Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School Southdale, Caistor, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire LN7 6LY

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Outcome

Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a well-led school which expects pupils to work hard and behave with consideration towards others. Most pupils strive to meet these high expectations. They behave well in class and around the school. There is a calm atmosphere throughout the school. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils feel safe and happy. They understand, and many model, the school’s values of ‘respect, love and courage’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Learning activities capture the interest of pupils. For example, children in the early years enjoy taking orders in their restaurant. Others immerse themselves in role playing as police officers. Pupils in a key stage 1 mathematics lesson play a doubling game with enthusiasm. In key stage 2 geography, pupils concentrate well to create their posters on the marine biome. They talk with confidence about their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access all activities. They receive effective support to achieve in line with their peers. There is a clear determination to include all pupils in classroom learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers are happy with the school. They appreciate the care and commitment shown by staff members. As one parent explained, ’The staff are caring, they listen and they support.’

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

The school has worked to improve the planning and delivery of the curriculum. While the school’s curriculum now meets the needs of its pupils, some of the changes are quite recent. As a result, the impact of these changes is not yet reflected in published outcomes. In 2023, some pupils at the end of key stage 2 did not achieve as well as they could in mathematics. The school has reflected on this and taken action. This has included improving the consistency with which the mathematics curriculum is implemented. Checks on pupils’ understanding in mathematics and across the curriculum 26 and 27 March 2024

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are effective. These checks, from the early years foundation stage to Year 6, help to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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Children in the early years learn in a caring environment. There are many activities to extend their imagination. For example, children enjoy investigating how toy vehicles move down different slopes. Interactions between adults and children are very positive. Adults provide the right balance of challenge and support. This helps children to behave and achieve well. Children are ready for the next stage of their learning.

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Reading is a key priority across the whole school. Children begin learning to read as soon as they start in the Reception Year. The school provides timely support for any pupils who need help to keep up. Staff who deliver the phonics programme are knowledgeable. They work well together to help all pupils learn to read with confidence. Events such as visits by authors and illustrators encourage a love of reading. The ‘Mystery Reader’ initiative is also proving popular. Most pupils enjoy reading. As one pupil said, ‘You get engrossed in a good book and forget about everything else!’

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The school makes sure that pupils’ mathematical understanding builds in small steps. This begins in the early years. As a result, most pupils are confident in the tasks they undertake. Pupils can reflect on their learning. They explain how they know they are getting better in mathematics. Most pupils are happy to have challenging work. As one pupil commented, ‘I enjoy it because it really pushes me forward and I like to find my limit!’

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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. It promotes cultural awareness through events such as an African dance workshop. Enrichment activities have included a visit to the opera at a local secondary school. Clubs on offer include sewing, cheerleading and running. Pupils enjoy leadership responsibilities such as student councillors and playground buddies. These roles make a tangible difference to school life. For example, school councillors helped to canvas pupils’ views on mathematics. The school then made positive changes in response to these views. Pupils learn about people from different backgrounds and with different religious beliefs. Pupils show respect for others. Although pupils know about fundamental British values, some pupils do not understand them.

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This is a school where leaders are reflective. Governors have an accurate view of the school and a clear vision for future priorities. The local authority has provided effective support to help improve the school. Staff say that they enjoy working at the school. They value the work of leaders to support their well-being and workload. Morale is very high.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 26 and 27 March 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, revised curriculum plans have not yet been fully embedded. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in those subjects. The school should continue its work to embed the curriculum so that the impact is seen in all pupils reaching the highest standards of which they are capable.  The school’s plans for teaching British values are not yet fully developed. As a result, some pupils do not have an age-appropriate depth of understanding of the British values they have been taught. The school should ensure that all pupils have an age- appropriate understanding of the key values that are important in Britain today.

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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 March 2014.

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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, 26 and 27 March 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 April 2018 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the West Wold Federation with one other school.  The school is part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The most recent section 48 inspection of this Church of England and Methodist school, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place in July 2018.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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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 had 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. The inspector spoke with groups of staff and pupils. He met with members of the governing body and spoke with a representative of the local authority. 26 and 27 March 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. 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 reading aloud to a familiar adult. He also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in a range of other subjects.  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 during lessons and around the school site.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers at the school gate. He also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, and to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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 The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including school improvement plans, attendance data and minutes of governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Martyn Skinner, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 March 2024

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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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