St Luke's Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report St Luke's Church of England Primary School

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116318 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279790 Inspection number 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 Inspection dates Peter Thrussell AI Reporting inspector

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

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West Beams Road School address Primary Type of school Sway Voluntary controlled School category Lymington SO41 6AE 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01590682431 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01590682936 Fax number 196 Number on roll Mrs J Scotts Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Rachel Goplen Headteacher 12 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279790 7 December 2005 - 4 to 11 8 December 2005 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

St Luke's Church of England Primary School is a smaller than average school set in the New Forest village of Sway. Pupils are mostly of British white background; all have English as their first language. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is well below average. The number of pupils with learning difficulties is just above average for this size of school. Children start school with above average knowledge and skills.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Luke's Church of England Primary School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 3

St Luke's is an improving school that is satisfactory. Pupils are well cared for, feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Their personal development is good. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to work and play alongside each other. This helps to foster good relationships, the care they show for each other and their good behaviour.Children receive a good start to their education in Reception. They make good progress and many are on target to exceed their expected learning goals. The quality of teaching and the curriculum throughout the rest of the school is satisfactory. Until recently, pupils have not been making sufficient progress in their learning and consequently standards declined after the previous inspection. Strong measures have been taken that are improving the quality of teaching and enabling all pupils to make satisfactory progress. Effective systems have been put in place to check this progress and to set

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Grade: 3

challenging targets for pupils to work towards. Many pupils know their targets and are keen to reach them.The new head teacher has quickly identified weaknesses in the school and taken immediate measures which have led to significant improvements. She is well supported by an informed governing body. The school knows that these improvements are at an early stage. Hence, although improvement since the previous inspection is unsatisfactory, recent well planned and monitored developments, and a strong determination, show that the school is well placed to continue making progress. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Continue to raise standards and achievement, particularly in mathematics and writing.* Improve the quality and consistency of teaching and learning.

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Grade: 3

Pupils achieve broadly average standards in the national tests in Year 2 and Year 6. However, this reflects unsatisfactory progress given the pupils' good starting points, and consequently the school has missed its targets. There has been a marked improvement since the arrival of the new headteacher. She has taken immediate and effective steps such that achievement is now satisfactory. This is demonstrated in pupils' work and in teachers' records using the new pupil-tracking system. For instance, following a review and an improvement in planning and assessment procedures, children in Reception are now making good progress. The pupil-tracking systems are being used effectively by teachers and support staff in Years 1 to 6. Pupils who were underachieving have been identified and given extra support. This has led to them making up lost ground, and they too are making satisfactory progress. The 'Intensifying

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Grade: 3

Support Programme' adopted by the school, focused on mathematics and writing, is proving to be effective. Pupils with special learning needs, with recently improved provision, now make good progress in meeting the realistic, individual targets set for them. Pupils in Year 6 are on track to meet the school's challenging 2006 targets. 2 Inspection Report: St Luke's Church of England Primary School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy coming to school and have positive attitudes which is shown by their good attendance. Relationships throughout the school are positive, and a secure, caring environment supports learning well. Pupils are friendly to visitors and have positive attitudes to their work.Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and consequently pupils develop a strong personal sense of responsibility. Assemblies provide good opportunities for pupils to reflect and develop a sense of wonder. Visits to different places of worship give pupils a good insight into the lives of others.Behaviour is good overall and excellent in assemblies. Occasionally it falls below these high standards when lessons do not fully engage all pupils. Pupils say they feel safe and free from harassment and bullying. On the rare occasion when inappropriate behaviour occurs, it is dealt with quickly and fairly. Pupils understand

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Grade: 2

the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles. Consultations with them have resulted in changes to menus provided by the kitchen and fruit only snacks at break-times. They participate enthusiastically in the school council, are proud of their school and their influence in bringing about improvements, such as better playground equipment and toilets. Older pupils take responsibility for younger pupils, for example, in the care they show for them at playtimes. They express themselves clearly, know how to influence decisions, and are developing social skills that will be valuable to them in later life.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is consistently good in the Reception class and Years 5 and 6, and satisfactory overall. In some lessons, the teaching lacks pace, learning objectives are not made clear and activities are insufficiently matched to the needs of particular groups. In the best lessons, teachers vary their approach, have high expectations of behaviour and application, and encourage pupils to work independently. In a mathematics lesson in Year 6, pupils rose to the challenge of creating conversion graphs, working constructively with each other to pose their own problems and find solutions. Teachers prepare lessons thoroughly and are beginning to make greater use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance learning. Support staff work effectively with pupils who have learning difficulties. Teachers mark pupils' work conscientiously. In Years 5 and 6, perceptive comments guide pupils on how to improve, and provide

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Grade: 3

additional challenge to encourage independent learning. New assessment systems have had an impact on teachers' planning for the subsequent learning of different groups of pupils. 3 Inspection Report: St Luke's Church of England Primary School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum. Through more careful planning, it is now meeting more fully the learning needs of all pupils, including those who are more able and those who have special learning difficulties.The focus on improving literacy and numeracy skills has detracted from developing fuller links between subjects, where these and other skills can be used and developed to greater purpose. The school is, however, beginning to work on this area.Many enrichment activities, including a wide range of clubs, add further interest and enjoyment to pupils' learning. A sports partnership encourages pupils' physical well-being. Particularly good provision for music was evident during the inspection. The school orchestra provided an enthusiastic and enjoyable accompaniment to carol singing. The extensive school grounds are used well to support learning. The school's participation in village activities, such as the

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Grade: 3

carnival, provides pupils with good opportunities for community involvement.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Pupils say they are well looked after and parents agree. Staff and pupils value and respect each other. Pupils express confidence in their teachers and support staff, knowing that any problems they face will be dealt with fairly. Throughout the school, staff know pupils well and provide them with good personal support and guidance.Arrangements to safeguard pupils are secure. Health and safety arrangements are good. Child protection and welfare procedures are thorough and staff are well informed of these. The school supports vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties sensitively. Procedures for risk assessment are well established and the school seeks outside advice whenever needed. There are now effective systems in place to track and improve academic progress. Pupils have targets for improvement, which many know and are keen to reach.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The recently appointed headteacher, ably supported by her new deputy, are providing strong leadership. The school's self-evaluation provides an accurate picture of the school, and shows a strong capacity to bring about improvement. The head teacher has taken immediate and effective measures to raise standards, and to improve the quality of teaching and learning and pupils' behaviour, whilst maintaining the caring and friendly ethos of the school. Until her appointment, improvement since the last inspection was unsatisfactory. Standards had fallen and whole school assessment procedures were ineffective.The school has been particularly effective in developing the role of support staff to lead and improve the provision for special educational needs and information and communication technology. However, because of recent staff changes the subject leader role is only

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Grade: 3

satisfactory.The role of the governing body has developed well since the appointment 4 Inspection Report: St Luke's Church of England Primary School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 of the new head teacher, and is satisfactory. Governors are kept well informed, know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are gaining the confidence to question its work. They, along with parents and children, have contributed well to the school's self-evaluation. Finances are carefully managed and well focused on school improvement. Although a number of parents are rightly concerned about their children's progress, they nevertheless show good support for recent changes. This is summed up by one parent who strongly believes that 'procedures are being put in place, with the new head teacher, to drive improvements'. The school provides satisfactory value for money. 5 Inspection Report: St Luke's Church of England Primary School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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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: St Luke's Church of England Primary School, 7 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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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 3 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 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 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

I am writing to let you know what we found out when we visited your school. Thank you for taking part in the inspection. We spoke to many of you during our visit and you were always interesting to talk to, polite and helpful. You spoke enthusiastically about enjoying school and all the things you take part in, particularly the clubs and visits that the school organises for you.We liked these things the most: * You behave well and enjoy school.* The school is very caring and listens to you.* You are proud of your school and the opportunities it gives you to join in making it even better.* Pupils who need extra help are well supported.* You understand about healthy lifestyles.* The school provides many exciting things for you to do outside of lessons.* Your head teacher is making important changes to help you do better in your work. We have asked the school to work on these things now:* Continue to challenge you in your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

work so that you always do as well as you can.* Work to make all of your lessons as good as possible.Thank you again

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