Holton Le Clay Infant School

Inspection Report Holton le Clay Infant School

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120453 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LEA LEA 280817 Inspection number 8 March 2006 to 9 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Roger Fry LI Reporting inspector

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

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Church Lane School address Infant Type of school DN36 5AQ Community School category 4 to 7 Age range of pupils 01472822025 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01472822065 Fax number 111 Number on roll Mrs.Kerry Gooderhan Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Susan Sanchez/ C Standish Headteacher 4 December 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280817 8 March 2006 - 4 to 7 9 March 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 the village of Holton le Clay and the surrounding area. The majority of children are from White British backgrounds. The school is smaller than average. Children's attainment on entry is broadly average. The proportion of children who are known to be eligible for free school meals is low. The school has an average proportion of children with learning difficulties and a high proportion with a Statement of Special Educational Need, which include physical disabilities. The headship is shared between two headteachers.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Holton le Clay Infant School, 8 March 2006 to 9 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Holton le Clay Infants is a good school. The Reception is very good and it provides young children with a very wide range of exciting experiences. Children reach the standards expected by Year 1 and some exceed them. In 2005, standards at the end of Year 2 were above national averages in reading and writing and were slightly above average in mathematics. Standards in mathematics have been consistently lower than in English for several years. In part, this is because children's investigative and problem solving skills are not developed as well as they could be. Overall, children make good progress between starting school and leaving at the end of Year 2. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities and those with a Statement of Special Educational Need also make good progress. Children's personal development is good. They have good attitudes to work and behave well. Children take an exceptionally active part in

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Grade: 2

improving the school's environment and in developing healthy lifestyles. Parents confirm that their children are very happy in school and enjoy their work. Attendance is average. The school cares very well for children. Teaching, learning and the curriculum are good. Children look forward to going to school and to learn new things. There are strong features, such as the quality of relationships between adults and children, and in the provision made for children with disabilities. The headteachers and staff lead the school well. There is a strong sense of teamwork in many areas. Links with other nearby schools are strong. The school has successfully tackled the issues from its previous inspection. The checks made on the school's work, though improved, are not as rigorous as they could be. The school has been too modest in some of its judgements about itself. Nevertheless, the school is providing good value for money and it has a

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What the school should do to improve further

- Develop children's investigative and problem solving skills further to raise standards in mathematics, - Increase the frequency of checks on teaching and learning to ensure that all children are performing as well as they can.

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Grade: 2

Children's attainment on entry to the school is broadly average. In Reception children quickly learn to read, write and use numbers in the very exciting classrooms. Most children reach the standards expected nationally by Year 1 and some exceed them. They learn to settle to work quickly and to co-operate effectively because of the outstanding relationships adults have with children.. Standards by the end of Year 2, between 2001 and 2004, have been broadly average. In 2005, standards improved to above average in reading and writing because teachers changed some aspects of the way the subjects are taught. Standards in mathematics, though slightly above average in 2005, have been lower than those in English because the subject is not taught so effectively. In 2005, more than nine out of every ten children in Year 2 met national 2 Inspection Report: Holton le Clay Infant School, 8 March 2006 to 9 March 2006

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Grade: 2

standards in reading, writing and mathematics, which was the challenging target the school set for itself. This year, children continue to make good progress in lessons and achieve well, and Year 2 children again have challenging targets to reach in all three subjects. Children's good attitudes to work and their interest in what the school offers contribute positively to the good progress they make. Children with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress. The school works effectively to meet their needs, providing a wide range of programmes for groups of children and individuals.

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Grade: 2

Children's personal development and well-being are good. They clearly enjoy learning very much. Attendance is average. It is not as good as it has been in the past because some parents take their children on holiday during term times. Behaviour is good and children apply themselves to their work well. Most children are sensible and mature, and take on responsibilities happily. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school works effectively to ensure that all children have a positive moral framework upon which to help build their lives. Their awareness of the beliefs and traditions of people from different cultural backgrounds is good because teachers use their rich experiences and knowledge of the world to good effect. There is a good programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE). It is effective in showing children how to be safe and to take care of themselves. Children know who

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Grade: 2

to turn to if they have a problem and they are sensitive to the needs of those less fortunate than themselves. Children acquire the basic skills necessary for success in later life in literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology effectively. The children's voice is heard clearly and provision is exceptional. The 'healthy schools' committee of children and adults has led to children bringing healthier lunches to school and they are very well aware of the need to eat healthily at all times. The school provides good opportunities for children to take exercise. Children make an outstanding contribution to their community. The 'eco' committee is highly committed to making the school and village better places to live in. Children begin to understand the difference between rights and responsibilities. They have helped to develop the site most successfully. The outdoor areas are rich in things for children

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Grade: 2

to do, such as play houses to use and wind chimes to listen to.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning in Reception are good. The indoor and outdoor environments are exciting and lessons meet the needs of all. So much work is practical, interesting and very well planned. In one lesson, children consolidated their knowledge of the positions of numbers to 10. Many found this difficult. They soon learned where to stand and why because learning in the very strong nurturing atmosphere is fun. Teaching and learning in Years 1 and 2 are good. Teaching assistants make a very good 3 Inspection Report: Holton le Clay Infant School, 8 March 2006 to 9 March 2006 contribution to children's learning. They are particularly effective in supporting children who need extra help with reading or who have disabilities. All children feel very well included in all that the school does. Teachers often have high expectations of how fast children will learn, but lessons in mathematics are not as well planned as in literacy.

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Grade: 2

The work set relies too heavily on children completing published work sheets and does not develop children's investigative and problem solving skills well enough. Teachers provide children with good opportunities to discuss their work and to answer thought provoking questions. In Year 2, children learned much about Hindu weddings by asking and responding to questions. Teachers also enable children to develop their writing skills well. Teachers make good checks on children's learning. They give a lot of spoken feedback to children about their work, which they find reassuring. Teachers keep a close watch on children's progress. Records are accurate.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good because it meets children's varying needs well and national requirements. Teachers provide very well for literacy, which is a strength of the school. The provision is particularly well organised by the subject leader. The curriculum in all subjects helps children gain knowledge and skills in meaningful ways and their self confidence grows as they learn about new ideas. The next step is to plan the curriculum more rigorously to meet the targets set for children expected to reach above average standards. The curriculum for children with learning disabilities is very well matched to their particular individual needs. The provision for outdoor learning is outstanding. As a result, children learn to respect the environment and everything that lives. Children have helped to design and build an exciting multi sensory garden in the grounds. There is a good emphasis on safe working practices. The school offers good opportunities

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Grade: 2

for children to take part in after school clubs and other enrichment activities, including football, gardening, dance and skipping. Children develop good team working skills, valuable for later life, in lessons and for example during sports days.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for all children, including those with disabilities, are very good. Children receive outstanding pastoral support and they report that bullying is not an issue. Assemblies are used effectively to increase children's understanding of major issues, such as care for the environment. Procedures are in place to ensure that children are safe, and the school has very good links with other agencies, for example, to support children with Statements. Children with additional learning needs are well supported by teaching assistants and make good progress in lessons to boost their literacy skills. There are very positive relationships between the school and parents, who are always welcome in school. This allows prompt resolution of any problems children may have. The school has responded positively to parents' suggestions, such as to extend the period of part time attendance in Reception for children new to the

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Grade: 2

school, to help them with the transition from home to school. There are strong positive 4 Inspection Report: Holton le Clay Infant School, 8 March 2006 to 9 March 2006 links with the pre school group and junior school, which allows children to look forward to the transitions.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The two headteachers share the headship tasks in a complementary way. They lead the school well and have established very good relationships with all. The school has judged itself to be effective overall. This judgement is supported by the local authority and by inspectors. The school's process of self-evaluation is largely accurate but it has been too modest in some of its judgements about itself. The progress children make is good and the atmosphere in school is enriching. However, checks on the quality of teaching and learning are not frequent enough, which means that staff cannot be sure that all children are performing as well as they can. There is wide variation in the way that mathematics is taught between Reception and in Years 1 and 2. The school consults governors, staff, children and parents effectively. Parents and children complete a

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Grade: 2

questionnaire each year. As a result, the school has a good basis upon which to move forward. Governance is satisfactory. Some governors devote much time to visits to lessons and to other areas of the school's work. There are links between governors and subject leaders that help the school review its practice systematically, but the process is not yet rigorous. Senior staff have successfully maintained the school's many good features over the last ten years, a feature that pleases parents. The record of change for the better since the last inspection leaves the school in a good position to make further improvements. The school makes efficient use of the funds it has and continues to provide good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Holton le Clay Infant School, 8 March 2006 to 9 March 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: Holton le Clay Infant School, 8 March 2006 to 9 March 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 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 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 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 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 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 2 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 enjoyed visiting your school and meeting you all. Thank you very much for being so friendly and helpful. I liked so many of the things I saw. Here are some of them: - you are making good progress with your work; - your attitudes to work and behaviour are good; - you enjoy school very much; - the work you have done to improve the site and keep healthy is excellent; - inspectors agree with you that teachers make lessons interesting. - you are growing up into responsible young people; - adults look after you very well; and - your headteachers and staff lead the school well. These are the two most important things that teachers need to do to make the school even better: - give you more investigations to do in mathematics; and - increase the checks on teaching and learning in your lessons to make sure you are doing as well as you can. I wish you all every success in the future.

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