The Spalding Monkshouse Primary School

Inspection of a good school: The Spalding Monkshouse Primary School Pennygate, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 1LG

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Outcome

The Spalding Monkshouse Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Monkshouse Primary is a well-led school where pupils are enthusiastic in their learning. They are proud of their school and make every effort to do well. Pupils enjoy the challenge of their interesting lessons. As one pupil said, ‘I like maths because every lesson gets harder!’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations of behaviour and work are high. Confident pupils rise to these expectations. They live out the school values of ‘respect’ and ‘perseverance’. Pupils behave well in the classroom and on the playground. They feel happy and safe at school. They know that they can talk to an adult if anything is worrying them. Pupils, and parents and carers, say that the school takes prompt action to deal with any bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From Nursery to Year 6, relationships between pupils and adults are very positive. The school takes great care to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school includes all pupils in everything that it does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents hold the school in very high regard. They appreciate the quality of education and the pastoral care. As one parent said, ‘I couldn’t be more grateful to a wonderful school and to teachers who make a difference.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children get off to a strong start in early years, where they are very well cared for. The school has designed an early years curriculum which provides connected learning activities. Children make meaningful choices in their learning. They learn to become independent learners. This ensures that they are ready for Year 1. Children respond with excitement to the mantra of the early years team: ‘Why say no when you can say yes?’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is a top priority in early years and across the whole school. Pupils enjoy their reading. As one pupil explained, ‘When I read, it’s like I’m in that world.’ Pupils can explain how they are getting better at reading and why that is important. The school 7 and 8 November 2023

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encourages a love of reading. The reading champions programme and the ‘read and relax’ area contribute to this. The school has recently introduced a new phonics programme. This is making a positive impact. However, pupils have not yet experienced the full programme. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge.

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The school has made sure that pupils’ mathematical understanding builds in small steps. Across the school, staff challenge pupils to explain their thinking. This approach begins in early years. Teachers are knowledgeable. They recap previous learning well. This helps pupils remember what they have learned. Pupils like being ‘stretched’ in their thinking. They can explain how they are getting better in mathematics. As one pupil said, ‘I used to be shaky at maths, but now I get it.’

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All subjects are important at this school. Beginning in early years, the school makes regular checks on learning. This happens across the whole curriculum. These checks help teachers to pitch lessons at the right level. Lessons flow well and pupils enjoy contributing their ideas. In art, pupils are keen to share their knowledge. They talk with confidence about painting techniques and artists they have studied. Pupils pay careful attention and work hard. Most pupils say that classroom behaviour is good and that interruptions are rare.

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The school is quick to identify pupils with SEND. This begins in early years, where staff know children very well. Across the school, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Most parents of pupils with SEND are very happy with the support provided. The school keeps a close eye on this support to ensure that all activities meet pupils’ needs.

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Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school’s work. The school ensures that the curriculum extends beyond the academic. Most pupils attend clubs. These include chess, ukulele and fun fitness. Through extra-curricular activities, pupils learn the importance of confidence and teamwork. This contributes to their positive attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy positions of responsibility, such as being playground leaders and reading influencers. They learn about people from different backgrounds and with different religious beliefs. Pupils show high levels of respect for others. However, some pupils do not have a secure understanding of fundamental British values.

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Governors are regular visitors to the school. As a result, they have a full picture of what is happening and a clear vision for the future of the school.

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Staff say that they are proud to work at the school. They value leaders’ concern for their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 November 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The phonics programme has been recently introduced. Pupils have not yet experienced the full programme. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge. The school should ensure that the new phonics programme is fully embedded, helping all pupils learn to read successfully.  Pupils’ understanding of British values is underdeveloped. Some pupils do not remember the British values they have been taught. The school should ensure that all pupils have an age-appropriate depth of understanding of the key British values.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 special educational needs and/or disabilities (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). 7 and 8 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders, groups of staff, and pupils. He also met with governors and with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning. The inspector listened to pupils read to an adult.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about curriculum development in other subjects.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspector spoke to parents in the playground. He also considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including school improvement plans and minutes of governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Martyn Skinner, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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