The St Peter and St Paul C of E Primary School

Inspection Report Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School

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120566 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LEA LEA 282947 Inspection number 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005 Inspection dates Mr. Adrian Gray LI Reporting inspector

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

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Wainfleeet Road School address Primary Type of school PE24 5ED Voluntary controlled School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01754810241 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01754811650 Fax number 203 Number on roll Mrs.Debbie Stone Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Shaun Canadine Headteacher 19 May 2003 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282947 16 November 2005 - 4 to 11 17 November 2005 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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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

When St Peter and St Paul Primary school was inspected in May 2003, it was judged to require special measures because it was failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education. Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI) subsequently visited the school on five occasions to monitor its progress. The school was re-inspected in November 2005 by one HMI and an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Primary School is a Church of England school which serves the town of Burgh-le-Marsh and several small villages nearby. The area is relatively advantaged although fewer than average pupils come from households of a high social class or with higher education. A few of the pupils come from the town of Skegness. There are 203 pupils on roll, aged from 4 to 11. An unusually large proportion of the pupils are boys. Almost all of the pupils come from a White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need is low and the proportion on the register of special educational needs is also low.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it might reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to pupils' progress. The school evaluates its current effectiveness as satisfactory but it is the judgement of the inspection team that it is inadequate, although there has been improvement over the last six months. Standards and progress are generally good in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, except when progress has slowed due to staff absence. In Key Stage 2, standards were too low in 2005 because progress was poor. As a result, the school does not offer satisfactory value for money. Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory overall; their behaviour is often good but

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Grade: 4

in some classes their enjoyment of learning is too restricted. This is a result of the limited range of teaching strategies adopted; therefore pupils are not developing workplace skills as effectively as they might. The school has made recent improvements in aspects of teaching and learning, such as assessment, so that it is now satisfactory, but the extent of good teaching is still limited. As a result, the progress of more able pupils is still not always adequate. The curriculum is satisfactory. The care, guidance and support of pupils are satisfactory but the school has not carried out all appropriate risk assessments. Leadership and management are now satisfactory but are recovering from a recent period when they were inadequate. The headteacher has won back the confidence of staff, but further work is needed to gain the full support of governors and parents. The headteacher's evaluation of the school's performance has also

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Grade: 4

improved and this is helping to develop a more effective agenda for its improvement, led by two able senior members of staff. Governance is now good. The school is now demonstrating the capacity to improve. The school's improvement overall since the last inspection has been inadequate. Pupils' standards at the end of Key Stage 2 have not risen consistently and progress has declined further so that it was poor in the 2005 national tests. The school does not yet have evidence of rising standards in the foundation subjects. Improvements in leadership and management have been inconsistent and this aspect was inadequate until recently; the recent improvements have not had time to have a sustained impact on standards. There has been a good improvement in the work of the governing body. The improvement in teaching has been satisfactory, but the frequent changes of staff have made sustained progress difficult; there remains too little good teaching. Procedures for assessing pupils'

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Grade: 4

progress have improved, but attainment data is not always used effectively in planning, especially to meet the needs of more able pupils. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) has improved. Good progress has been made in promoting an understanding of cultural diversity. The school's provision for the Foundation Stage is good. Teaching is good and the leadership of this area is also effective. There is good support from teaching assistants. However, the reception class does not have access to an appropriate outside play area. 2 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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What the school should do to improve further

- raise standards in Key Stage 2 in all subjects; - continue to use the headteacher's development plan to improve the leadership of the school; - use the improved assessment systems to plan more effectively for the needs of more able learners; - stimulate pupils' enthusiasm for learning by increasing the range of learning activities; - improve outdoor play facilities for the Foundation Stage pupils; - complete the assessment of physical risks for all areas of the school's work; - meet statutory requirements by having policies for sex, relationships and drugs education.

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Grade: 4

Attainment on entry to the school has been in line with, or above, the national standard over the last few years. Standards in the Foundation Stage improved in 2005. Pupils' attainment of the Early Learning Goals was above average in language, mathematical and creative development. It was below average in social and physical development as well as knowledge and understanding of the world, but these areas showed clear improvement from the low standards of 2004. Standards attained in national assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 were above average, especially in reading and mathematics where standards have been consistently good for the last three years. Although standards fell slightly in writing, they were still above average. However, the proportion of pupils gaining the higher Level 3 fell. Pupils make a good start to their education, although progress was affected in 2004-5 by staff absence. Standards

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Grade: 4

at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2005 fell in English and mathematics but rose in science. In English and mathematics they are now below the average, and broadly in line with it in science. The school set itself challenging targets for all children to reach Level 4, which it did not attain. The progress made by pupils between the ages of 7 and 11 was very poor; progress in comparison to similar children was amongst the poorest in the country in mathematics and also very low in English and science. The progress made by children of average and above average prior attainment was inadequate. Progress over the last few years has been affected by discontinuity in teaching, the incomplete delivery of the curriculum in mathematics and science, and insufficient challenge especially for more able pupils.

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Grade: 3

Children's personal development is satisfactory and has some good features. Children like coming to school and they enjoy many lessons. They are well behaved and have positive attitudes to their work, particularly the younger pupils. Children's spiritual development is satisfactory. In assemblies children listen well and enjoy singing together. They reflect thoughtfully on important traditions, such as the meaning of Advent. Children play safely together and are happy in the playground, showing that they have good moral and social awareness. Their cultural development has improved and is now satisfactory. Children have a better understanding of the wide range of 3 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005 different cultures and religions in the world. Attendance is satisfactory. Most children attend regularly. The school rightly discourages parents from taking holidays in term

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Grade: 3

times. Teachers encourage children to be healthy, to exercise and to be safe. Children carry out duties effectively, such as keeping the library tidy and raising funds for charities. However, there is no school council or equivalent system where they can take greater responsibility at school or show leadership. The school's expectations of what children can organise are too low. Links with local churches are good but other community links are limited. Children do not achieve as well as they can in Years 3 to 6, therefore they do not acquire the full range of skills of which they are capable. Other workplace skills are limited in development because pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to develop skills such as independent learning, leadership and teamwork.

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Grade: 3

The school judges the quality of teaching to be satisfactory with none that is inadequate; inspectors agree with the first part of this evaluation. The quality of teaching over the last year has been affected by staff absence and change. A number of parents expressed strong concerns about staff absence. Where classes have been, or are being, taught by more than one teacher or under temporary arrangements, there is a resulting disruption to the pace of learning which particularly affects more able pupils. Where this has occurred, for example in Year 1 last year, the school is aware that pupils' progress was less than expected. There has also been too little good teaching to address pupils' weaknesses and the school has also identified areas of the curriculum which have not been delivered. There is some good teaching in all of the key stages across the school but there is a smaller proportion of it in Key Stage 2.

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Grade: 3

Overall, there is too little good teaching to fully address the legacy of slow progress in the recent past. The strongest lessons featured the rapid development of a linked set of learning activities, careful consideration of how to interest and stimulate the children, and planning which addressed the needs of all learners. In these lessons, children showed positive attitudes to their learning. The most significant weaknesses in teaching relate to the degree of challenge provided, especially for more able children. Some whole class teaching lacks pace and the range of new learning being undertaken is too limited. On occasions, the tasks set for different group of learners lacked sufficient variation in the degree of challenge involved. Children also face too little variation in the type of learning activities they undertake; they are rarely asked to take responsibility for their own learning by developing independent or group learning

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Grade: 3

skills so that learning does not contribute significantly to their social development. The school has been slow to update its policies for marking and assessment, but it has made sound progress in the development of its practice. Marking is often good. Class targets are now widely used with some progress being made in the development of individual pupil targets; however, this practice is not yet extensive enough to provide sufficient challenge for all learners. 4 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It meets the basic learning needs of all children and the provision for literacy, numeracy and ICT is improving. However, there are gaps in children's knowledge that affect their current progress in mathematics and science, because aspects of those subjects were not taught fully in the past. The work young children complete in Reception is interesting and stimulating although they lack ready access to outdoor play facilities. The school places too little emphasis on children solving problems, team work activities and lessons where children make decisions. Teachers have low expectations and consequently children do not enjoy their education as much as they might or develop their thinking skills widely. The curriculum for children with learning difficulties meets their needs. They make better progress than some other children because what they need to do next in each lesson has been

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Grade: 3

identified accurately in their individual education plans. Support staff use the targets well to help children learn effectively. The range of visits to places outside school is limited. However, visits and visitors contribute positively to children's social and cultural development. The range of extra-curricular activities is satisfactory. Children are offered, for example, sports, art and craft and choir clubs.

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Grade: 3

The school makes satisfactory provision for children's care, guidance and support and children feel secure. The school contributes appropriately to children's personal development and teachers create a constructive atmosphere for learning in most lessons. Children take some responsibility for their own learning, such as by working towards the targets they have in some subjects that they have discussed with their teachers. Parents know that their children like school. However a significant number do not think that the school communicates well enough with them about important matters, such as how well their children are doing at school. Children who have learning difficulties or disabilities are well supported. The school has good links with outside agencies that help children. One parent commented very positively about how well the school has helped her child. The school makes sure that all children have an equal

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Grade: 3

chance to take part in whatever goes on. Child protection procedures are in place and staff are aware of their responsibilities. The very good accommodation is well maintained, but not all assessments of physical risk have been completed. The school does not have written policies for sex and relationships education and drugs education, which are statutory requirements.

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Grade: 3

The school evaluates its leadership and management as satisfactory. In the judgement of the inspectors, leadership and management has been inadequate until recently but is now improving and is broadly satisfactory overall. However, the legacy of poor 5 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005 leadership is still evident in the inadequate progress of pupils in recent tests. The school leadership has not yet won the complete confidence of parents and the community. The school has taken steps to replace a senior member of staff who resigned recently, but this additional senior member of staff has not yet taken up her post. The school has responded to criticism of its leadership and management by redefining the roles and purpose of the senior team. The permanent and temporary members of the leadership team are developing increasingly strategic roles. These

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Grade: 3

leaders have a good understanding of the important educational issues facing the school. The headteacher has responded to the challenges of a personal action plan and morale among the staff has improved. The headteacher and other members of the team have monitored lessons appropriately although the overall assessment of teaching quality is generally too generous and does not always identify strategic weaknesses. However, a more urgent agenda for the school's development is being pursued, with an emphasis on assessment, planning and learning. The management of subject areas has been affected by staff absence, notably in literacy. The school's monitoring and evaluation of its own performance has improved and is now satisfactory. The school's analysis of pupils' attainment has improved sharply in respect of national test performance data; there is now a sharper focus on progress. The quality of information supplied to governors has also improved. The governing body has an

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Grade: 3

appropriate committee structure with a prominent role given to its school improvement committee. The recent annual parents' meeting was well attended with parents asking rigorous questions about staffing difficulties and homework. The governors have responded vigorously to recent criticisms of the school's progress with a detailed and carefully structured action plan. They now hold the school leaders to account very effectively; for example, the finance committee was effective in holding the headteacher to account over his report. The work of the governors is good overall. The school maintains an appropriate file of policies but some of these have not been reviewed for four years. The school has not introduced policies for education in drugs and sexual health. 6 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Burgh-le-Marsh St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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Inspection judgements

16-19 School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Inspection judgements

NA 4 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of 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 No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Inspection judgements

Achievement and standards NA 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Inspection judgements

NA 4 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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Inspection judgements

Personal development and well-being NA 3 How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? NA 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 4 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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Inspection judgements

The quality of provision NA 3 How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? NA 3 How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? NA 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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Inspection judgements

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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Annex A

Leadership and management NA 3 How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement 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 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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Annex A

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 The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements No 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 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships No 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

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Annex A

wider community The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills No 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 visiting your school during the recent inspection and I know that my colleague, Mr Fry, also did. Over the last two years I have got to know some of you and your teachers very well, and you have always made me feel welcome. The good news this time is that we believe your school has made some improvements. The things that we were pleased with included: - the teaching and learning in the reception class - the teaching and learning in Key Stage 1 - we saw some good teaching in every Key Stage - the behaviour of the children was good - the school is much better at judging how well you are doing in your work - the governors take their jobs very seriously and care a great deal about how well the school is helping you. We have left Mr Canadine and the other teachers with some suggestions for things that could be improved further. Inspectors will come back in about a year to check on how much progress they have

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

made. Our suggestions include: - helping children in Key Stage 2 to make much more progress in their work; - giving your opportunities to take more of a leading role in the school through a School Council; - setting you some more challenging learning tasks, such as working in teams or planning your own pieces of work.

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