Palterton Primary School

Inspection of Palterton Primary School Back Lane, Palterton, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S44 6UN

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Palterton Primary School. They take their education seriously and want to do well. They learn to be responsible and caring members of their school community from the very start of school. In the Reception Year, children look after their class caterpillars. They are delighted when they pupate. They show their care as the butterflies emerge from the chrysalis by giving them sugar water. Older pupils have a range of school jobs. ‘Team Smile’ keeps a close eye on pupils’ well-being and the ‘Pet Team’ look after the school guinea pigs and the chickens, Whitney and Blue, who have free rein of the school field.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and nurturing. Pupils know how the adults expect them to behave. They strive to live up to the school’s values: respect, innovation, challenge and happiness. Pupils get on well together. They are polite and friendly. They help each other as they work and play. They know that sometimes they will not agree. One pupil said: ‘Everyone can give their opinion and we don't fall out.’ Because of this, the school is a happy and calm place to learn.

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better?

The school has experienced significant challenge in the recent past. The school has worked with determination to ensure that pupils have not felt the impact and continued to learn in a safe and happy environment. Governors have supported the school through this time. They have ensured that the school has kept a steady course while fulfilling their own statutory responsibilities.

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better?

The school has developed an ambitious and purposeful curriculum. It is sequenced so that pupils’ knowledge increases over time. For example, in science, Year 2 pupils learn about the human life cycle, Year 4 pupils learn about states of matter and in Year 6, pupils learn how light travels and reflects and how colour is seen. In a few subjects the small steps of learning that pupils need to make as they work towards these ambitious end goals have not been identified.

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better?

Across the curriculum, key vocabulary is identified. ‘Vocabulary volcanoes’ set out the most important words that pupils are expected to use in their discussions and written work. It becomes increasingly sophisticated as pupils move through the school. In geography pupils use ‘climate zone’, ‘hemispheres’ and ‘biomes’ in their work as they learn about different parts of the world.

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better?

Reading is given a high priority. Children in the Reception Year become accomplished in using the ‘phonic code’ to read words. By the time pupils leave Year 2 most are confident and fluent readers. Pupils who find reading more difficult receive extra help. Teachers make regular checks to ensure that pupils remember new sounds. Teachers use this information well to ensure that pupils’ reading books are closely matched to the sounds they know. 21 and 22 May 2024

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Mathematics is taught well right from the start of school. Every opportunity is taken to promote a secure understanding of number in the Reception Year. As children line up, they count forwards and backwards to check that everyone is there. Across the school, teachers explain new learning well. However, pupils’ ability to solve mathematical problems is weaker. Pupils say they find this hard. Staff’s confidence to teach these key skills are not as secure as other aspects of the subject.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school. The school ensures that their needs are identified and met. Pupils’ plans provide clear guidance for staff to follow. Pupils with SEND benefit from bespoke support that enables them to experience success.

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The school’s personal development is well-considered. Pupils learn about healthy relationships as well as looking after their own physical and mental well-being. Healthy competition is encouraged. Pupils are proud of the houses they belong to that are named after Olympic venues: Riverbank, Wembley, Hyde Park and Copper Box. They enjoy working as a team as they represent their house in school competitions. They learn how to win with humility and accept the disappointment of losing. Pupils are taught to show empathy for others. They are reminded to: ‘put themselves in the shoes of others’.

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Staff agree that the school is a supportive and happy work environment. They say that leaders are mindful of their workload and well-being, particularly during the recent difficulties the school has experienced.

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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 plans that identify the small steps of learning that pupils need to make, as they work towards the school’s identified end points, are not fully completed. As a result, it is not consistently clear how pupils’ knowledge builds up step by step over time to deepen and extend their understanding so that they can achieve highly in all subjects. The school should prioritise refining and integrating these plans so that it precisely identifies the essential knowledge it intends pupils to learn.  Pupils do not develop a full range of strategies to enable them to solve mathematical problems. Pupils say they find this aspect of mathematics more challenging than developing their knowledge and skills in calculation. This prevents them from doing as well as they could. The school should provide staff with the training they need to teach problem solving strategies with confidence

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

and ensure that pupils are given time to practise and secure this key skill across the school. 21 and 22 May 2024

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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 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). 21 and 22 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 November 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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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 judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education (P.E). For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject 21 and 22 May 2024

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leaders, considered curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Further curriculum plans for science, geography and art and design were considered and examples of pupils’ work in these subjects were reviewed.  The lead inspector listened to Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 pupils reading with a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: 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.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences at school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at lunchtime and around the school.  Inspectors considered the views of parents through responses to the online

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survey, Ofsted Parent View, and other communications. Inspectors gathered the views of staff through Ofsted’s staff survey as well as discussions conducted throughout the inspection. No responses to the Ofsted pupil survey were received. Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Ward Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 May 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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