understand equality and diversity. Carefully chosen books support pupils’ understanding of difference. The school encourages pupils to become active citizens. They learn about the local community and explore other communities and cultures. Pupils undertake litter picks in the local area. They raise money for charities by making calendars and selling them.

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The school has been slow to make improvements recently. However, with the support of the local authority and a teaching school, recent changes have brought rapid improvements. Leaders at all levels now have a clearer understanding of their roles and responsibilities. The school now knows what it needs to do to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum is not ambitious enough and lacks the detailed knowledge that pupils should know and remember. As a consequence, pupils do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects. The school should complete the work they have started to ensure that all curriculum subjects have a clear, detailed progression so that pupils’ learning builds on prior knowledge.  There is not a systematic approach to check what pupils know and remember in the long-term in some subjects. This means there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The school should establish systems to check what pupils know and remember 19 and 20 September 2023

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and make the necessary adaptations to lessons to ensure that these gaps are filled.  The school is not checking carefully enough on the implementation of all of its curriculum. This means that important knowledge, such as fundamental British values, is not made explicit enough and pupils understanding of aspects of it is not deep enough. The school should make sure that the whole curriculum is implemented effectively and is having the desired impact.  In the early years foundation stage, learning in continuous provision is not made explicit enough. This hinders children from reliably developing in all areas of the early years foundation stage curriculum. The school should make sure that intended learning is made clear for all activities so children achieve as well as they could.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Alison Brookes and Caroline Spencer (co-headteachers) Website www.greatsteeping.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.  Since the last inspection, headteacher responsibilities have been shared between two co-headteachers.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgment about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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 and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the co-headteachers and the SEND coordinator. 19 and 20 September 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in four subjects: reading, mathematics, history and geography. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and met with teachers and pupils. They also looked at curriculum documentation for computing, reading, religious education and personal, social, health and economic education.  The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chair.  The lead inspector met with a local authority representative.  The lead inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s free-text service for parents, the Ofsted Parent View survey and Ofsted’s staff survey. An inspector spoke informally to parents outside the school.  Records of attendance, behaviour and safeguarding were scrutinised. This included the school’s single central record. Inspectors also conducted meetings with leaders to discuss the safeguarding of pupils.

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 Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Mark Anderson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lea Mason Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 September 2023

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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