Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School

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120578 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LEA LEA 280842 Inspection number 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 Inspection dates Ms. Joanne Harvey LI Reporting inspector

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

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High Street School address Primary Type of school LN1 2JS Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01777 228365 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01777 228365 Fax number 81 Number on roll Rev.Rhys Prosser Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. C M White Headteacher 19 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280842 7 February 2006 - 4 to 11 8 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

This is a small Church of England primary school, at the heart of the village of Newton-on-Trent and serving surrounding villages. A unique feature of the school is that Year 6 pupils are taught in the nave of the adjacent church. The number of children entitled to claim free school meals is below the national average. Most pupils are White British and their first language is English. The number of pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs is higher than most schools. The school has a high number of pupils who start and leave the school other than at the normal time. The school has the Investors in People Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 3

This is a school that provides a satisfactory quality of education with many good features and where some aspects have shown recent improvement. Pupils' personal development and aspects of their care are good. Most parents speak well of the school and most pupils are very happy there. Standards are broadly average when pupils start school. When pupils leave the school they remain average. Progress and achievement are satisfactory overall. Teaching is satisfactory and at times good but has not been consistent enough over time to allow the children to make better than satisfactory progress. The school has recognised the need to continue to develop the assessment and tracking of pupils' progress to strengthen teaching and support the guidance of pupils. Good quality teaching and learning seen in the Foundation Stage are providing a firm foundation at the start of pupils' school lives. Standards here are now good.

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Grade: 3

The support for pupils who have learning difficulties is good. The school gathers much useful information and has a clear vision for the future. However, it recognises that monitoring systems and improvement planning and implementation require more rigour and that it must address the accommodation issues which restrict the curriculum. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection, for example in improving attendance, improving provision in ICT and in homework. The school has demonstrated its capacity to improve further and provides satisfactory value for money. The overall inspection judgement matches the school's own self-evaluation.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Make sure the systems for checking its work and those for planning and putting in place improvements are rigorous, focussed and thorough. - Continue to develop assessment and tracking of progress to strengthen teaching and support the guidance of pupils. - Address the limitations imposed by the building on curriculum provision, particularly in the Foundation Stage and library.

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Grade: 3

The inspector agrees with the school that standards reached by pupils, and the progress they make are satisfactory. As is often the case with a small school, test results have varied from year to year. Over the last five years standards at the end of Key Stage 1 and at Key Stage 2 have fluctuated around average. Pupils begin school with skills and knowledge which are broadly average. Most pupils then make satisfactory progress throughout all phases of their education at the school. The progress made by those with learning difficulties is good. Evidence was seen during the inspection of pupils making good progress in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 2. Standards reached in information and communication technology (ICT) have greatly improved since the last inspection and are now satisfactory. Pupils who join the school other than at the normal time, do as well as other pupils. The school sets its pupils challenging targets

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Grade: 3

which most of them are able to reach. 2 Inspection Report: Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The inspector agrees with the school that the personal development and well-being of the pupils is good. Pupils enjoy school and think it is fun. One child said 'It's exciting because you don't know what's round the corner.' They are well behaved, friendly, and polite with high self-esteem. Pupils value each other and work cooperatively. They develop positive relationships with each other and with the adults in school. Pupils listen attentively in lessons and work hard. All this prepares them well for the next stage of their education and their role as members of the community. This is well demonstrated by their confidence about the future and the contributions they make by organising their own charity fundraising events. They are prepared satisfactorily for the world of work. Pupils feel they are listened to and given opportunities to influence decisions made in school. They would like to develop this role further by

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Grade: 2

having their own school council. Pupils feel safe in school and are helped to adopt a healthy lifestyle through the school's promotion of healthy eating and being involved in sport. They demonstrate that their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good overall, but that a little more could be done to prepare them for life in a multicultural society. There has been a steady improvement in attendance since the last inspection which is now generally good with only a very few pupils responsible for persistent absence.

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Grade: 3

The inspector agrees with the school that teaching and learning are satisfactory. Examples of good teaching were seen during the inspection. These lessons are planned well with clear objectives and activities set at different levels for different abilities. This teaching is lively, with high expectations of learners and opportunities for pupils to be creative and extend their learning by carrying out tasks independently. Pupils make good progress in these lessons. Where expectations are not as high, the planning for different needs is not as thorough and opportunities are missed to promote independence, learning is more limited. Teachers are now collecting a range of information about pupils. Though this information is being used to set targets for pupils, systems are not yet robust enough or being consistently applied to encourage the children to make better than satisfactory progress. The overall quality of teaching

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Grade: 3

has been inconsistent and therefore its impact on standards over time has only been satisfactory. Behaviour is managed well and relationships in class are good so lessons run smoothly. Teachers make good use of the resources available but teaching and learning opportunities are restricted by the problems of the facilities. 3 Inspection Report: Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006

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Grade: 3

The school judges the curriculum to be satisfactory overall and the inspector agrees, though recognises some good features. It meets statutory requirements and is beginning to encourage creativity and subject links. Curriculum provision is limited by the school building. Much work has been done to improve the teaching environment. However, facilities continue to be inadequate to provide the outdoor curriculum for Reception pupils, the library is small, there is no school hall and the school field is not nearby. Work has been done to develop systems for gathering information about pupils and monitoring their performance. However, these have yet to become sufficiently rigorous and embedded for their impact on academic guidance to be seen. Pupils with learning needs and disabilities are supported well. The school has been successful in developing pupils knowledge of how to keep safe and in helping them to make healthy

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Grade: 3

choices. Pupils benefit from clubs including French, art, music and sports. Because of its rural environment, the school successfully enriches the curriculum with visits. Pupils speak excitedly about trips to towns and the coast. They value theme days and visitors to school including artists and dancers. These all help to bring learning to life and add to the quality of pupils' experience. Pupils say they enjoy themselves and learn best at these times.

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Grade: 3

The inspector judges that the care, guidance and support the school provides are satisfactory overall but with good features. The school takes good care of its pupils and values their achievements. It has robust systems to ensure pupils' health, safety and protection. Pupils say bullying is rare and they have confidence in the systems for dealing with problems. There are good relationships based on respect and trust between teachers and pupils and between pupils themselves. Teachers monitor progress and targets are set for pupils to help them improve their work. Pupils are given guidance to help them achieve these targets. However, whole school systems for gathering and monitoring assessment information are not yet rigorous or embedded enough to measure their impact on academic guidance. Tasks set are not always challenging enough for all pupils to make the progress they are capable of. The school works

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Grade: 3

closely with parents and outside agencies to ensure those who need additional specific support receive the help they need to achieve their targets. This judgement is slightly lower than the school's own self-evaluation.

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Grade: 3

The inspector agrees with the school's own self-evaluation that leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher provides passionate and tireless leadership. She has been successful in drawing together a hardworking team, who are committed to doing their best for the pupils and each other. The headteacher, 4 Inspection Report: Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 February 2006 supported by the staff has a clear vision for the school. The school knows what its strengths and areas for development are and there has been work to make improvements in many areas. These are developing slowly and have not yet had time to enable pupils to make better than satisfactory progress. Because systems for monitoring the school's work are not rigorous enough and because the implementation of strategies for improvement is not focussed enough, progress has been slowed. The considerable teaching commitment of the headteacher and the demands made by

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Grade: 3

managing the series of major building projects have been a significant factor in slowing down this process of change and improvement. Some coordinators are new to their role and have not yet had the opportunity to evaluate the quality of provision fully. Governors are kept informed and their support in school is valued by all. They have a reasonable view of the school's strengths and its areas for development. They are developing their role as critical friend to the headteacher. Parents and pupils are happy that the school values their ideas and acts upon them. The school has a plan in place to manage a budget overspend and financial management is satisfactory overall. The school has demonstrated it has capacity to improve further in the future. 5 Inspection Report: Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 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: Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School, 7 February 2006 to 8 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 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 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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

I was pleased to meet you and all the staff and very much enjoyed the time I spent with you. Thank you for making me feel so welcome, talking to me and helping me to find out so much about you and your school. You enjoy school and are happy there. You behave well and get on well with each other. Your school prepares you well for the next stage of your education and your future lives. The grown-ups at school work very hard to help you do your best. They take good care of you. Whilst you are at school you make satisfactory progress and achieve satisfactory standards in your tests. Everyone at school is keen to make sure you do even better. Teachers are already collecting lots of information about how well you are doing and are going to use this information to make teaching as good as it can be to help you all do the best you can. Those who run the school know a lot about how good its work is and what they need to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

do to make it better. They are going to make sure that they plan this carefully and that improvements are put in place quickly so that they make sure you all enjoy a good curriculum and make even better progress with your learning. I would like to wish you the very best for the future.

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