Colby Primary School

120798 Unique Reference Number NORFOLK LEA LEA 280894 Inspection number 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Godfrey Bancroft LI Reporting inspector

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

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Bridge Road School address Primary Type of school NR11 7EA Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01263733381 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01263731300 Fax number 122 Number on roll Mrs.Jean Fiddeman Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Mark Adamson Headteacher 8 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280894 26 January 2006 - 4 to 11 27 January 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

This is a smaller than average sized primary school. The social and economic circumstances of the area are favourable. The percentage of children eligible for free school meals is well below average. The percentage of children who have special educational needs is above average. Very few children are from minority ethnic backgrounds and only a very small number speak English as an additional language. Pupils enter the school with expected levels of knowledge for 4-year-olds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Colby Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006

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Grade: 2

The inspection agrees with the school's evaluation of its own performance that it is a good school. The school is highly regarded by parents and carers and by the community. Children of all abilities and backgrounds achieve well and those who have special learning needs achieve very well. Attainment on entry is average. The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good and they achieve well. By the end of Year 2 standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above average. By the end of Year 6 standards in English, mathematics and science are also above average. Children clearly enjoy their learning, and the provision for their personal development and their well-being is outstanding. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Lessons usually meet children's learning needs well. However, sometimes the work set for the highest attaining children is not hard enough. Provision to develop children's speaking and

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Grade: 2

listening is good, although occasionally teachers do not provide enough time or guidance for the lower attaining children to gather their thoughts and respond to questions. The curriculum is good and there is a very good range of additional activities that enhance children's learning. The school provides children with outstanding care, guidance and support. The leadership and management of the headteacher, and of the governing body are good. The school provides good value for money and governors manage the school's resources well. The issues identified at the time of the last inspection have been addressed successfully. Improvement since that time is good. The school's capacity for further improvement is also good.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Ensure the work set for the highest attaining children is always hard enough to challenge their abilities fully. - Provide lower attaining children with enough time and guidance to plan the answers they give in response to questions and in discussions.

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Grade: 2

Children achieve well and those who have special learning needs make very good progress. Attainment on entry is average, although it varies from year to year and often covers a wide range. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well, especially in their personal, social and emotional development and in communication, language and literacy. Attainment by the beginning of Year 1 is significantly above those expected. Over the last five years standards at the end of Year 2 have improved steadily. In 2005, for reading, writing and mathematics, standards were well above average. Inspection evidence shows that in Year 2 standards in reading, writing and mathematics remain above average. Standards are slightly lower this year because there are a higher proportion of children special educational needs in the year group. Children in Years 3 to 6 have made good progress and standards have usually been close to average.

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Grade: 2

These children started in Year 3 with below average attainment. In 2005, standards at the end of Year 6 were average, although the number of children attaining the higher 2 Inspection Report: Colby Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 Level 5 in English was above that found elsewhere. The children currently in Year 6 are achieving well and are working at above average standards in English, mathematics and science. Standards do vary from year to year because of the small number of children in each year group. Last year the school attained challenging targets for attainment. Targets set for the next two years indicate that standards are likely to continue to improve.

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Grade: 1

This aspect of provision is outstanding. Children are proud of their school and are very committed to its motto of 'We treat others as we wish to be treated'. The school enables them to become increasingly mature and confident. They behave very well and have very good attitudes to their learning. No children have been excluded for at least five years. Attendance is close to the national average. Children are enthusiastic learners. They often work independently and sustain their effort and interest very well. They are very good at taking responsibility and are eager to do jobs around the school. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. They are very knowledgeable about the beliefs and traditions of other cultures and the school has established strong links with a school in India. Children are very aware of how to keep safe and are very good at caring for each other. They have a really good

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Grade: 1

understanding of the importance of taking exercise and of the need to eat healthily. They make a very positive contribution to their community and are particularly knowledgeable about the importance of taking care of the environment. Children acquire the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology effectively and are well placed to ensure their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teaching in the Foundation Stage enables children to make good progress in all areas of their learning. Relationships between teachers, teaching assistants and children are very good. This helps children to enjoy their learning and to become increasingly confident. Teachers and teaching assistants provide very good support for children who have special learning needs and for those few who do not speak English as their first language. Lessons are often planned well. Usually they meet the needs of the full range of ages and abilities effectively. However, sometimes the work set for the highest attaining children is not sufficiently challenging. Good attention is given to the development of children's speaking and listening, although occasionally teachers do not provide enough time or guidance for the lower attaining children to prepare what they want to say. Assessment procedures and the

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Grade: 2

marking of children's work are thorough and helpful. Teachers and teaching assistants are good at ensuring that children are fully aware of how they are progressing and know what they need to do to improve. 3 Inspection Report: Colby Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets legal requirements fully. Children in Years 4, 5 and 6 benefit greatly from being taught French. The school has ensured that all aspects of the 'Every Child Matters' agenda are covered thoroughly. It also makes certain that children's personal, social and health education needs are addressed fully. The school provides a very good range of additional activities and educational visits that enhance children's learning very well. These include bird-watching, cookery, football and gardening. There is also a very good information and communication technology (ICT) club for girls which aims to provide them with the confidence to use computers in their later lives. The last inspection identified the need to improve the Foundation Stage curriculum and the provision for information and communication technology. The Foundation Stage curriculum is now good and ICT is used well to enhance children's

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Grade: 1

The school provides children with outstanding care, guidance and support. Arrangements to ensure that children are safe are very good. The procedures for Child Protection are in place. The school is outstanding in the way it enables children to express their views and acts on their opinions. This is typified by the work of the school council, which is very effective. It enables children to influence many aspects of school life. For example, they are involved in the appointment of staff. Very good support is provided for children who have special learning needs. Additional courses to support their learning in numeracy and literacy, usually led by teaching assistants, are very effective. Support for children who speak English as an additional language is also very good. The school is good at keeping children informed about how they are progressing. Children are knowledgeable about their targets for learning in English

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Grade: 1

and mathematics and know what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher says, 'This is a school in which everyone is a leader', and he is correct. The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher provides a clear educational direction and promotes a spirit of co-operation in which staff and governors work together well. All staff show an excellent commitment to including children from all background and those with learning difficulties. Governors fulfil their duties effectively. There is a well-planned agenda to manage their activities. Many governors visit the school frequently. They are very knowledgeable about the school and are involved fully in all aspects of its leadership and management. They manage the school's resources well and ensure that the available funding is used wisely. There are good procedures for the school to evaluate its own performance. Members of staff with additional responsibilities provide good support for their colleagues and fulfil

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Colby Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 their duties well. All teachers and teaching assistants make an effective contribution to the evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning. The school improvement plan is clearly focused on raising standards. It sets out the priorities for development clearly and shows how their success will be evaluated. Parents and carers make a very good contribution to the life of the school. They often help in classrooms and accompany educational visits. The school is very good at considering and reacting to their views. It is also good at ensuring that parents are fully aware of how well their children are progressing. Responses to the questionnaire for parents and carers shows they are overwhelmingly positive about the school and think that it is very good. 5 Inspection Report: Colby Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 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: Colby Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 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 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 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 1 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

I think your school is a good school. I know that you and many of your parents, carers and members of your community think so too. Your teachers and teaching assistants are good at helping you to do your best. They are also good at providing you with interesting activities that help you to enjoy your learning. It is very pleasing to see that those of you who have special learning needs do very well. Your behaviour is outstanding. You all get on well together and are very good at helping and caring for each other. The way in which you understand about and care for the environment is also outstanding. Your school is very good at caring for you and making sure that you are safe and happy. Your headteacher and governing body are good at making sure that you have all you need to learn successfully. In order to make things are even better in the future there are one or two things that they have to do. They will make sure

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that the work they set for you is always hard enough to challenge your abilities. They will also be making sure that you have all the time and help that you need to plan the answers that you give to questions. Well done and keep doing your best.

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