North Scarle Primary School

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

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 10 and 11 June 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

This small, welcoming village school is a wonderful place to play and learn. The school puts the pupils at the heart of everything it does. Pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for because they rightly trust the adults around them to look after them. They know there is very rarely, if ever, any bullying, but they know it would be dealt with promptly were it to happen. The school’s values are important to everyone in school. The school wants all pupils to ‘be happy, learn and succeed’.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Outdoor learning is an important, effective contributor to pupils’ personal development. The school provides useful opportunities for pupils to grow vegetables, build dens or toast marshmallows over an open fire, which pupils enjoy considerably. Wide-ranging, interesting clubs and opportunities for responsibility as school councillors and mental health ambassadors allow pupils to develop their leadership skills and enhance their talents. The school teaches pupils about the importance of fairness, resilience and difference through the curriculum and ‘Well-being Wednesday’ assemblies.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent, reflecting the views of many, said: ‘My children have thrived at this school. The staff truly care about the well-being of the children. They go above and beyond.’

p.2

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

The school is ambitious for pupils. It has acted at pace to address the areas for improvement from the last inspection. The school focuses appropriately on improving the quality of education for pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

p.2

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

The school has defined many aspects of the curriculum content that pupils should learn in each subject. Teachers show strong subject knowledge. They explain new ideas clearly and create suitable learning activities, for example ‘morning maths challenges’. As a result, pupils learn the curriculum effectively. They achieve a secure understanding of important knowledge in many subjects. In a few subjects, curriculum thinking is less clear. Where this is the case, the knowledge the school wants pupils to learn is not as well thought out and sequenced. Consequently, pupils do not build up as secure an understanding as they do where the curriculum is more secure.

p.2

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

The school has prioritised reading highly. It has ensured that reading is at the heart of its curriculum. The new library spaces are popular with pupils and well stocked with a diverse range of books. Pupils enjoy reading and the variety of books they have to choose from. This, along with the school’s initiative, ‘read to succeed’, supports a positive culture of reading for pleasure throughout the school.

p.2

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

From the early years onwards, pupils are well supported to learn the sounds they need to read fluently through the school’s phonics programme. The school has ensured that staff have the expertise to deliver this programme consistently well. Pupils who fall behind with reading receive specific targeted support to help them to catch up quickly. Pupils read 10 and 11 June 2025

p.2

3

books that include words with the sounds that they have learned. This helps them to gain confidence in reading.

p.3

3

Pupils are taught the correct pencil grip and how to form their letters from a young age. However, sometimes pupils do not grasp these basic skills before moving on to more difficult tasks. When this happens, pupils find writing more complex pieces tricky because they have to consider too many things at the same time. In key stage 2, this sometimes results in poor-quality handwriting and spelling errors that are not always resolved.

p.3

3

Children explore, learn and develop their independence rapidly in the effective early years provision. Staff design activities that enthuse and motivate children. For example, children play in the mud kitchen, eager to share their learning with adults, articulately describing how they had picked mint from the ‘growing’ area for cups of tea.

p.3

3

Leaders are knowledgeable about the individual needs of pupils with SEND. Pupils have specific targets that are regularly reviewed. Furthermore, the school identifies any potential additional needs as early as possible. This means that support in school, and from external professionals as required, is put in place promptly. As a result, pupils with SEND are well supported and learn the curriculum well.

p.3

3

The governing body carries out its roles and responsibilities effectively. Governors are well informed and have an accurate understanding of the school’s work. Leaders ensure that staff have the right training to carry out their roles successfully. Leaders consider staff’s workload and well-being diligently. Staff are extremely positive about working at the school.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, the school has not ensured that the curriculum builds sequentially on pupils’ prior knowledge. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is sequenced carefully and consistently across subjects.  Sometimes, pupils do not secure accurate letter formation, handwriting and spelling. This means that pupils can struggle when asked to write for more complex tasks. The school should ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils’ foundational writing knowledge so that pupils become fluent writers in key stage 2.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 10 and 11 June 2025

p.3

4

when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

p.4

4

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 10 and 11 June 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 May 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this school

 The school uses one registered alternative provision.  There is a breakfast club and after-school club, both of which are run by the governing body.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 10 and 11 June 2025

p.5

6

 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader and groups of staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including geography, modern foreign languages and religious education.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair. She also met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

p.6

6

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed school documents, including those relating to governance, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors scrutinised leaders’ plans for improvement and their assessment of the school’s effectiveness.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils at breaktimes, in the dining hall and on the playground. An inspector spoke informally to parents outside the school.

p.6

Inspection team

CT Atwal, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Tim Leah Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 June 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7