Long Whatton Church of England Primary School and Community Centre

Inspection Report Long Whatton Church of England Primary School

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120142 Unique Reference Number Leicestershire Local Authority 291645 Inspection number 5 December 2006 Inspection date David Cox 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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The Green School address Primary Type of school Long Whatton Voluntary controlled School category Loughborough LE12 5DB 4 °10 Age range of pupils 01509 842239 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01509 842239 Fax number 59 Number on roll (school) Graeme Matravers Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Susan Landon Headteacher 1 February 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 291645 5 December 2006 4 °10 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Long Whatton Church of England Primary School is a smaller than average sized primary school. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The percentage of pupils who have learning difficulties is broadly average. Children's attainment on entry to Reception is generally above average and above average in most year groups. The number of boys compared to girls in each year group varies significantly year on year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good education. Pupils achieve well and reach exceptionally high standards because the teaching and the curriculum are good. Parents and pupils are very happy with the school. They appreciate the good care, guidance and support which underpin pupils' good personal development and well-being. 'I would recommend the school' was one parent's comment and, 'a very supportive, encouraging staff who work very hard' was another. Children make a good start in Reception. Good teaching enables them to make good progress in all aspects of their learning. Attainment on entry to Year 1 is above average. This good progress continues in Years 1 and 2. Hence by the end of Year 2, standards are well above average overall. Pupils do particularly well in writing and mathematics, where standards are exceptionally high. Boys' reading skills are not quite so high because they have not always found the available materials

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Grade: 2

interesting and their progress still lags behind that of the girls. By the time pupils leave Year 5, standards are exceptionally high in English, mathematics and science. Pupils feel safe and speak enthusiastically about how they enjoy their time at school. They appreciate the support they get from adults in the school. Pupils behave well because adults actively promote the school's caring ethos and encourage pupils to be courteous and polite. Pupils are encouraged to express their opinions through the school council. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles. Their concern for others is demonstrated through their participation in the many fundraising events organised by the school. Pupils support their community well. They have a good knowledge of environmental issues through their extensive visits to the local and wider community. Pupils develop good basic skills which prepare them well for later life. This is a well-led and

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Grade: 2

well-managed school. The headteacher provides good leadership and is particularly successful in promoting pupils' personal development and maintaining high standards. Governors support the school very well. Leaders have shown that they can move the school forward and also maintain its strengths. The monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum, to ensure that it meets the needs of the difference in the number of boys and girls from year to year, is not sufficiently rigorous.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards of boys' reading skills by ensuring that teachers make full and effective use of the new resources and recently introduced strategies for improvement. • Rigorously monitor and evaluate the curriculum in order to take greater account of the difference in the number of boys and girls each year.

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Grade: 2

During their time in Reception, children make good progress, with most achieving beyond what is expected nationally by the time they start in Year 1. They respond well to exciting activities which extend children's development in all areas of learning. From 2 Inspection Report: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006 their entry to the school, pupils make good progress so that by the end of Year 5, standards are exceptionally high. Results from optional tests for pupils in Year 5 in 2006 and pupils' current work show that standards are being maintained. In 2005, standards by the end of Year 2 were well above average in writing and mathematics but not quite so high in reading. The school has correctly identified that the standard of boys' reading skills needs to be raised even further throughout the school. A range of strategies are now being used to help these pupils to improve, for example the

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Grade: 2

introduction of a wider range of reading materials to capture boys' interest. These measures have not been in place long enough yet to have a full impact. Targets for improvement are challenging and these are helping almost all pupils to achieve well.

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Grade: 2

Pupil's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have a good awareness of the diverse cultural society in which they live because the school has forged strong links with inner city multi-ethnic schools. Pupils' social skills are good and are enhanced by residential visits in Years 3 to 5 and through team-building activities. Pupils take responsibility to look after one another. The school is a harmonious community where pupils share a mutual respect for each other and behave well in and around the school. There are very good relationships between all adults and pupils. Pupils' attitudes to learning are very good and their attendance is well above the national average. They all say how much they enjoy lessons, particularly when teachers make them interesting ° 'teachers provide good activities and opportunities to express ourselves'. Members of the school council are proud of their

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Grade: 2

role and talk enthusiastically about how they are helping to shape their school, for example making posters to show pupils how to care for the additional playtime equipment which they asked for. Pupils are well prepared for growing up, and talk confidently about the need for a healthy lifestyle, being aware of the dangers of drugs, smoking and strangers.

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Grade: 2

In Reception, teachers place a strong emphasis upon enhancing children's personal, social and emotional development and as a consequence, very good progress is made in this area of learning. Teachers ensure that opportunities to develop children's language skills are included in most activities. Throughout the school, teachers know the pupils well and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers have high expectations of what the pupils can achieve and this contributes to the high standards of work and the pupils' good personal development. Teachers focus on what pupils are learning, which enables them to assess their attainment and to plan for them to make progress. Teachers' questions, clear explanations and good use of appropriate 3 Inspection Report: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006 vocabulary help to improve the pupils' listening skills and extend their spoken language.

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Grade: 2

Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress because there is effective support from teaching assistants. Occasionally, opportunities for pupils to read are missed. New resources and a range of strategies are now being used to help improve boys' reading skills

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Grade: 2

The curriculum in Reception is good and caters well for all areas of learning. Children settle quickly and enjoy a wide range of interesting and well-planned activities. The two-year planning cycle in Years 1 and 2 and a three-year cycle in Years 3, 4 and 5 are effective and good account is taken of the mixed ages in the different classes. However, the planned curriculum does not always make sure that all pupils of all genders make equal progress. The curriculum is very well enriched by a range of visits, including a residential stay where team-building activities help pupils develop their social skills. A wide variety of extra-curricular activities is enjoyed by all pupils. In addition to a strong focus on developing pupils' literacy, numeracy and computer skills, good provision is made to broaden their experiences through physical and creative study. Life skills are taught through carefully planned personal and social education, helping

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Grade: 2

pupils to learn how to adopt healthy lifestyles. There are good links with local high schools. Staff meet regularly with heads of departments of curriculum areas to ensure continuity in learning for those pupils who leave the school at the end of Year 5.

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Grade: 2

The good quality of care is evident as the staff know their pupils well and have a high level of commitment, ensuring the school site is a stimulating, safe, secure and well-maintained environment. Teaching assistants provide valuable support for pupils with learning difficulties to ensure they make good progress. Children in Reception make a good start, due to effective settling arrangements. The school is a happy, friendly place where pupils feel safe and are confident to ask an adult for help and advice whenever necessary. Child protection procedures are securely in place. Risk assessments take place regularly both within the school and for all visits. Assessment procedures and tracking are good and ensure all pupils make appropriate progress. Pupils' personal targets have been introduced to help them improve their work over time, but these are inconsistently used between classes.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides good leadership, promoting and sustaining a clear sense of direction for the work of the school. The ethos is such that pupils thrive and are happy to come to school. There is a strong focus on raising standards and promoting the personal development and well-being of pupils. The steps taken since the previous 4 Inspection Report: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006 inspection have been effective and standards continue to rise. The school's priorities are the right ones. Plans for improvement are based upon a review of the strengths and weaknesses in performance. However, systems for evaluating the impact of curriculum planning to meet the needs of gender differences evident in many year groups are not consistent. There are good partnerships with parents and outside agencies to support the school's work. Governors are highly committed to the school.

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Grade: 2

They challenge the headteacher when necessary, give the school good support and make sure statutory requirements are met. 5 Inspection Report: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006 .

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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: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006

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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? 1 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 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006

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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: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

As you know, we visited your school recently to find out how well Long Whatton is doing. We would like to thank you for looking after us so well. We enjoyed talking with so many of you, during playtime and lunchtime, about your school, the work you have done and how much you enjoy coming to school. We think that the school is providing you with a good education. What we found During your time in Reception, you make good progress because your teachers know you well and provide you with lots of exciting things to do. Those of you in Year 1 to 5 continue to make good progress and attain exceptionally high standards in Year 5 because your teachers help you to work hard and provide you with interesting activities most of the time. You like coming to school and say there is very little that you would change. You enjoy all the extra activities and visits that you take part in. The adults in your school look after you well. Your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

parents also value the good care that you receive. Most of you bring healthy food in your lunchboxes and the school also gives you lots of healthy food throughout the day. Your headteacher and all other staff know what works well in the school and what needs to be done to make it even better. We have asked the school to help some of you, especially the boys, to improve your reading. We have also asked the teachers to make sure that they change some of the activities they give you when there are more boys than girls in the class. Thank you once again for your help. 9 Inspection Report: Long Whatton Church of England Primary School, 5 December 2006

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