Baston CE Primary School

Inspection Report The Baston Church of England Primary School

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120514 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LEA LEA 280832 Inspection number 11 May 2006 to 12 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Geof Timms LI Reporting inspector

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

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103a Main Street School address Primary Type of school PE6 9PB Voluntary controlled School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01778560430 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01778560430 Fax number 162 Number on roll Mr.D Whattoff Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss. R D Yegliss Headteacher 13 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280832 11 May 2006 - 4 to 11 12 May 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Baston CE Voluntary Controlled Primary School serves Baston and the surrounding villages. The school is below average size. The area is relatively favoured and most pupils come from better than average social and economic backgrounds. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is well below average. Most pupils are of White British background and there are a small number from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. Attainment on entry is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: The Baston Church of England Primary School, 11 May 2006 to 12 May 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which helps its pupils achieve high standards. Inspection findings match the school's self-evaluation, which is detailed, accurate and honest. The pupils are well-motivated, polite and hard working, and show pride in their achievements. The school provides good value for money. The teaching is good overall and results in generally good progress. Pupils achieve well in the national tests and by the end of Year 6 a good proportion do well in the local eleven-plus examinations. The good curriculum includes an extensive range of enrichment activities. The pupils' personal development is good, and this is reflected in the positive ethos and hard-working atmosphere found throughout the school. The strengths in the school are in the good quality of leadership and management that is focused on raising standards and in ensuring pupils are well prepared for secondary school. The quality of the provision

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Grade: 2

and the standards achieved in the Reception class are good overall. Whilst teaching is good overall, some lessons are too teacher-directed and do not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning, or to take part in more practical and creative activities. In addition the needs of the more able pupils are not always considered sufficiently when lessons are being planned and consequently do not always provide enough challenge. The school has improved the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) since the last inspection, and standards are at least in line with those expected. This work, together with the effective self-evaluation and improvements made in other areas, show that the school has the capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Raise the standards achieved by the more able pupils by ensuring work is better matched to their prior attainment and the teaching is sufficiently challenging. - Provide pupils with more opportunities to take part in creative and practical activities that help them take more responsibility for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils generally make good progress and the majority achieve above average standards. The school is particularly effective in encouraging the achievement of boys. As a result they make better than average progress. The attainment of most children on entry to the school is above average. They achieve high standards during the Reception year and, by the time they start Year 1, almost all have achieved the expected learning goals. Standards in reading and mathematics at the end of Year 2 are well above average but standards are not so high in writing, where fewer pupils reach the higher levels. This comparative weakness in writing appears likely to be repeated in this year's assessments and has been recognised by the school as a priority for improvement. Overall standards in Year 6 are well above average but are better in mathematics and science than in English. In 2005 the standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in the national

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: The Baston Church of England Primary School, 11 May 2006 to 12 May 2006 tests for mathematics and in science were well above average and this reflects the good achievement found throughout the school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make equally good progress as their peers and this helps them achieve their targets. The school sets challenging targets for all pupils and usually meets them. In 2005, the Year 6 English results were below those expected and the targets were not met, mainly because too few pupils gained higher levels. The school has worked to improve this through a range of measures intended to improve the quality of writing. These initiatives have improved the quality of teaching and the curriculum, but have yet to have much impact on standards.

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Grade: 2

The school has a strong sense of community and provides well for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils and adults know each other well and relationships are very good. The pupils are polite and friendly, and those who are new to the school say that it is easy to make friends. Behaviour is very good and the pupils are keen to learn. They understand the rules and routines which make the school orderly and harmonious. Attendance is good. Pupils enjoy their education, and say that lessons are often fun. Older pupils care for younger ones, as seen in the valuable assistance given by Reception helpers'. They are very enthusiastic, for example, about working on the school newspaper or looking after the library. Pupils in Year 6, as house captains or school council members, contribute strongly to the school community and the well-being of others. They are active in fundraising activities for the school and

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Grade: 2

for charities. The school encourages pupils to take responsibility, and they respond well to the opportunities offered. However, the level of independence and initiative expected in lessons is not always great enough. Pupils have a good awareness of how to keep safe and healthy. They are developing the skills they need for their well-being in later life.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good and has a positive impact on the overall standards achieved by pupils. Expectations of pupils' behaviour are high. In outstanding lessons pupils are provided with challenging activities that promote excellent progress. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 did very well when working to create a radio advertisement. The teaching in the Reception class is good, and sometimes outstanding. The relationships between pupils and adults are very strong. Because of this, pupils take a full part in lessons, answer questions avidly and willingly complete the tasks set for them. In some lessons, however, the teaching is over-directed and does not allow sufficient creativity or encourage pupils to take an active enough part in their learning. In some lessons teachers do not provide sufficient activities that build on the prior learning of more able pupils. Teachers assess pupils' work regularly and set useful

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Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: The Baston Church of England Primary School, 11 May 2006 to 12 May 2006 targets for them, individually or as a group. The marking of work often provides pupils with a good understanding of how well they have done and how they can improve.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good breadth and balance in its curriculum. There is good enrichment beyond lessons from clubs, visits and special events. In the Foundation Stage, provision is thorough and imaginative in all the required areas of learning. Older pupils astutely comment that they would like more opportunities for practical and creative learning. The school is aware that there is not always enough open-ended challenge for the most able pupils. The school's music is thriving, with many opportunities to learn an instrument, and to take part in the choir and orchestra. Pupils enjoy the chance to represent the school in sports teams. There have been good improvements in resources and curriculum planning in ICT since the last inspection. The good programme of personal, social and health education underpins pupils' personal development and sets them on course to be good citizens. The school's spacious

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Grade: 2

grounds, including a pond and a wooded area, promote interest in the natural world and care for the environment.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of pupils. Good arrangements are in place to keep pupils safe, to deal with their individual needs and to support those who may be vulnerable. The strong team of teaching assistants contribute much to pupils' welfare as well as to their learning. Any issues to do with bullying or unkind behaviour are dealt with promptly. Pupils are confident that the adults in the school will help them if they have any concerns. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is good. The staff are alert to their needs, and regularly review their progress. Good work and behaviour are recognised and rewarded. The school has improved the ways it tracks the progress pupils make each year. It is developing the setting of targets to help pupils understand how to improve, but the approaches to this vary between classes and are not yet consistent.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and have a positive impact on the provision throughout the school. The headteacher and assistant headteacher make an effective and complementary team and are clearly focused on high standards. Recent work as part of a leadership project has enabled the development of subject leadership to move to a higher level and this is having a positive impact, particularly in subjects which have been a recent focus for improvement such as English and ICT. Subject leaders roles have been developed further and they are now much more involved in the evaluation of the teaching and learning. This has improved the provision for writing 4 Inspection Report: The Baston Church of England Primary School, 11 May 2006 to 12 May 2006 for example, but has yet to have a major impact on standards. The monitoring of the school's work has been a strong focus for the senior staff recently and has resulted in

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Grade: 2

accurate self-evaluation and analysis of the school's strengths and weaknesses. There is strong teamwork among all staff and this supports the good capacity to improve further in the future. The use of data on pupils' progress has developed well as a tool for school improvement. The governing body is effective in its work and is very supportive of the work of the school. Very effective use is made of governors' expertise on, for example, the finance committee, and in setting up a focus group to develop ICT and a school website. 5 Inspection Report: The Baston Church of England Primary School, 11 May 2006 to 12 May 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: The Baston Church of England Primary School, 11 May 2006 to 12 May 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 2 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 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 2 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 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 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

Thank you for welcoming us to your school when we visited. We particularly enjoyed talking with you, especially those of you who are on the school council and are house captains. You told us a lot about the things you like doing at school and those things you would like to do more of. This letter is to tell you about some of the important things we saw and found out during our visit. Your parents are mostly happy with your school, and you told us you are very happy there as well. Ideas from the school council are helping make the school a better place. You told us that you like the way teachers help you if you find the work difficult and how they help you know what you have to do to make your work better. You behave very well and this helps the teachers teach you. Some of you have good opportunities to do responsible jobs like producing the newspaper or acting as traffic officers. The school helps you get good test results

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and this helps prepare you well for secondary school. You are lucky because Miss Yegliss, and the teachers and other adults, all look after and care for you very well. They encourage you to be healthy and to stay safe, and are working very hard to ensure that you learn new things and to make the school even better in the future. Your teachers are keen to make the school even better for you and we think they are know how best to do this. Firstly they need to help those of you who find some of the work easy to try more challenging tasks, and also to give you more chances to do practical, active and creative things so you get more chances to use your knowledge, imagination and skills. You are very lucky to be at such a good, friendly school. Keep working hard and enjoy your time at Baston! Yours sincerely

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