Little Melton Primary School

120827 Unique Reference Number NORFOLK LEA LEA 280900 Inspection number 10 January 2006 to 11 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Anthony Knight LI Reporting inspector

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

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School Lane School address Primary Type of school NR9 3AD Community School category 4 to 9 Age range of pupils 01603 811446 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01603 813242 Fax number 67 Number on roll Mr.Terry Larkowsky Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Anne Clements Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280900 10 January 2006 - 4 to 9 11 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Little Melton is a first school for boys and girls aged from four to eight years. There are 67 pupils on roll of which a large proportion comes from outside the catchment area of the school. There is a significantly larger proportion of boys in Years 2 and 3 than is usually found. Very few pupils are eligible for free school meals and few have special educational needs. There are no statemented pupils. The school has had several changes of staff recently, mainly due to maternity cover for two teachers. The school manages an out of school care club for its pupils.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Little Melton First, 10 January 2006 to 11 January 2006

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Grade: 2

Little Melton is a very happy school that provides a good education for all its pupils. There is a high level of care and an impressive sense of mutual respect between teaching staff and pupils. Standards are high and good progress is made. The quality of teaching is good and there is an effective curriculum. Achievement and standards in the Foundation Stage are good and children are skilfully and sensitively helped to settle quickly into the school. The school knows itself well and has identified appropriate priorities for further development. These include increasing the amount of detail about pupils' attainment so that progress can be monitored more closely. Pupils' progress could also be increased through a greater level of challenge in lessons. The school manages the relatively large percentage of boys well and is developing effective strategies to improve boys' progress, which needs continued attention. There is good

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Grade: 2

leadership and management at all levels and the 'open door' policy enables parents to feel part of the school. There is a very effective and active school council. The school considers that its overall effectiveness is satisfactory but the inspector's view is that this judgement is too cautious and that the overall effectiveness of the school is good. All issues raised in the last inspection report have been addressed and the school has clearly demonstrated the capacity to improve. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Increase the degree of challenge in lessons by making sure pupils know how they can improve their work and by not accepting second best. - Increase the amount of detail about pupils' attainment and use this to identify where further support is needed. - Continue to develop effective ways to manage the relatively large percentage of boys and to improve boys' progress.

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Grade: 2

Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have been high, particularly over the last two years. The overall attainment of pupils is significantly above the national average. In 2005, the achievement of pupils in reading was outstanding, especially at the highest levels. Attainments in writing and mathematics were good but the school's very challenging targets for the highest level in these subjects were not quite reached. Nevertheless there was significant achievement at just below the highest level in mathematics. Overall, the boys did not achieve as well as the girls. Pupils make good progress in lessons and there is clear evidence of progress in pupils' writing. Achievement and standards in the Foundation Stage are good. Pupils enter the school with a wide range of prior attainment and are helped to make good progress. When they leave the Foundation Stage they have achieved success in all the Early Learning

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Grade: 2

Goals. 2 Inspection Report: Little Melton First, 10 January 2006 to 11 January 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school and work well together. Pupils in the Foundation Stage are relaxed and help each other impressively. Pupils respond confidently to questions and generally work hard. However, when tasks are not clear, a few pupils in Year 3 are quick to exploit the opportunity to stop working. Behaviour around the school is very good although some play during break-times is boisterous and requires careful supervision. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good overall and pupils have a high level of social development. They have a clear sense of moral values and are sensitive to spiritual issues. Pupils' cultural development is satisfactory. They are aware of the need to consider their safety and respond well to guidance from the teachers. Pupils are developing the skills they need to achieve well in the future, including the ability to work independently. Pupils' awareness of healthy living is

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Grade: 2

outstanding. They are aware of the need to take healthy food options and enjoy the daily exercise which starts every school day. Attendance is good. The percentage of pupils absent during the Autumn term at 3.5% was significantly below the national average. There was no unauthorised absence.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall with some outstanding features. All teaching staff manage the lessons well. Work is carefully planned and clear objectives are used to ensure all areas of work are experienced appropriately in each year. Teachers engage pupils through skilful use of resources that captivate interest and help pupils to increase their learning. For example, a hand puppet was used superbly to help pupils focus on spoken instructions whilst a string puppet was used to develop powers of observation and inspire different ways of moving. Very effective questioning encourages pupils to provide more carefully considered answers. Pupils respond excellently to the best teaching. Learning is good overall although even greater progress could be achieved with even greater challenge. For example, some short tasks took too long and insufficient time was given for pupils to extend their learning in the longer tasks.

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Grade: 2

Some opportunities are missed to 'raise the bar' through not accepting anything but the best the pupils could achieve. While the learning objectives ensure that the curriculum is covered they do not provide enough detail about different levels of response. Good support is provided by the teaching assistants. Marking is conscientious and the best provides clear instructions about how the work could be improved further.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and balanced. The decision to develop an integrated curriculum has proved effective. Pupils apply skills across a wide range of subject areas. Literacy 3 Inspection Report: Little Melton First, 10 January 2006 to 11 January 2006 skills are developed well through the school week and the school plans to extend this approach to reinforce numeracy skills and extend information and communication technology (ICT) skills. The school has achieved the highest award for its arts provision, the Artsmark Gold, and is exploring the impact of a short period of physical exercise at the start of the school day on pupils' learning. The school provides an impressive range of opportunities for art and design. All pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 work together for a whole afternoon each week supported by parents and visiting artists. There is a good range of extra curricular opportunities available for pupils, including a well

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support provided by the school are good overall. All staff know the pupils and take pains to ensure all are happy and well cared for. The level of respect shown by teachers for their pupils is exceptional. Every appropriate response from the pupils is valued and sufficient time is always given for pupils to express their own ideas. However, guidance on academic achievement is less well developed. The school is aware that more detail about pupils' attainment is needed to help pupils make even more progress.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher is well liked and respected by staff, pupils, governors and parents and each member of staff works conscientiously and contributes to the ongoing development of the school. Subject co-ordinators provide good support for colleagues and monitor the teaching of the different subjects. However, as each teacher holds responsibility for several subjects, the school has sensibly prioritised some subjects while planning to give attention to the remaining subjects over the next year. The school examines pupils' work regularly and effectively collates this work. This record provides a clear and effective way of helping pupils and parents to recognise and celebrate the progress being made. However, there is insufficient detail about the extent to which each pupil is just within a level, is securely at the level or is working confidently at the highest point of the

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Grade: 2

level. The school is aware of this and actions have been taken to provide this information in future. There is a well led and effective governing body. The school benefits from the wide range of expertise provided by the governors. Parents are fully involved in the school and have enjoyed the opportunity to attend evening sessions led by the teachers on mathematics. The response from parents through the questionnaire was overwhelmingly positive. The school council is very effective. The pupils have organised individual mats to sit on during assemblies in the hall, selected plants for the school foyer and created a 'buddy bench' for pupils who feel unhappy during playtimes. Pupils enjoy school and like the balance of rewards and sanctions although they would like more recognition of good behaviour and good work. The members of the committee are real ambassadors for the school. They are enthusiastic,

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Little Melton First, 10 January 2006 to 11 January 2006 polite and articulate. The self-evaluation by the headteacher and governors is very accurate. The school knows itself well. However, while the judgements in the Self Evaluation Form were generally correct there was insufficient detail about why the priorities for further development had been chosen. All issues raised in the last inspection report have been addressed and the school has clearly demonstrated the capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Little Melton First, 10 January 2006 to 11 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: Little Melton First, 10 January 2006 to 11 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 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 1 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

I really enjoyed coming to your school and seeing you all in your lessons and at play. I particularly enjoyed talking with you about your work. What I liked most about your school - I was pleased to see that you all enjoy being in school. - All the adults show you how important it is to consider carefully the feelings of others and to understand that everyone has something special to offer. - You all wanted to make me feel welcome and were keen to tell me about your work. What I have asked your school to do now - Your teachers are going to make sure you know what you need to do to improve your work even further. If you work hard you will enjoy finding out that you can do even better than you first thought. - Your headteacher is going to look even more closely at your work so that you know if you are doing as well as you could. You will need to continue to listen carefully and work hard at the parts you find more difficult. - I would like

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your parents to know that they are right in thinking that this is a good school and that they can help you by talking about your work. I wish you all every success for the future.

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