Peakirk-Cum-Glinton CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School

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110851 Unique Reference Number PETERBOROUGH CITY OF PETERBOROUGH LEA LEA 278533 Inspection number 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Geof Timms LI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Rectory Lane School address Primary Type of school PE6 7JW Voluntary aided School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01733252361 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01733252361 Fax number 196 Number on roll Dr.Simon Richards Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Alan Davis Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278533 26 January 2006 - 4 to 11 27 January 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Peakirk-cum-Glinton CE VA Primary School serves the village of Glinton and the surrounding area. The school is of below average size for a school of this type and most children come from broadly typical social and economic backgrounds. The proportion of children eligible for free school meals is below average. Most children are from White British heritage, but there is a small proportion of children from other minority ethnic backgrounds. No children are at an early stage of acquiring English. The school has a small number of looked-after children and a few from Traveller families. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. The attainment on entry of most children is broadly typical, given their ages. The school had an acting headteacher for the period of the inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. The inspection agrees that this is an effective school which provides good value for money. There is accurate and honest self-evaluation, which provides the school with a good basis for further improvement. Improvement since the last inspection has been good and this is evident in the quality of the teaching and use of assessment information. Improvements to standards in writing remain a priority for further development. The school has been through a period of significant change and currently has a temporary acting headteacher. However, his good stewardship, together with the good leadership provided by the deputy headteacher and senior staff, is ensuring continuing improvement in standards. The school has a good capacity to improve further. Standards are consistently above average by the time children leave the school, and most children achieve well. A few of the more able pupils are capable of achieving better during their time in the school. However, almost

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Grade: 2

all of the current children in Years 5 and 6 are achieving well, as are those in the Reception class, where the provision for the Foundation Stage is good with very effective teaching, planning and assessment. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make particularly good progress and achieve well, especially when they receive extra support from teaching assistants and the special needs co-ordinator. The quality of the teaching throughout the school is consistently good and this has a positive impact on children's learning. Children's personal and social development is good with some very good aspects. This results in well behaved, enthusiastic learners who play a full part in school life and happily talk about how much they enjoy school. Parents are largely happy with the school and almost all feel their children enjoy being there and are making good progress. A few have had issues over children's behaviour

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Grade: 2

but from the inspection evidence, and from what the children have told inspectors, any bad behaviour is rare and quickly dealt with.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Continue the work under way to improve writing throughout the school. - Ensure the planning and delivery of the curriculum always provides sufficiently challenging work for the more able children.

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Grade: 2

The standards achieved by the majority of the children are good, and they make effective progress during their time at the school. Children starting in Reception have a wide range of ability but the overall attainment on entry is broadly typical given their ages. The early assessment of their abilities shows that most have good physical development, good social, emotional and personal development, and a sound knowledge and understanding of the world. Their writing and calculation skills are less well developed. The majority make good progress during their time in Reception and achieve most of the expected learning goals by the end of the year. Standards are significantly 2 Inspection Report: Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 above average by the start of Year 1. Achievement continues to be good throughout Years 1 and 2 and standards by the end of Year 2 are consistently above those expected

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Grade: 2

nationally. However, the school has recognised that too few children reach the higher levels, and efforts are being made to improve this situation. Achievement through Years 3 to 6 is good, although, again, too few pupils reached the higher levels in 2005. The national tests at the end of Year 6 last year showed that standards were above average in English, mathematics and science. This was achieved despite a higher-than-average proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. In fact, those with learning difficulties made very good progress due to the support they were given. The current Year 6 pupils are achieving well and on course to achieve even higher standards in the 2006 national tests. The school sets appropriately challenging targets for children, and, although these were not fully met in 2005, they are likely to be achieved in the current year. Children's vocabulary is often good and

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Grade: 2

imaginative. The school is seeing the benefits of recent work to develop speaking skills through children's ability to talk clearly to different audiences and in response to a range of prompts. Children's handwriting, spelling, and the planning and organisation of longer pieces of writing are less well developed.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well being are good and this has a positive impact on children's learning. Attendance is very good. Children are positive, well behaved and polite. They know that they can share problems with an adult and the use of 'worry boxes' helps the school to monitor any concerns. Children feel safe and secure. Members of the school council enjoy their active roles in working to make their school an even better place for all. The school encourages children to consider safe and healthy lifestyles, including diet and exercise. The 'Playmates' buddy system at lunchtime provides further valuable support and serves to foster positive behaviour. Spiritual, moral social and cultural development is good and offers good opportunities for children to reflect on their place in the world. Children learn well and show empathy for others. They are also committed to charitable causes. Effective links exist with the

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Grade: 2

church and the community. The curriculum prepares children well for the next phase of education and helps to develop their awareness of economic well being, partly through the effective emphasis on co-operative and collaborative team work.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good throughout the school and is occasionally outstanding. This has a major impact on children's effective achievement. Teachers have developed very good relationships with children, which have helped to create a very positive ethos and learning environment in classrooms. Children tell inspectors that they enjoy learning, think the teachers are very good and that they particularly enjoy working 3 Inspection Report: Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 together as part of a team. Teachers' marking is effective in praising children and pointing out what they have done well and what they could do to improve. In some lessons the planning is not effective in identifying sufficient opportunities to extend the higher-attaining children through more challenging tasks. Teaching assistants provide teachers with good support, and their work, particularly with the less-able

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Grade: 2

children, enables them to make good progress. The best lessons have clear learning objectives although these are not always couched in sufficiently accessible language for children to fully understand. However, children are clear about what is expected of them. A particular strength of the school is the way teachers are continually looking to improve their work and to find new methods or techniques that they can use to improve learning. In Years 5 and 6, the largely very effective teaching is hindered by the noise from another class due to the open plan nature of the rooms. Teachers benefit from training undertaken with other local schools to examine successful learning methods and this is having a positive impact on the quality of teaching.

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Grade: 2

There is an inclusive, broad and balanced curriculum that is supported well by enrichment activities. The provision in the Foundation stage is good, particularly in its use of outdoor resources to enhance children's learning experiences. Visits and visitors are arranged to enhance the quality of learning experiences for all children. Staff are conscious of the individual needs of children and work hard to make provision that meets most children's requirements, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities although appropriate provision is less evident for the more-able children. Provision in information and communication technology promotes interest in learning and impacts positively on standards. Curricular enrichment includes good provision in music, choir and orchestra as well as various other school clubs. There is good take up of these activities. The school is responsive to local events and is

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Grade: 2

developing a closer relationship with the church. Children are positively involved in school and community life and work well to support each other as well as those in the wider community.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. This contributes effectively to the good levels of achievement. Children are well supported in their work and they are actively involved in helping to set their own targets for learning. Robust systems are in place to analyse the progress made by all children, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities. A group of children reported: 'We are always encouraged to do better'. At the same time they stated: 'The teachers explain clearly and are encouraging'. The school complies fully with legal requirements for child protection, health and safety and the appointment of staff. There are good links with external agencies and parents, making sure that all children are well supported. The deployment of teaching assistants provides additional support that has a positive impact on children's learning. There is 4 Inspection Report: Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006

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Grade: 2

a 'buddy' system that works to good effect and helps to support the well-being of all children.

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Grade: 2

The school's leadership has gone through periods of significant change since the last inspection and at present the school has an acting headteacher. Despite this, the quality of the leadership and management is good and is having a positive impact on provision and standards. This is partly due to the robust and effective leadership and systems put in place by the previous headteacher. She developed the leadership roles throughout the staff and this is having a positive impact on performance management and on better teaching, resulting in higher standards. Parents and children have good opportunities to comment on the work of the school and ways in which it can be improved. The current acting headteacher, ably assisted by the school's deputy headteacher, has continued to develop the very positive ethos of the school. This has enabled staff to be self-evaluative and reflect on their strengths and address any

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Grade: 2

perceived weaknesses. Good quality and accurate self-evaluation has resulted in the appropriate current priorities in the school's development planning. The use of assessment information has improved since the last inspection and the analysis of this is now used to highlight underachievement and good progress. The governing body are effective and organise their work very efficiently. They support the school's ethos and are happy that it should be seen as a school that integrates pupils effectively from all backgrounds. The improvements made by the previous headteacher and the current senior management team show that the school has a clear vision for its future improvement and a good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school when we visited. We especially enjoyed the Year 6 assembly which told us a lot about your school. We particularly enjoyed talking with you, especially those of you who are on the school council, and you told us a lot about the things you like doing at school. This letter is to tell you about some of the important things we saw during our visit. Your parents are very happy with your school, and you told us you are very happy there as well. Ideas from the school council, such as the games for the playground, are helping make the school a better place. You have told us that you like the way teachers give you work that is interesting and exciting to do, and help you if you find it difficult. You are lucky at your school because all the teachers and other adults look after and care for you very well. They encourage you to be healthy and to stay safe, and are working very hard to ensure

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that you learn new things and to make the school even better in the future. You behave very well in lessons and in the playground, and this helps the teachers teach you. The school helps you to get good test results and this helps prepare you well for secondary school. Your teachers are keen to make the school even better for you and we think they are very good at knowing how they can do this. We think they need to make sure all of you are provided with work that is at the right level, so that it is not too easy for you. We also think some of the teachers need to help you to get better at writing, both in how neat and tidy it is and also how longer pieces of writing are organised and made interesting. You are very lucky to be at such a good, friendly school. Keep working hard and enjoy your time at Peakirk-cum-Glinton School!

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