New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School

New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School Inspection report

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112509 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289303 Inspection number 23 °24 April 2007 Inspection dates Sheelagh Barnes 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 Community School category 5 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 274 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Christopher Chair Mrs G Clubbs Headteacher 5 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection New Station Road School address Bolsover Chesterfield Derbyshire S44 6PY

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01246 823240 Telephone number 01246 825478 Fax number

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5 °11 Age group 23 °24 April 2007 Inspection dates 289303 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 over two days by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School is of above average size. More pupils than seen nationally are eligible for free school meals. None speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is well above average at around a third. There is high pupil mobility as families move into and out of the area. Attainment on entry to the Nursery class covers the full range, but overall is well below the expected levels for children of that age. The school has undergone many staff changes in recent times including cover for long term absences through illness and maternity leave. This has involved twelve new appointments, some on temporary contracts. There are currently five teachers who have been appointed since 2005. The majority of these changes have occurred in Key Stage 2. The school is currently led by an acting headteacher and there is, at present, no deputy head. The school

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Description of the school

has been awarded with Quality Mark, Eco-Schools Bronze and Healthy School Status.

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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: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides good value for money. Inspectors agree with the school's evaluation of standards and pupils' overall achievement. Children get a good start to their education in the Nursery and Reception classes (Foundation Stage) where the recent focus has been on developing early literacy and numeracy skills in particular. Pupils' progress and achievement in the rest of the school is good overall for all groups including those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Standards are broadly average in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils' achieve well. Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Pupils behave satisfactorily, due to good management by all staff and make good progress towards developing into caring and considerate members of society. They make a good contribution to their local community through such things as a gardening project to

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Grade: 2

improve the environment and appearance in the locality. Pupils enjoy lessons and most are keen to come to school. Attendance is satisfactory. The school prepares pupils satisfactorily for the next stage of their education. Parents are generally supportive of the school and appreciative of its work. Teaching and learning are good for pupils from all groups. Teachers set challenging targets for pupils with reference to their ages and relationships are good. Assessment procedures are good. Staff have made assessment more rigorous and accurate, but are in the early stages of using this to individualise learning for each pupil. Teachers do not always mark pupils' work effectively and so they are not as clear as they could be about how to improve. The curriculum is satisfactory, with a suitable range of interesting and exciting extra-curricular activities. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is satisfactory overall. It is good for literacy and numeracy,

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Grade: 2

but the school acknowledges the need to develop outdoor learning and physical education opportunities further for these children. Provision for pupils' care and welfare is good and good attention is paid to health and safety issues. Leadership and management are good and have been effective in raising achievement and supporting learners from all groups. The acting headteacher leads the school well. She acknowledges the strengths of the school and is keen to build on these. Governors are very supportive of the school and are effectively involved in evaluation and development planning. Subject leaders are beginning to develop systems to monitor the progress of individuals and groups with greater rigour and accuracy, particularly in English and mathematics. The school has identified the need for staff with management roles to develop skills further in monitoring and planning for improvements. The school's leadership uses self-evaluation well and has a

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop a structured, outdoor learning programme for children in the Nursery and reception classes. • Mark pupils' work more consistently and thoroughly so that they know how to improve. • Develop co-ordinators' roles in monitoring their subjects and planning for improvement. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good for pupils from all groups. Children make good, steady progress in the Foundation Stage, particularly in early literacy and numeracy skills. However, standards are still below those expected at the start of Year 1. This is mostly because of the significantly below average level of skills some pupils start school with. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress. Standards are broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Achievement in the recent past has been slower for pupils in Years 3 to 6, but this is no longer the case because teaching has improved. Currently, achievement and progress are good. Pupils attain and sometimes exceed their targets. Standards are broadly in line with expectations for English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 2

Pupils develop well in their personal lives. They enjoy school and the varied activities on offer in lessons and on visits. Attendance is satisfactory, and is improving because of the strong and increasingly effective measures that are now in place. On balance, pupils' behaviour is satisfactory. Most behave well and act responsibly, however, a small number occasionally need support. Pupils know how to lead healthy lives, and speak well of exciting activities such as Tai Chi and Keep Fit. Pupils' social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good, with assemblies, visits and visitors contributing well to the learning in lessons. Many pupils regularly take responsibilities such as being official friends to others, helping with dinners or in the playgrounds. School council members have been closely involved in improving lunchtime arrangements and interviewing candidates for the new headteacher's post. Pupils are

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Grade: 2

satisfactorily prepared for their future lives and are confident that when they go to the next school, they 'will be fine'.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers work together well as a team, ensuring pupils of all ages make good progress. They teach literacy and numeracy skills very effectively. In the Foundation Stage, children achieve well because learning is fun. The best lessons are rooted in good relationships and high expectations. Work is well explained, managed and directed. Activities capture pupils' interest. Teaching assistants make a positive contribution, enabling pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities to make as much progress as other pupils. Although teaching is good, the school recognises that some aspects need further fine tuning. Occasionally, activities lack challenge and the pace of lessons is sometimes not brisk enough. Assessment procedures are good but marking varies in quality. Some pupils know their targets and receive clear advice about how they can improve their work, but this is not yet consistent

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Grade: 2

practice across the school. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 2007

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Grade: 3

The school offers a satisfactory curriculum. The school promotes healthy lifestyles well. Achievements, such as the Healthy Schools Award, acknowledge pupils' good understanding of how to keep active and healthy. The work of the learning mentors, combined with a good personal, social and health education programme make a strong positive contribution and help to ensure every pupil has access to the curriculum. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities receive a really good level of support. Many pupils take part enthusiastically in a varied range of clubs and sporting activities, which add to their enjoyment of learning. The school makes good use of visits and visitors to support learning in class and successfully bring the curriculum alive. The strong emphasis placed on developing language skills in the Foundation Stage gives children a good start. There is, however, insufficient focus on physical development and some

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Grade: 3

work adheres more closely to the National Curriculum for older pupils than the areas of learning prescribed for children this age.

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Grade: 2

The provision for care, guidance and support is good. The school has secure systems for safeguarding pupils' welfare and school procedures meet current requirements in all respects. Staff are well trained in child protection matters and how to manage behaviour. Pupils say that they feel confident in being able to talk to staff if problems arise, and in having matters sorted out well. Staff regularly and accurately assess how well pupils are making progress in their personal and academic learning. Some involve pupils and parents in setting targets for the future. Individual pupils and classes eagerly support the 'Top Scorer' reward system that encourages good behaviour. Pupils may nominate classmates who they think need extra support, and spontaneously cheer in assembly when results are announced each week. Pupils with learning difficulties receive good support to help their learning. This may take the

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Grade: 2

form of different targets, questions and activities, having the help of a classroom assistant for some of the time, or joining extra 'booster' and support groups for English and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

The acting headteacher and the governing body, effectively supported by the local authority, lead the school well. The overall self-evaluation, led by the acting headteacher is accurate and perceptive. It has focussed on the appropriate areas for improvement. As a result, there has been a measurable good improvement in pupils' attendance, behaviour, attitudes and the standards they achieve. The leadership and management roles of co-ordinators are at varying stages of development. This is due in part to the recent appointment of some teachers, and also to the sensible priority placed on raising standards in literacy and numeracy. The school makes a good contribution to community cohesion, for example through links with the local community centre. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 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?

2 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: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 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: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

24 April 2007 Dear Children, Inspection of New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, New Station Road, Bolsover, Derbyshire. Thank you for welcoming us to your school when we visited recently. We really enjoyed meeting you all and talking to you. What we liked most about your school. • Everyone is given the help they need to succeed and do well. • Older children really care about the younger ones. • You work hard and make good progress because teachers make learning fun. • You enjoy keeping fit and know a lot about healthy eating. • You do a lot of things to help in the community, such as gardening and working with the community centre. • Ms Clubbs does a good job of leading your school. What we have asked your teachers to do now. • Tell you how to improve when they mark your work. • Make outdoor activities more exciting for the children in the Nursery and Reception classes. • For teachers in charge of subjects to find out how well you are doing and how to use this to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

make your learning even better. Thank you once again for being so helpful and friendly. Mrs Barnes Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: New Bolsover Primary and Nursery School, 23 °24 April 2007

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