Grainthorpe Junior School

120450 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LEA LEA 280816 Inspection number 6 February 2006 to 7 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr. John Brennan LI Reporting inspector

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

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Fen Lane School address Primary Type of school LN11 7JY Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01472388248 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01472388248 Fax number 61 Number on roll Mrs.Elizabeth Osmond Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Ruairidh Greig Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280816 6 February 2006 - 4 to 11 7 February 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Grainthorpe is a small school. The overwhelming majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities is average, and a substantial number have statements for their Special Educational Needs. There are significant differences in the social and economic make up of classes and in the number of pupils admitted in any one year. This is reflected in variations in children's skills and abilities on entry to school. Occasionally, these can vary from below average to a little above but, overall, attainment on entry is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Grainthorpe School, 6 February 2006 to 7 February 2006

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Grade: 3

The effectiveness of the school is satisfactory, with good features. It gives satisfactory value for money. The inspection evidence differs from the school's own evaluation of itself, but finds that there are notable strengths upon which to build. The school has a determination to succeed, along with a strong sense of unity. It has improved satisfactorily since the last inspection and has sufficient capacity to make further improvements. Achievement is satisfactory. Children make steady progress in the Foundation Stage and reach the expected goals. They make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 so that standards are average by the time the pupils take the national tests at the end of Key Stage 1. However, too little is expected of the most capable pupils, who are not doing well enough and could achieve more. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, though pupils do better in the junior classes than in the infants.

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Grade: 3

This is because the teaching is good in the upper years and so the oldest pupils make particularly good progress, resulting in standards that are above average in Year 6. The family ethos of the school is promoted well by all staff and acts as a spur leading to pupils' good personal development. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities do particularly well because they are closely supported. Behaviour is good, and pupils are considerate of each other. They know a lot about healthy living and staying safe. Attendance is good and pupils enjoy learning. However, teachers' marking does not always give enough pointers to help them improve their work and data is not used effectively to set targets or measure progress. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school has satisfactory procedures for evaluating its work, but the monitoring of teaching and learning is too informal to give a complete picture.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Improve the teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2, especially for the most capable pupils. - Make better use of data to set targets and evaluate pupils' progress. - Extend the arrangements for checking on the quality of teaching and learning to make them more formal than they are at present. - Make sure that teachers' marking helps pupils to see what they need to do to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory overall, and consistently good in Years 5 and 6. Throughout the Foundation Stage, children make steady progress in all areas of learning so that by the time they reach Year 1 most reach the goals normally expected, and some exceed them. Progress continues to be satisfactory through Years 1 and 2 and standards are average in reading, writing and mathematics. However, work is not demanding enough for the most capable pupils and they are underachieving. As a result, over the past three years only a few pupils reached the higher levels at the end of Year 2. Standards are better in Years 3 to 6 than they are at Key Stage 1. This is because work is more demanding in the junior classes, especially in Years 5 and 6, so that from Year 2 Inspection Report: Grainthorpe School, 6 February 2006 to 7 February 2006 3 onwards, pupils' progress accelerates in acquiring basic skills, and is good overall.

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Grade: 3

Thus, standards are above average in English, mathematics and in science by Year 6. In most instances, pupils in the upper year groups reach the demanding targets that are set for them and achieve well. Throughout the school, pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities, especially those with the most acute needs, achieve well because of the good support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils behave very well and enjoy school, and the vast majority work hard. They feel very safe at school and say that there is no bullying. Attendance levels are good. Pupils have a good knowledge of healthy lifestyles and are very keen on the numerous after-school sporting activities. Playtimes are active, with pupils avidly practising their skipping skills for an imminent 'Skip Off' fundraising event. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils learn about the needs of others and have a good sense of right and wrong. They enjoy finding out about people from other countries and making new friends through computer links known as 'ePals'. The family ethos of the school helps them develop a strong sense of community. They play a central role in the life of the village and are very active in raising funds for causes in the wider community. The school has yet to

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Grade: 2

harness pupils' good attitudes and ideas about how to make the school better by systematically seeking their views. Nevertheless, a good concentration on basic skills means that pupils acquire the necessary skills, abilities and knowledge to contribute to their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. Warm relationships ensure that classrooms are calm and purposeful environments. The best teaching, which is most commonly found in the upper junior classes, exploits these strengths by ensuring that work is engaging and carefully matched to pupils' abilities. For example, pupils in Year 5 and 6 drafted mystery poems, armed with techniques they had gleaned from studying the work of famous poets. They responded with determination to the teacher's perceptive probings to help them reflect on powerful metaphors. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 1. Teamwork is strong, especially in the infant classes, and suitable activities for children in the Reception year enable them to express opinions and learn in a practical way. However, there is a lack of challenge for the most capable pupils in Years 1 and 2. A lengthy weekly

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Grade: 3

literacy lesson, in which pupils write up their news, occupies them rather than teaches them anything new. Pupils' work in books and folders show that learning is overly restricted by mundane worksheets, which are too easy for many of them. There are far fewer opportunities in the infant classes than elsewhere for pupils to craft their 3 Inspection Report: Grainthorpe School, 6 February 2006 to 7 February 2006 own writing or to solve problems in mathematics. The marking of pupils' work is inconsistent. Although there are some instances in which teachers' written comments give pupils useful pointers about how to improve their work, analytical marking is not commonplace. Many pupils say they know they have done well because their work is ticked but they find it difficult to pinpoint what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and the programme for pupils' personal development is thorough. Children in the Foundation Stage receive a suitable curriculum, although the provision for outdoor learning is irregular. Elsewhere in the school, careful planning ensures that pupils have a sufficiently broad curriculum. However, it is mostly in Years 5 and 6 that good links between subjects help make learning meaningful and allow for the promotion of key skills, such as writing. Improved resources ensure that pupils have regular access to computers, which is an improvement since the last inspection. There is a good range of clubs, which are very popular with the pupils, especially for sporting activities. School life is enriched with plenty of trips and visitors.

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Grade: 3

The care, support and guidance of pupils are satisfactory. The school provides particularly well for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, and this is endorsed by parents. The progress of these pupils is carefully tracked. However, although the school collects assessment data on other pupils, the information is not presented in a format that makes it easy to set future goals or track progress systematically. Pupils have someone to whom they can turn if they are worried and say that they feel safe in this supportive and caring community. In the main, there are careful procedures for ensuring health and safety, for example, through regular first-hand checks by governors. Suitable procedures are in place for child protection, but risk assessments for trips out of school are not rigorous enough.

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Grade: 3

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory. A palpable sense of community and teamwork makes for a peaceful and united school. The headteacher sets a positive tone and his constant presence around the school has not gone unnoticed by parents. They feel listened to and are very supportive of the school. Governors provide considerable support and visit regularly. This gives them a general feel for the school and they check on how well it is doing through regular meetings with the headteacher and staff. A realistic school improvement plan details how staff will use the limited time available to them for leading improvements. However, the action plans do not spell out clearly enough how success will be achieved and measured. The effectiveness of the school's procedures for evaluating its work is satisfactory. 4 Inspection Report: Grainthorpe School, 6 February 2006 to 7 February 2006 However, the arrangements are too informal and the school has only made limited

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Grade: 3

headway in extending its monitoring procedures, which were noted as weaknesses at the time of the last inspection. Too little is done to check the quality of teaching and learning, and monitoring is not widespread or regular enough, although there have been several attempts to improve it. The latest innovation, which involves staff overseeing different year groups, is beginning to show signs of impacting positively upon the smooth running of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Grainthorpe School, 6 February 2006 to 7 February 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: Grainthorpe School, 6 February 2006 to 7 February 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 3 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 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 3 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 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

Thank you for your help when I visited your school. I would like to share with you some of the things that I found out: I really enjoyed my visit because everyone was so welcoming and helpful. It felt as though I was visiting one big, friendly family. I think this is because everyone treats each other well and the headteacher, staff and governors have your concerns at heart. You, too, play your part in making this a happy school. You behave well and work hard. I was really impressed with your skipping and saw how hard you were practising for the 'Skip Off.' I hope this went well. You told me how much you enjoy school. A lot of the work the oldest children were doing was very interesting and you told me that it was making you think hard. I agree with those of you in Years 1 and 2 who told me that the work was too easy sometimes, and so I have asked the school to see if more challenging work can be set for you. I noticed how keen

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you all were to succeed and so I have asked the teachers to give you more ideas about what you need to do next when they mark your work. I have also asked them to look again at how they keep track of how well you are doing and check to see that you are on course in your learning. There some good things to see in your classrooms and I have asked your teachers and the headteacher to visit each others' classes more often to see what is going on. I wish you all well in the future.

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