Litton CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Litton CofE Primary School

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112886 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LEA LEA 279045 Inspection number 26 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 Inspection dates Mrs. Susan Hall LI Reporting inspector

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

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Litton School address Primary Type of school SK17 8QU Voluntary aided School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01298871449 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01298871449 Fax number 42 Number on roll Prof.Michael Burrell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Judith Boyd Headteacher 14 December 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279045 26 January 2006 - 4 to 11 26 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a very small primary school serving a rural area of North Derbyshire that is above average in terms of social and economic features. Pupils are of white British heritage. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The movement of pupils to and from other schools is below average. Fewer pupils have special educational needs than in most schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Litton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 26 January 2006

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Grade: 3

Litton C of E (A) Primary is an improving school which provides a satisfactory quality of education with several good features. The school has moved forward significantly since the arrival of the current headteacher and has good capacity to make further improvements. The head is providing good leadership, has established effective relationships with parents and identified what the school needs to do to raise standards further. The school rates its effectiveness slightly higher than the inspection judgements would support. When children start school their knowledge and understanding are mostly above average. They are well taught in the Foundation Stage and exceed the national targets for their age. Standards in Years 2 are above average and are generally stronger in reading and especially mathematics than they are in writing. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 where they are consistently well taught. In Year 6

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Grade: 3

achievement has been more variable and in some recent years has been unsatisfactory. The school has recognised this and has recently put in place a good system to check and track the progress pupils make. Standards in Years 3 to 6 are now slightly above average and pupils make satisfactory progress. In Key Stage 2 teaching is satisfactory but occasionally does not make enough demands on all pupils, especially those of higher ability. Pupils' behaviour is good; they are well cared for in school and are widely encouraged to keep safe, fit and healthy. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall and with some strong features. The headteacher provides consistently good leadership. Whilst the school has sound procedures to monitor the quality of its work these lack evaluative rigour as subject leaders and the Governing Body do not always identify the further steps necessary for improvement. Governance is satisfactory and

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Grade: 3

governors are now equipped to develop their roles even further. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Ensure that pupils at Key Stage 2, and particularly the more able older ones, do as well as they can, by checking that tasks are organised and explained well, and make consistent demands of everyone. - Ensure that the work of the school is regularly and rigorously monitored by subject leaders and, where appropriate, governors to ensure that all involved are well enough informed to identify the further steps for improvement.

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Grade: 3

There are very small numbers in some year groups which makes the identification of trends in achievement difficult. Children start school with skills that are generally above average, particularly in the key area of language and communication development. This has a positive impact on learning throughout the school. In Reception, children make good progress and by the end of the Foundation Stage standards are usually above the expectation for their age. In Years 1 and 2 pupils make good progress. Standards are above average and pupils do well in national tests in 2 Inspection Report: Litton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 reading and particularly in mathematics. National test data indicates that standards in Year 6 have been variable and in some recent years achievement has been unsatisfactory. In Years 3 to 6 pupils now make satisfactory progress. Standards are slightly above average overall and particularly good in science. While most older pupils

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Grade: 3

make reasonable progress, some more able ones could do even better. The school has recognised that further improvements can be made in pupils' writing and has put in place a programme of work to address this. The school sets challenging targets, which are generally met. Staff are starting to use well the information from progress checks to inform planning in order to meet the needs of all those who make different rates of progress. Overall, pupils achieve satisfactorily which matches the school's evaluation.

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Grade: 2

The pupils behave well in and outside the classroom. They are polite, friendly and courteous. Pupils say bullying is not an issue and they feel safe and happy in school. Inspection findings match the school's own evaluation. Attendance and punctuality are good. This helps pupils develop positive attitudes to work that will contribute to their future economic well-being. Pupils' knowledge of how to stay fit, safe and healthy is good because of the range of activities, including after school clubs, that the school runs to support the choices needed to develop a healthy lifestyle. Pupils' contribution to the community, including their involvement in 'Wakes Week', is good and the school is an integral part of village life. Staff are beginning to take good account of pupils' ideas through the recently convened school council. Pupils feel that they are listened to and that they can play a part in making their school a better place. Provision for

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Grade: 2

pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and the school works hard to help them develop an understanding of aspects of life in a multi-cultural world including links with a city school.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall but, whilst improved in the last year, does not quite match the school's own evaluation. Teaching for the children in the Foundation Stage and for pupils in Years 1 and 2 is good. The headteacher and another teacher share this responsibility and plan well together to ensure a consistently high level of challenge is provided. There are numerous opportunities for more able younger pupils to work with older ones to provide them with a challenge. This enables all pupils to learn well and make consistent progress. Teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 are satisfactory overall. Activities are now more effectively planned to meet the needs of those of different ages and abilities. However, at times the organisation of activities and explanations lack clarity. Not enough is demanded of pupils in presenting their work neatly. Over time such issues have had an impact on learning and slowed the

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Grade: 3

rate of progress made. Staff now have to work hard to make up for a 'plateau' effect 3 Inspection Report: Litton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 in pupils' previous learning. The school has recently improved the procedures to check and measure the progress pupils make and the way in which it tracks this improvement. These procedures are now good and pupils have a clearer understanding of what they have to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, which matches the school's evaluation. There is a greater range of planned activities, which provide broad, balanced and more varied experiences, than previously. The school has a good programme of visits and visitors that help bring learning to life. There are particular strengths in provision for the arts and after school clubs that enrich learning well. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good, with a well considered mix of activities to support the development of basic skills alongside structured play activities. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 also benefit from some of these experiences which are particularly effective in enabling those with learning difficulties to develop their social skills. The school provides a strong focus on the development of pupils' literacy and numeracy skills. This is now the bedrock of school planning and provides a firm foundation for the development of skills in

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Grade: 2

other areas. The provision for pupils' personal, social and health education is good and there are opportunities for them to develop an understanding of how to make healthy choices.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support of pupils are good, which matches the school's evaluation. Provision for pupils' safety and security are good. Pupils know they have people to turn to for help. In such a small community all pupils are well known to each other and staff who all readily respond should a child be unhappy or new to the school. Parents speak warmly of how well staff support their children including those with special educational needs. Child protection procedures are well known to all staff but the governors have been slow to adopt a relevant policy and are now seeking to address this and other such matters with urgency.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management of the school is satisfactory overall, which is not quite as positive as the school's own evaluation. The main strength in this area is the significant impact of the new headteacher on school improvement and its capacity to improve. The head was appointed just over two years ago following a troubled period of school development when some local families chose not to attend the school. The new head has worked very hard, with the support of the staff, to put in place curriculum planning and checks of pupils' progress. The school now has a good range of information on which to securely base future planning. These efforts are welcomed 4 Inspection Report: Litton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 by parents who are now supportive and involved in self-evaluation. These improvements are beginning to make a clear impact on the work of the school, but the headteacher

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Grade: 3

is shrewd and realises there is more to be achieved. The small staff team are satisfactorily involved in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school. Staff have monitored teaching in the main areas for which they hold responsibility. However, subject leaders do not always check planning across the school and some monitoring is descriptive rather than evaluative and does not always indicate well enough the small steps for further improvement. Governors have very recently instituted a programme of focussed visits to enable them to have a better first hand understanding of the work of the school. However, they have been slower than they might have been to ensure the school has policies and procedures firmly in place in all the required areas. 5 Inspection Report: Litton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 26 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: Litton CofE Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 26 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 3 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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 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 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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

Following my visit to your school I would like to let you know what I found out. But first can I say a big thank you for making me feel welcome and for talking to me about all the different things that you enjoy at school. It was good to hear how you feel that all the staff listen to you and take good care of you. You probably saw quite a lot of me when I came into classrooms and assembly. I have told the teachers that you behave well and they are proud of you. I know how many of you and your families like school so I have talked with your headteacher about how the school can find ways of being even better. I have asked the teachers to look at how the work for you older pupils can be organised and explained even more clearly so that you all know what you have to do to achieve your best. Teachers are also going to look at how well you learn in each class, and at your books All the staff at school want you to do really well and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your headteacher has got some really good ideas to make the school an even better place. All you children can play an important part in this by working as hard as you can and continuing to be kind and helpful to everyone. I am sure you will do your best. It was a pleasure to meet you all. All my best wishes.

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