Leighton Primary and Preschool

Inspection Report Leighton Primary School

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110743 Unique Reference Number CITY OF PETERBOROUGH Local Authority 288759 Inspection number 5 °6 February 2007 Inspection dates Geof Timms 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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Orton Malborne School address Primary Type of school Peterborough Community School category Cambridgeshire PE2 5PL 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01733 232949 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils Fax number 251 Number on roll (school) Mr Clifford Moore Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Philip Stewart Headteacher 13 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288759 5 °6 February 2007 4°11 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is bigger than most of its type. It serves an area of Peterborough which suffers from extensive deprivation. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals is double the national average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above average, although few have English as an additional language. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is well above average and the attainment on entry of many of the children is well below that typically expected. The school has a Healthy Schools award, Investors in People and an International School Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This good school provides its pupils with an effective and improving education. They achieve well given their ability when they start in Reception. Most parents agree that a major strength of the school is the outstanding care and personal support offered to their children and to many families. The school has realised that the best way to tackle underachievement is to involve the parents as early and as much as possible in their child's learning. This has led to the setting up of a pre-school group and the appointment of a family worker who is building effective links between school and home. The quality of provision and the progress made in the Reception class is good. The school has a number of outstanding features. Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is excellent. Their enjoyment of school is evident on their faces. One parent said, 'My child loves this

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Grade: 2

school so much that he even wants to wear his school coat at the weekends!' Pupils have an excellent understanding of how they can lead healthy lives. They have a good awareness of how to stay safe, and they make a good contribution to the local and wider community through international and other links. Pupils are developing good learning habits that are preparing them well for the next stage in their education and their future lives. Parents' views are summed up by one who said that the excellent education their son had received provided him with, 'skills that will equip him for life... next July he will leave the school a bright, confident and talented young man'. Although standards in English, mathematics and science are below average at the end of Year 6 they are rising and the progress made from when they start school is good. There are examples of very high quality art and design work. Pupils with learning

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Grade: 2

difficulties or disabilities, and those at an early stage of learning English, make good progress. The progress is good because the current teaching is consistently of good quality and provides sufficient challenge to ensure learning is effective. However, teachers do not always ensure pupils are fully aware of the purpose of the lessons or of what they need to do to be successful. There are times when the extra support provided for some pupils is not sufficiently flexible and they miss important class activities. All adults in the school promote very positive attitudes towards learning. This is helped by the outstanding curriculum offered to pupils, which takes account of their circumstances and offers extensive opportunities to enrich their learning. The school provides an excellent level of care, guidance and support. Pupils told inspectors that there are adults in school that they trust and with whom they can share worries

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Grade: 2

or concerns. Assessment is detailed and is used well to track pupils' progress. These features of the school reflect the hard work and outstanding leadership of the headteacher. The current senior leadership team is being restructured due to retirement and maternity leave. The governing body has also had major changes recently and is planning to develop its skills in monitoring the work of the school. The school has a willingness and good capacity to continually raise standards and improve further the quality of its work. The school gives good value for money. 2 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue and make more consistent the sharing with pupils of what they are expected to learn in lessons and how they will know they are successful. • Monitor the withdrawal of pupils from class lessons for extra support, to ensure they do not miss important activities. • Develop the role of the governors so that they understand more closely how successful the school is and how it needs to improve.

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Grade: 2

The attainment of most children when they enter the school is well below that expected. Children are particularly poor at communication and language skills, and at recognising and using numbers. Good teaching results in good progress in Reception and most children are close to achieving the expected levels by the time they start Year 1. Progress through Years 1 and 2 has been more inconsistent in the past and the teachers' assessments made at the end of Year 2 show that standards are still below those expected in reading, writing and mathematics. The progress made in Years 3 to 6 is better and the overall achievement in the school is good. Current Year 6 standards are higher than last year and most pupils are likely to achieve the challenging targets set for them. Standards in art and design are high and there is evidence of some exceptionally good quality work.

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Grade: 1

The excellence of the spiritual, moral, social, cultural and personal development opportunities, means pupils, many of whom enter school with little confidence and few social skills, leave as sociable, mature children well able to cope with the demands of secondary school. Carefully planned residential and whole school trips give many pupils valuable first hand experiences that they would not otherwise have had. Benefits in terms of pupils' enjoyment, improving self confidence, teamwork and broadening of horizons are plentiful. Pupils behave well and really enjoy their work. The partnership with a school in Africa is helping pupils understand about other people's lives and how they can help other communities. Creating the right conditions for learning is a strong feature of school life. Pupils can have free breakfast, milk, and daily fresh fruit. They also enjoy well balanced lunches. They are encouraged to take exercise and many do. Gardening on

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Grade: 1

the school allotment is popular. Pupils' know about how to keep safe. Much hard work goes into encouraging regular attendance by working with parents and the school is on track for a further rise in attendance this year. 3 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 2007

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Grade: 2

The teaching and learning are good because of the very strong, caring relationships teachers have built up with their pupils. This gives pupils the confidence to ask and answer questions, and to take a full part in activities. Teachers plan lessons in detail and provide different groups of pupils with work that is largely matched to their prior learning. There are good examples of teachers making clear to pupils what they are going to learn and how they will know they have been successful but this is not consistent in all teachers' practice. When the regular samples of written work are marked and levelled, the marking is very detailed and effective in helping pupils to know how they can improve. The very effective teaching assistants provide teachers with high quality support that has a positive impact especially on the less able pupils' progress. There are times, however, when pupils working outside a classroom miss an

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Grade: 2

important or interesting activity that would have been of benefit to them.

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Grade: 1

With enjoyment at the heart of everything, the school successfully manages to offer children excitement and new experiences so learning is never dull. Special themed days are the jewel in the crown; a war time evacuation of the whole school by steam train, with everyone in costume, was an experience many will always remember. A number of activities have been particularly tailored to appeal to boys, to help raise their standards. There is an excellent range of clubs and sporting opportunities, visits out and visitors, such as the skipping workshop which has inspired many to take this up at playtimes. Conscious of the needs of the children, the personal, social and health education work is strong.

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Grade: 1

There are rigorous procedures for child protection and ensuring safety in school. The requirements for safeguarding children in school are met. Children feel safe and happy because they are well supervised, they have excellent relationships with staff and the school has a very positive ethos that celebrates their success. They trust the adults to listen and to deal with their concerns. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported and make good progress. The school supports children with social or behavioural difficulties exceptionally well through group work and growing liaison with parents. There are good links with other agencies to provide extra help when needed. Pupils receive good support and guidance in their class work. Their attainment is assessed regularly and the records are used well to plan additional support.

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Grade: 1

4 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 2007

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Grade: 2

The headteacher leads with energy, enthusiasm and a determination to ensure that pupils receive the very best opportunities. His outstanding leadership has successfully ensured that pupil's care and personal development, as well as the curriculum offered to them, are of the highest quality. Raising standards in English and mathematics remains a key aim which is slowly but surely being realised. Parents are very supportive of the school and staff work hard to bring them on board. New arrangements for subject leadership are working well and leadership is good overall. Governors give generously of their time in supporting the school. The governing body has undergone a number of recent changes, and improving its understanding, so that it can provide the school with an appropriate level of challenge, is an agreed area for development. The school's self evaluation is accurate and honest and provides a good basis for

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Grade: 2

further improvement. It is based on detailed monitoring procedures and a growing use of available data. 5 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 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? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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? 3 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 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? 8 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

7 February 2007 Dear Children Leighton Primary School, Orton Malborne, Peterborough, PE2 5PL Thank you very much for the way you helped us with the inspection of the school. You were very friendly and welcoming, and gave us a lot of ideas about what you like about the school. We especially enjoyed meeting with the school council and with the others of you who have important roles in the school. We also enjoyed watching you in the playground and we were very impressed with your skipping skills! You told us how much you enjoy being at school and we could see that from your smiles! We agree with you and most of your parents that you are at a good school where you are being exceptionally well looked after. The school gives you the chance to do a lot of things you might not otherwise be able to do. We think you work hard most of the time and you do learn a lot of new things as you go through the school. You are lucky to have such a hard working team of teachers, as well as the other

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

adults, all of whom offer you an excellent level of care and support. You behave very well in lessons and this helps your teachers teach you. We think you need to keep working hard so you get better at most things but we were able to see some very high quality art work and many of you clearly have a real talent for art. So that the school can carry on getting better, we think your teachers need to: • Make sure you know exactly what you are going to learn in each lesson and show you how you will know you have been successful. • Check on the times some of you go out for very good chances to work with other adults to make sure you don't miss anything important or interesting. We also think the governors need to get better at checking how well the school is doing. Thank you again for your help. Enjoy your time at Leighton and keep working hard! Geof Timms Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Leighton Primary School, 5 °6 February 2007

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