Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School

Inspection Report Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School

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120590 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LEA LEA 280848 Inspection number 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 Inspection dates Ms. Tricia Pritchard LI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Southdale School address Primary Type of school LN7 6LY Voluntary aided School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01472851396 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01472851265 Fax number 279 Number on roll Mr.Chris Turner Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Nick McCann Headteacher 20 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280848 22 March 2006 - 4 to 11 22 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 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 under the same Act. It was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools.

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Description of the school

Caistor Primary School is one of five joint Church of England and Methodist primary schools in Lincolnshire. There are 279 pupils on roll. It is a popular school and draws pupils from the small town of Caistor, neighbouring villages, and Grimsby. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities including those with statements of special educational need is above the national average. Few pupils are eligible for free school meals and very few pupils belong to minority ethnic groups or have English as an additional language.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006

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Grade: 1

Caistor Primary School is an outstanding school. The school is highly successful in its drive to raise standards, particularly in raising boys' achievement, improving the quality of pupils' writing and in its approach to inclusion. Key Stage 2 pupils make consistently very good progress. The pupils are extremely well behaved and very well motivated. The curriculum is enriched by an extensive range of extra-curricular activities. The arts are especially strong. Close links between the school and the wider community also provide very good opportunities for pupils to extend their learning. There is a strong sense of teamwork amongst the staff, who create a well ordered and stimulating learning environment for the pupils. The headteacher's leadership is exemplary. Self evaluation procedures are well developed and lead to accurate identification of strengths and areas for development. Governors are very effective at striking the right

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Grade: 2

Pupils' overall attainment on entry is average, although girls start school with better developed language and social skills than boys. Throughout the Foundation Stage, pupils make good progress in all areas of learning. In recent years, standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 have been below expectations. In 2005, a targeted support programme to improve boys' attainment and writing standards led to a marked rise in performance. At the end of the year, Year 2 pupils made good progress and achieved standards in reading, mathematics and science which were in line with those in other schools. In writing, they did very well and achieved scores which were well above the national average. Pupils in Years 3-6 consistently make good progress and attain high standards in English, mathematics and science. In 2005, Year 6 pupils achieved scores for English and science that were significantly above the

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Grade: 2

national average. Their scores for mathematics were slightly lower but still good. The trend, throughout the school, is for pupils to do marginally better in English than in mathematics. Higher attaining pupils in Key Stage 2 make particularly good progress and attain standards in English and science that are significantly higher than those attained by higher ability pupils in other schools. Boys in Key Stage 2 also make good progress. In Key Stage 1, the previous gap between girls' and boys' achievement has narrowed. Pupils with additional learning needs make good progress.

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Grade: 1

'The children are confident, beautifully behaved and great ambassadors for their school.' This view, expressed by a parent, summarises effectively the judgements made during the inspection. The pupils are highly motivated, responsive and communicate their obvious enjoyment for learning. They respond well to their teachers' encouragement to become reflective learners. Their social, moral, spiritual and cultural 2 Inspection Report: Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 development is very well developed as a result of the extensive opportunities they have to contribute to the life of the local community. The church ethos is strong. Caistor School is a highly inclusive school where all pupils are enabled to succeed. Pupils care for one another and delight in celebrating the achievements of others, especially during the weekly awards assemblies. They enjoy taking responsibility. The

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Grade: 1

school council, for example, is chaired very well by a Year 6 pupil; all the representatives feel secure and confident to express their views. The pupils are very aware of the advantages of adopting a healthy lifestyle.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good. A parent writes: 'I am very happy to be sending my children to such a thriving school where members of staff put in extra effort to make learning enjoyable for all pupils.' Staff are highly committed and keen to continually improve their practice. They track pupils' progress carefully and are exceedingly good at identifying pupils who need additional learning support. Teaching assistants are deployed effectively and are well informed about pupils' progress and achievement. The needs of higher ability pupils are also well met, particularly in Key Stage 2. All pupils are set challenging targets and they are well aware of what they need to do to meet their targets. Teachers mark work carefully and give pupils helpful advice on how to improve. Parents are well informed of their children's progress. Teachers possess good subject knowledge and have high expectations of all pupils. They are very competent at making full use of

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Grade: 2

electronic whiteboards to support teaching and learning. Their planning is sound and ensures good coverage of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. Most activities and tasks are well matched to pupils' abilities although, in Key Stage 1, pupils are sometimes required to complete too many mathematical sums when they already have a good understanding. In these cases, the setting of more challenging problems would be more appropriate.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is extremely well planned and organised. During the school day the pupils have access to a broad and well balanced curriculum which is underpinned by a key focus on developing their literacy and numeracy skills. It is enriched significantly by school visits and visiting speakers. The Key Stage 2 curriculum includes exceptional opportunities for pupils to develop their problem-solving and investigative skills. The extra-curricular provision is outstanding. Pupils from Reception to Year 6 have excellent opportunities to participate in a wide range of clubs, before school, at lunchtime and after-school. For example, there are 120 pupils enrolled in the gym clubs, from Reception to Year 6; all pupils in Key Stage 2 learn how to play chess. The arts are particularly strong. The school has recently achieved a gold arts mark award. An adjudicator at Cleethorpes Music Festival wrote the following: 'this is outstanding

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Grade: 1

3 Inspection Report: Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 primary music making by anyone's standards.' Both boys and girls participate enthusiastically in sporting and musical activities. Equality of opportunity is promoted very well throughout the extended curriculum. The school has few pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds but pays outstanding attention to celebrating different cultures as, for example, when the whole school participated in a Slovak and Polish week. Links with local businesses are also developing well. The school has accessed considerable funding to create a sensory garden.

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Grade: 1

The pastoral and academic support for pupils is outstanding. It is very well focused and targeted to meet individual needs. Pupils learn and play in a well-ordered and safe environment. Classrooms are bright and welcoming. Staff communicate their enjoyment of teaching. In the playground, older pupils take turns in assuming the role of playground friends to ensure that no pupil is lonely. These factors contribute significantly to the pupils' well-being and security, and their motivation to achieve high standards. Parents speak highly of the induction arrangements when their children enter the reception class and of the transition arrangements to secondary school. The school is at the heart of the community. Links with neighbouring schools are very well established. The school values the views of parents. It works closely with outside agencies to support pupils with special educational needs. There is a strong sense of

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Grade: 1

teamwork amongst staff and high levels of respect between adults and pupils. The school is highly successful in achieving its aim of being an inclusive school.

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Grade: 1

The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding. He is very ably supported by the senior leadership team and the governors. Together, they provide clear strategic direction and set an agenda which is firmly rooted in raising standards and in improving further the quality of provision. The actions taken to improve overall achievement in Key Stage 1 to raise boys' achievement and raise standards in writing have been particularly successful. The leadership team has an excellent knowledge and understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. The role of subject leader has developed considerably during this last year with the result that they, too, are now fully involved in monitoring standards and teaching. The school's self evaluation is accurate. A key strength is the deployment and re-deployment of staff in order to manage change effectively and secure improvement. All staff are supported

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Grade: 1

by a high quality professional development programme. Unusually for a primary school, there is a high ratio of male to female staff. Hence, when raising boys' achievement in Key Stage 1 became an issue, a strategic decision to provide a male role model in Key Stage 1 was taken; a male teacher from Key Stage 2 was moved to teach in Key Stage 1. The principle of achieving best value drives the thinking of the governing body. Governors achieve an outstanding balance between providing support and challenge. The school provides excellent value for money. 4 Inspection Report: Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 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. 5 Inspection Report: Caistor CofE and Methodist Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 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 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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 meeting you all very much when I visited your school on March 22nd. Thank you for making me so welcome. Your school is an excellent school. I was very pleased to see how much you enjoy learning and how carefully your teachers plan lessons to enable you to succeed. This is why you are doing so well. Congratulations on your writing. Pupils sometimes find it difficult to write good stories and accounts but you are making very good progress. You have so many exciting opportunities to learn both during the school day and after-school. I was particularly impressed by the number of clubs you can join. Thank you to the choir, violin ensemble, drama quartet and gym club for letting me watch you perform. You all did very well indeed. It was good to see you playing so happily in the playground and caring for one another. Well done to the playground friends who ensure that no-one is lonely. I enjoyed meeting the school council

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

too. It was very well chaired by the Year 6 representative and the members had such good and sensible ideas. Your school is going from strength to strength because it is very well led by Mr McCann, the leadership team and the governors, and because all the staff provide you with such superb care and guidance. Your attitudes to learning, and your excellent behaviour also contribute to the school being such a happy place in which to work and learn. Happy Easter!

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