Lenthall Infant and Nursery School

Inspection Report Lenthall Infant School

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112696 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LEA LEA 278995 Inspection number 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Keith Edwards LI Reporting inspector

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

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Marsh Avenue School address Primary Type of school S18 2HB Community School category 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 01246 414569 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01246 419067 Fax number 115 Number on roll Mr.Stephen Thompson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Lynda Wallace Headteacher 19 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278995 27 April 2006 - 3 to 7 28 April 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school serves part of the town of Dronfield. Almost all of the children live locally. There are 115 girls and boys on roll who are taught in discrete year groups. 47 children attend the nursery on a part-time basis. Almost all of the pupils are of White British heritage and come from homes where English is the first language. The range of socio-economic circumstances is broad. The proportion of children entitled to a free school meal is below average. The proportion with learning difficulties or disabilities, including those with statements, is well below average. Attainment on entry to the school is broadly average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Lenthall Infant School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school because all of its features are at least good and much of its provision is exemplary. In its own evaluation, the school adopted a more modest view of its performance. From a position of strength at the time of the last inspection, the headteacher has coped admirably with many changes of staff to build an effective team that works hard to maintain a high quality education for the children. Her outstanding leadership skills have ensured that the school's capacity for further improvement is very good. Standards have risen markedly since the last inspection and the school has made many other improvements. Because of the very good provision in the Foundation Stage, standards are above average. The children make exceptionally good progress through the school and achieve high standards by the end of Year 2. Teaching is good overall with some outstanding aspects, including the accurate use

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Grade: 1

of assessment data when planning lessons. The curriculum is excellent and provides a wealth of enrichment opportunities. The staff take excellent care of the children. This is particularly evident in the case of children with learning difficulties, who flourish as a result of the excellent guidance and support they receive. The personal development of the children is good overall but their attendance is below average despite the school's recent efforts to tackle the issue. The parents and their children hold the school in high regard. One parent accurately summarises Lenthall School as follows, 'It is a lovely school with a real sense of community where the needs of each individual child are met with consideration and care'. The school works well in partnership with the local community and with the local authority and provides very good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Implement with rigour its plans to improve attendance

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Grade: 1

The children reach high standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This is reflected in their results in the national assessments for children in Year 2, which have been consistently above the national average since the last inspection. In the 2005 tests, all of the children, including those with learning difficulties, achieved the expected level for their age and a significant proportion achieved a higher level. The school's records indicate that this outstanding result is likely to be repeated in the current assessments. Evidence from the children's work in their books strongly supports this view. The children make exceptionally good progress as they move through the school. They start with broadly average skills when they enter the Foundation Stage and they leave the school with well above average standards. Furthermore, this high achievement is reflected in other subjects such as art, information and communication technology

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Grade: 1

(ICT) and science. 2 Inspection Report: Lenthall Infant School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006

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Grade: 2

The children's personal development and well-being are good. The children benefit hugely from a climate that enables them to grow in confidence and to take responsibility. The staff provide excellent role models in terms of their high quality relationships. The children are confident and have very good self-esteem because they are valued and respected. Their behaviour is good and they have positive attitudes towards their work and strive hard to achieve their best. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. School assemblies strongly support the children's understanding of right and wrong and help to broaden their understanding of the wider world and different cultural traditions. The children are beginning to exercise their voice in the school council and this has resulted in plans to improve the playground facilities. The children understand the importance of eating

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Grade: 2

healthy food and taking regular exercise. They know to keep themselves safe. Children are learning key skills in literacy, numeracy, ICT and science effectively. They are aware of the needs of others and work very well together in pairs and groups. The children have been involved in fund raising to support charities both locally and abroad. Although the children thoroughly enjoy their time in school and punctuality is good, attendance levels are below average. This is in spite of the school's recent initiatives to bring about improvements.

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Grade: 1

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding, particularly in the Reception class. Here, the teaching is very effective so that the children build successfully on their Nursery experience and acquire the expected skills, with a good proportion achieving beyond these. Throughout the Foundation Stage, the teachers are highly skilled in striking a fine balance between allowing the children freedom of choice with certain tasks and directing them carefully in others. Lessons are vibrant and fun. The quality of teaching continues to be strong in Years 1 and 2. The children are managed well and good use is made of the teaching assistants to support learning. Computers, particularly the interactive whiteboards, are used very effectively to motivate the children. The teachers are skilled in their questioning techniques to help the children understand new ideas. However, the key strength of the teaching is the quality and

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Grade: 1

use made of assessment. The school has outstanding systems to assess and track the children's progress. The teachers know their children well and they are able to set them clear individual targets which help the children to focus on what they have to learn to improve. Teachers provide good feedback to the children and have formed a highly effective partnership with their homes to further develop the children's skills. Throughout the school, the quality of the teaching is underpinned by the warmth of the relationships, and this is particularly evident in the way that the school enables those children with learning difficulties to succeed. 3 Inspection Report: Lenthall Infant School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006

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Grade: 1

The quality of the curriculum is excellent. The vibrant displays throughout the school reflect the full range of exciting work that sparks the children's enthusiasm across a range of subjects. The curriculum in the Nursery and Reception classes is very well planned to provide a cohesive programme for the two classes and this ensures that the children are very well prepared for future learning. In Years 1 and 2, subjects are very well linked to enable the children to develop their skills, particularly in literacy and ICT through other subjects. This is particularly evident in science, where the children write their own findings and generate graphs to illustrate them. Throughout the school there is a strong emphasis on promoting the children's personal and social development so that the children have a developing understanding of citizenship and a good understanding of keeping healthy and safe. The curriculum places great

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Grade: 1

importance on nurturing the children's aesthetic awareness, particularly in music and art. All of the children in Year 2 learn to play the recorder and their artwork is skilfully crafted. The curriculum is further enriched by a wide range of visits and visitors to the school. The many out-of-school activities attract many children and make a strong contribution to their enjoyment and personal development.

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Grade: 1

The care of pupils is outstanding. The school has nurtured a very inclusive atmosphere that provides the basis for the high level of care. The children know that they can always turn to a member of staff should any problems arise and feel confident that concerns will be resolved. The children feel safe and secure and appreciate that they have a voice in the affairs of the school through the school council. Child protection procedures have been fully reviewed and updated. Pupils with particular problems or difficulties are very well supported. The school works effectively with outside agencies to support children with learning difficulties. The school's assessment procedures are highly effective in keeping track of the pupils' progress in most subjects, so that the children are given clear advice on what they need to do to improve. The school has successfully resolved the issue from the last inspection as parents and carers are now

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Grade: 1

very well informed about their children's progress. Transfer arrangements, both into the school and on to the next stage in the children's education, are very well developed.

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Grade: 1

The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding. In spite of the many changes of staff since the last inspection, she has maintained her clarity of vision and has succeeded in continually improving the school. Progress has been very good as academic standards have risen markedly along with the quality of the curriculum and resources. A major success has been the introduction of meticulous and yet very manageable assessment procedures to support the children's learning. Prospects for further 4 Inspection Report: Lenthall Infant School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006 improvements are excellent as the headteacher knows her school thoroughly and has set out a clear agenda to further enhance the quality of the provision. The headteacher is very well supported by an enthusiastic team of teachers who are relatively new and a team of governors who are unstinting in their commitment to the smooth running of the school. Staff morale is excellent. The quality of the teamwork is impressive and

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Grade: 1

strongly supports the children's progress. The governors are fully involved in performance management and their awareness of their responsibility to hold the school to account has grown. The school provides very good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Lenthall Infant School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 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: Lenthall Infant School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 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 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 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 3 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 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 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

I really enjoyed my visit to your school at the end of last month. I was particularly thrilled that I was able to meet the school council, see all of your classes, take part in your assemblies and talk to so many of you. What a lovely school you have and it seems to be getting better and better each day; I can really understand why you enjoy it so much. Your teachers are doing a splendid job and make your lessons interesting and fun. I noticed that the standard of your work, especially your writing and mathematics, is improving all the time. Staff make a very good job of looking after you and plan many exciting things to make your school interesting. In fact, there are many things that make your school special. Here are some of them: - Mrs Wallace is an excellent headteacher who wants you all to enjoy school and to do well. - You clearly try to do your best to learn in lessons and are making excellent progress. Well done! - Your work on

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

display around the school is delightful. - Everybody understands the school rules and you behave well. - Everybody tries to be friendly, thoughtful and helpful. - You seem to know so much about how to be healthy. But, of course, as in all schools, there are still things that can be done to make your school even better. In the case of Lenthall, I was concerned about your attendance because it is not as good as it should be. With a school as good as yours, you should all try to attend every day as far as possible. I would like to wish you all the very best for the future.

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