Leavening Community Primary School

Inspection Report Leavening Community Primary School

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121453 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire LEA 281018 Inspection number 27 March 2006 to 28 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Lesley Clark CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Back Lane School address Primary Type of school Leavening Community School category Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 9SW 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01653 658313 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01653 658313 Fax number 84 Number on roll Mr Neil Audsley Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Lynn Markham Headteacher 11 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281018 27 March 2006 - 3 to 11 28 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 by one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small but rapidly growing school serving five villages and six parishes on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds. The take-up of free school meals is well below average, reflecting the advantaged socio-economic circumstances of the local area. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average, as is the number with a statement of special need. Almost all the children are of white British heritage. When children start school their attainment is broadly average, although the spread of ability is extremely wide. The current headteacher is managing the school part-time for the interim half term pending the arrival of a new headteacher at the start of the summer term. A temporary teacher has taken on the current headteacher's teaching commitment, which is almost full-time, until the end of the academic year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Leavening Community Primary School, 27 March 2006 to 28 March 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. Parents quite rightly say that the school is 'friendly, open, welcoming and innovative'. Children thrive here as a result. The school's self-evaluation is largely accurate in that it rates itself as good, but it is overly modest in some aspects. Attendance, for example, is outstanding and is a clear indication of how much children enjoy school life. Care, support and guidance are also outstanding, as is the personal development and well-being of all children. By the end of Year 6, standards are above average in English, mathematics and science. All children, including those who are more able and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, achieve well because of good teaching. The curriculum is good. A notable feature is the exceptionally broad education that children receive, incorporating important life-skills. An outstanding feature is the development of economic awareness,

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Grade: 2

which successfully enables children to learn that the choices they make affect the lives of people in other countries. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are good, but there is limited indoor space for Reception children and too few opportunities for them to work outdoors. Leadership, management and governance are good and there has been good improvement since the last inspection. The monitoring of teaching tends to be encouraging rather than developmental, thus missing an opportunity to share exceptional practice. The school gives good value for money and is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Seek ways to provide a better balance of indoor and outdoor activities for Reception children • When monitoring teaching, ensure that that developmental points are given so as to make all teaching as good as the best

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Targets are challenging and in the 2005 national tests Year 6 children exceeded those set in English and science and comfortably met those in mathematics. In the Foundation Stage, children make good progress in all areas of learning. By the start of Year 1, most have reached the level expected for their age because of good teaching and the many opportunities to learn through imaginative play. Good progress continues in Years 1 and 2. Standards are close to average by the end of Year 2, with more able children forging ahead in mathematics and reading. In Years 3 to 6, children build on these early skills and their progress accelerates, particularly in writing. By the end of Year 6, standards are generally above average. With the exception of children with considerable learning difficulties, all reach nationally expected levels and a good proportion exceed these. Variations from year to year

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Grade: 2

present an uneven trend, but reflect the small numbers in year groups and the varying proportions of children with significant learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children 2 Inspection Report: Leavening Community Primary School, 27 March 2006 to 28 March 2006 do well because they have many opportunities to apply what they have learnt, for example, using their mathematical knowledge in other subjects to organise information in tables and graphs. They themselves say, 'We do loads of science investigations'. Children's 'best effort' books show their good progress over time in writing.

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Grade: 1

Standards in this aspect are outstanding. Attendance is exceptionally high because children love all aspects of school from playtimes to 'learning new things'. They are confident, concentrate well and use their initiative. They describe themselves accurately as 'helpful and friendly'. When asked to contribute to the job description for the new headteacher, they said they wanted someone who was 'knowledgeable, fair, interesting and responsible', and who 'really thinks children matter'; comments that reflect the values they learn in school. Older children provide excellent mentors for younger pupils, both academically and socially. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities or who are vulnerable are looked after well by their friends. The school council actively represents children's views helping to decide, for example, how the curriculum might be adapted to develop thinking skills. The result was a global

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Grade: 1

education programme, which has given children outstanding economic awareness, enabling them to debate the ethics and economics of shopping, for instance. Children fully understand the importance of living healthily - 'it gives us energy and keeps our concentration levels high' - and are physically active, participating in many competitive and other sporting activities. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Children are proud of their school and exhilarated by it. Behaviour is good, although the children say 'the playground rules still need sorting out because play space is limited.'

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good and sometimes outstanding. In the Foundation Stage, nursery children learn well, choosing from a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities with increasing independence. In Reception, learning accelerates in response to inspiring teaching that generates purposeful, productive activities with a strong imaginative and practical content despite limited space and access to outside resources. Good teaching takes place throughout the school with flashes of excellence in the teaching of older children. Teachers' good subject knowledge means they teach confidently and in a style that carries learners along in an enjoyable and productive way. The level of challenge is high for more able children and teachers carefully organise groupings so that less assured learners do not feel inhibited. Accurate assessment also ensures that those with significant learning difficulties have work that is well matched

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Grade: 2

to their needs. Support from teaching assistants is invariably of high quality. The 3 Inspection Report: Leavening Community Primary School, 27 March 2006 to 28 March 2006 strong focus on technical language benefits learning in science and mathematics and children learn the vocabulary to express their ideas cogently in writing. Where teaching quality is satisfactory, questioning is not sufficiently searching and targets are unspecific. Where the quality is outstanding, questioning instantly sharpens the perceptions of more able children. Marking is good and children are involved very well in assessing their own work.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with outstanding features. Overall, it is good in the Foundation Stage. Nursery children follow a balanced programme of indoor and outdoor activities. The curriculum for Reception children is heavily teacher-dependent and requires much ingenuity to ensure that children receive their full entitlement because of restricted indoor accommodation and limited access to outdoor resources. In Years 1 to 6, the strong emphasis on teaching the basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy contribute well to children's later progress. In addition, children learn French, which strengthens their language awareness and heightens their understanding of other cultures. There is a good range of extracurricular clubs and the range of educational visits is exceptionally wide. An outstanding feature is the fortnightly global education programme which gives children strong economic, business and social awareness as

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Grade: 2

they consider, for example, the ethics and comparative costings in the production of a 'normal' and a 'fair trade' banana.

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Grade: 1

Provision here is outstanding because it is based on an extremely accurate and informative assessment system that charts children's' academic progress alongside their personal development. There are effective systems to ensure child protection and children's health and safety, including healthy eating. Trusting relationships between staff and children promote their mutual respect and create a happy working environment where children can be exuberant learners. The school works well with parents and outside agencies to ensure that children, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities or who are vulnerable, make good progress. For example, participation in a university project enabled those with considerable learning difficulties to read with greater confidence. There is exceptional provision to promote children's future economic well-being by very effectively involving them in planning and running

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Grade: 1

community projects. Parents are very positive about the way children with challenging behaviour are managed and most subscribe to the view that 'the ethos of the school encourages children to be caring citizens'. 4 Inspection Report: Leavening Community Primary School, 27 March 2006 to 28 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. There is a strong team spirit from staff who work closely together under the headteacher's direction. The decision for the current headteacher to continue to manage the school part-time for the interim half term pending the new headteacher's arrival has been successful and ensured continuity. Notable improvements since the last inspection include broadening the curriculum, assessment systems, nursery provision and the role of the governors. The school's self-evaluation is largely accurate and the school improvement plan focuses on the right priorities, including improving the curricular provision for Reception children. Successful procedures are in place to monitor learning. The next step is to sharpen the points for development when monitoring teaching. Creative use of staffing gives staff time for management, planning and preparation. The use of support staff to

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Grade: 2

mange the global education programme has been very effective and benefited children enormously. Despite the constraints on management time that often occur in small schools, this very effective deployment has ensured a good work/life balance. Financial management is good. Governance is good, with judiciously chosen committees that reflect broad aspects of the school's work. Governors rightly say that this organisation enables them to 'to pick up where the issues lie'. The school is well run with dynamic initiatives on the go and exciting future projects planned. Leadership and management are forward-thinking and there is a real sense of community involvement. Parents and children are fully consulted about what goes on in school. The school has good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Leavening Community Primary School, 27 March 2006 to 28 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. 6 Inspection Report: Leavening Community Primary School, 27 March 2006 to 28 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 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 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 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 me to your school and for being so friendly and helpful. I really enjoyed my visit and want to share with you what I thought about your school. What I liked most about your school: - I think that you are taught well and that your teachers help you to think and work things out for yourselves - I am delighted that you all get on so well together and I enjoyed seeing the younger children feed the lambs and the older children try to beat their time in a mental mathematics game - I like your enthusiasm for school and the fact that you are so fully involved in all that goes on and that you find learning fun - your parents and carers are very pleased that you come to this school. What I have asked your school to do now: - I think that the Reception children need a bit more space indoors and more opportunities to play outside because they have such a lot to squash into in their classroom

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

- I think that when your teachers watch each other teach they should point out something that could be improved like they do when they mark your work. I liked talking to you and watching you learn and wish you well for the future.

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