Lady Elizabeth Hastings CofE Primary School

Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School Inspection report

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108100 Unique Reference Number Leeds Local Authority 288026 Inspection number 4 July 2007 Inspection date Philip Cole Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 5 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 119 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs A Jarvis Chair Mrs V West Headteacher 11 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection Green Lane School address Ledston Castleford West Yorkshire WF10 2BD

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01977 557758 Telephone number 01977 604155 Fax number

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5 °11 Age group 4 July 2007 Inspection date 288026 Inspection number .

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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 smaller than average size Church of England voluntary aided school serves the village of Ledston and a wide surrounding area. Most of the houses are owner occupied. Virtually all of the pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average, as is the proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features, and has made strong improvement since its last inspection report. Parents are very supportive of the school. They praise the dedication and the approachability of staff and are very pleased with the progress their children make. Pupils say that they are fully involved in school life, enjoy lessons and the many interesting things they do, and feel that is 'like a big family' in which everyone gets on very well with each other. Pupils' personal development is outstanding. Their behaviour is excellent, they feel safe and secure and they report that bullying is very rare. Pupils show maturity, are confident and eagerly take on responsibilities. They have an excellent understanding of what they need to do to keep healthy. They choose healthy options, helped to devise the menus for school lunches and enjoy the many opportunities they have to exercise. Their very good basic skills and excellent personal

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Grade: 2

development enable them to face life's future challenges with great confidence. By Year 6 standards are well above average and pupils' achievement is very good in English, mathematics and science. Results in national tests have been above average, and often significantly above average, for several years. All pupils across Key Stages 1 and 2 make good progress because teaching is consistently very good. Progress in the Reception year has been satisfactory but is now accelerating as the recent improvements to the provision here beds down. Effective support is given to pupils who find learning difficult, and those who benefit from additional challenge are strongly encouraged to achieve well. Although teachers ensure that pupils understand the purpose of lessons, and this focuses their efforts well, there is no consistent approach to this across the school. Teachers make very good use of the resources

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Grade: 2

at their disposal to achieve what has been planned. They provide pupils with good advice when marking their work but do not always ensure that pupils act on what they have suggested. The very good curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in literacy and numeracy to other subjects. It is enriched by the strong links with local primary and secondary schools. These links extend sporting opportunities, and the learning of modern foreign languages, and promote very effective curriculum development. For example, teachers weave problem solving wherever possible into the teaching of mathematics. Pupils enjoy the wide range of clubs on offer to them. Pupils thrive in this school because of the outstanding care, support and guidance they receive. They feel safe and happy because all adults understand their individual needs extremely well and deal with any problems quickly and effectively. Sensitive and imaginative approaches,

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Grade: 2

including the very effective contribution of outreach workers, are very successful in improving pupils' social skills and their self-esteem. Pupils find the targets they are given in literacy and numeracy helpful, but differences in how they are used between classes limits their overall effectiveness. Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher has been very effective in sustaining well above average standards and very good achievement over several years and has very successfully developed the contributions made by all teachers, and particularly senior staff, to the process of making the school even better. Governors have a very good understanding of school based on their own evaluations of its effectiveness. Although the school has excellent systems for evaluating how well it is performing, judgements made on pupils' personal development, their care, guidance and support and on leadership and management are too

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Grade: 2

4 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007 modest, reflecting the high expectations evident in the school. Improvement since the last inspection has been strong and the school is extremely well placed to make further improvements. It provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop consistent approaches to how the purposes of lessons are explained to pupils and to how they are told about what they can do to improve their work. • Ensure that all pupils respond to the suggestions for improvement that teachers make on their completed work.

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Reception year with skill levels that are similar to what would be expected for this age group. They make satisfactory progress in the class they share with some Year 1 pupils. Pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 make very good progress and by the end of Year 6 attain standards well above national averages in English, mathematics and science. Many pupils reach the higher levels in the tests. This represents very good achievement. Above average or well above standards and good or very good achievement have often been achieved in recent years in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. All pupils, including those who find learning difficult, the gifted and talented and the very few from minority ethnic groups, achieve equally well. The progress made by pupils currently in school shows that they are on track to exceed the challenging targets the school sets.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good and reflects the strong curriculum and excellent care and guidance provided in school. They have good self-awareness, behave excellently, enjoy very positive and caring relationships and work very well with each other. For pupils in a school where virtually everyone is of White British heritage they have a satisfactory understanding of the different cultures found in Britain today. Their attendance is well above average. Pupils are proud of what they have done to make the school better, for example through their suggestions to develop recycling and the friendship area. They are proactive in raising funds to support charities through 'Fun Days' and enjoy the responsibilities they have, for example caring for younger children at breaktimes, and representing their class on the school council and their school at the Family of Schools Council.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is consistently strong across the school. The provision that is made for children in Reception is well matched to their needs but this recent development is still 'bedding down' and its full impact has yet to be felt. Teachers expect all pupils to work hard. They use questions skilfully to tease out ideas and challenge pupils. Activities are well matched to the needs of the different groups, including the different year groups in mixed age classes. Skilful assistants provide effective support to those who need it, both in class and when working with small groups. Teachers make very good use of resources such as the interactive whiteboards, the 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007 laptop computers found in each class and practical equipment, to develop their explanations and to extend pupils' thinking. Displays in classrooms support learning well. Teachers mark

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Grade: 2

pupils' work regularly and provide helpful comments and feedback to make it better. However, they do not always make sure that pupils respond to what they have said, which reduces the impact of their marking; in a minority of cases, this limits the good progress normally made by pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is reviewed regularly and modified in order to further improve pupils' learning. For example, providing more time for writing and placing a much stronger emphasis on problem solving in mathematics and investigations in science have raised standards in these core subjects. Visits and involvement in the 'carousels' of creative activities, sports, modern foreign languages and information and communication technology enhance learning and add to pupils' enjoyment. The school has established links with schools in Africa, Spain and France which successfully promote pupils' understanding of different ways of life in other countries. Satisfactory opportunities are provided to help them understand the different cultures found in Britain. Learning opportunities are enriched by pupils' participation in the good range of clubs and opportunities to engage in activities with children from local schools.

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Grade: 1

Pupils achieve well because they are very happy and feel secure in school. They enjoy excellent relationships with very caring adults. The programmes to promote their personal development are very effective and make a very valuable contribution to their outstanding personal development. When any problems arise, whether to do with pupils' welfare or with progress in their learning, they are very effectively dealt with, often in close partnership with parents. The school uses support services imaginatively, for example to develop the social skills and self-esteem of a group of pupils. Pupils' progress is tracked very closely and effective action is taken to support those whose performance dips and those who need extra help.

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Grade: 1

The lack of depth in leadership and management highlighted in the last report has been very successfully tackled. There is now a very strong and professional leadership team which is fully involved in the rigorous monitoring and evaluation of how well the school is doing, and in leading initiatives to bring about improvements. Teachers, in their roles as subject leaders, also play their full part. The school carries out some exemplary work within the local family of schools to develop initiatives which have had a very beneficial effect on pupils' learning. Governors regularly observe lessons and review provision in their linked subjects; they then report their findings to their colleagues. As a result, they have a very good understanding of the school and are confident in holding leaders to account should this be necessary. Staff and governors contribute fully to the very effective plans for making the school better.

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Grade: 1

6 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Lady E Hastings C of E Primary School, Ledston WF10 2BD I really enjoyed my visit. Your school is a good school and has improved since its last inspection. Everyone looks after you very carefully. I know from what you told me that you enjoy coming to school because of all the interesting things you get to do. Your behaviour is excellent; you work very hard in lessons and get on very well with each other. I was impressed with your understanding of what you need to do to keep fit and healthy. You have really helped to improve the school, through your ideas for the recycling and the friendship area. Your teachers plan your lessons carefully to make them interesting and they challenge you to do your best. This ensures that you make very good progress and do very well in the tests in Year 2 and Year 6. All the grown-ups in school, including the governors, work very hard to make your school the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

best they can. It is good that the school has made improvements for the children in the Reception class. All your teachers try hard to make sure you understand what you will be learning in each lesson and they all give you targets to help you make your work better. However, each teacher does this is a different way and it would more helpful to you if they all did the same. Your teachers also make some very helpful comments in your books. I have asked your teachers to make sure that you always do what they suggest in these comments, and then your work would be even better. Your parents are delighted that you come to such a good school and I am sure you will continue to be very happy there. I would like to thank you for being so friendly and welcoming. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Lady E Hastings CofE Primary School, 4 July 2007

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