Nocton Community Primary School

Nocton Community Primary School Inspection report

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120383 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE Local Authority 291707 Inspection number 28 °29 March 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 58 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D Glew Chair Mr N Dowler Headteacher 29 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection School Lane School address Nocton Lincoln Lincolnshire LN4 2BJ

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01526 320234 Telephone number 01526 320234 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 28 °29 March 2007 Inspection dates 291707 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a very small school that serves the village of Nocton and surrounding area. All of the pupils are from a White British background. The proportion that has learning difficulties or disabilities is broadly average, although very high in some cohorts. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is above average. Larger than average numbers of pupils join or leave the school at times other than those that are normal for entry or transfer. Pupils' attainment on entry to the reception class is broadly in line with what is typically seen in this age-group.

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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: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which offers its pupils an effective education. It is a caring school, where every pupil is treated as an individual. The school places a high priority on pupils' good personal development but there is also a strong focus on obtaining high standards and this is evident in the above average results achieved each year. One parent said 'I strongly feel that the school recognises that every child has potential, no matter what their ability.' This view is supported by the inspection findings. The school provides good value for money, has continued to improve since the last inspection and clearly has a good capacity to improve further. Because this is a very small school, the attainment shown by children when they enter the Reception class varies a lot from year to year. The overall picture is broadly average but this also changes as children move through the school due to the higher than average levels of

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Grade: 2

mobility. Because of this, the school works hard to ensure that each individual makes good progress and as a result, overall standards are regularly above average by the end of Year 6. Standards are highest in mathematics; this is a subject in which the school is very strong. Standards are also often good in science, reading, speaking and listening. However, although still at least satisfactory, standards are somewhat lower in writing. This is a relative weakness that the school has recognised and work to improve writing skills has already begun to have a positive impact. Pupils' good personal development is evident in the pleasure they so clearly take in coming to school as well as in their positive attitudes to learning, their very good relationships and their excellent behaviour. They act very responsibly when they are given jobs to do, and work well together. They have a very good understanding of how to keep healthy and safe. A good basic

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Grade: 2

curriculum helps pupils to develop good skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) that prepare them well for the future. However, limited opportunities for pupils to write at length in other subjects adversely affect overall standards of writing. Good personal development and above average standards are the result of consistently good quality teaching throughout the school. Teachers work hard to plan activities that are well matched to different age groups and abilities. This is based on accurate assessment and good, challenging target setting, which helps pupils know what is expected of them. The marking of pupils' work in literacy in Years 4, 5 and 6 is excellent. However, this quality is not as consistently evident in other subjects or classes. The school has recognised that pupils are not always able to assess how well they have done themselves and that this would be a useful

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Grade: 2

skill for them to develop before moving on to secondary school. The school is well led by the headteacher. Improvements to subject leadership have been agreed and put in place following a recent review, but these will need time to become established before they can have the impact the school intends. However, self evaluation is good. The governing body are knowledgeable about recent improvements at the school and offer good support for new initiatives. Major strengths in the good leadership and management are the school's willingness to look outside for help, advice and support and the ways staff work in partnership with others, such as local schools, to extend and enrich the pupils' experiences.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of pupils' writing by providing them with more opportunities to write at length in different subjects and for different purposes. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 2007 • Develop pupils' skills in identifying how best they might improve their own and others' work, and ensure greater consistency in teachers' marking in all classes and subjects.

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Grade: 2

From one year to the next, children entering Reception vary greatly in their personal and social development and this significantly affects their ability to settle quickly and to make the progress the school expects. In addition, some cohorts, as is the case with the current Reception year, have many more boys than girls and this too is reflected in their attainment. The present Reception class had good skills in their mathematical and physical development when they started school but less well developed skills in literacy and creative development. Over time the school's assessment of attainment on entry shows that it is broadly in line with that typically found in this age-group. They subsequently make good progress and many achieve above average standards by the end of the Reception year. The good progress remains largely consistent throughout the school, although standards vary, especially if the small year groups have high proportions of pupils with learning difficulties.

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Grade: 2

Even so, these pupils also make good progress and achieve well. Consequently, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are usually above average by the end of Year 2. Pupils continue to progress well as they move up the school and overall standards are normally above average by the end of Year 6. Standards are highest in mathematics, although standards in writing are somewhat lower than other core subjects.

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Grade: 2

This was a strong aspect at the last inspection and it has been maintained and built upon. Pupils have very good attitudes towards school and learning, and these have a positive impact on their achievement. The school works hard to create a very positive ethos and this is reflected in pupils' profound enjoyment of their time in school. One parent said 'Our children are so relaxed and as a result their level of enjoyment has increased as has their desire to learn.' Attendance is above average. Pupils' behaviour is outstanding and they take great pride in their work and in their school. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Their experience of the world is being effectively extended through some international links. The school council is made up of mature and articulate pupils who would, rightly, like to see their role develop further.

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Grade: 2

The teachers make a good and effective team. They know all pupils on an individual basis and this helps create the good relationships evident throughout the school. Recent innovations, such as sharing the objectives of lessons or deciding on the success criteria that will show how good pupils' learning is, are proving very successful. Teaching assistants are very knowledgeable and provide excellent support for staff, especially with the Reception children. The marking of pupils' work in literacy in Years 4, 5 and 6 is excellent and helps pupils understand clearly what they have done well and how they can improve their work. This very effective practice is not consistent in other subjects or classes. The school has recognised that it should do more to 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 2007 encourage pupils to develop skills that will help them assess and improve their own or each

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good quality, well planned and structured curriculum. Importantly, the curriculum properly meets the needs of all pupils, even though many are in classes with up to three age groups. Children in the Reception Year receive a good combination of academic and play-based learning. The planning of literacy and numeracy ensures sufficient time is available for pupils to gain good key skills in English and mathematics. Computer skills are developed well throughout the school; this good quality provision, together with effective home support, has generated some very impressive termly homework projects which extend pupils' learning well. There are, however, too few opportunities for pupils to write at length in other subjects and to build on their good basic skills through problem-solving activities. The school provides good extra-curricular opportunities through a wide range of clubs and activities. Particularly

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Grade: 2

in sport and team games, pupils have good opportunities to mix with those from other schools. The school makes effective use of visitors and the local community to enrich pupils' learning. Provision for pupils' personal, social and health education is good.

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Grade: 2

This is a very caring school where staff have a good knowledge of the pupils and their families. Pupils say they feel safe in school and they are happy there is an adult they could talk to and trust, if needed. The school meets national requirements for ensuring pupils' safety, although it recognises the need to update staff training on child protection. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is good. The improved quality of the assessment information available to teachers means that they now offer pupils accurate guidance about their performance and set appropriate targets for their subsequent progress. Pupils who are exceeding expectations are well catered for and those falling behind are provided with appropriate support. Links and communication with parents are good and supported by their responses. One parent said 'The individual attention and care given is fantastic!'

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides good leadership that is clearly focused on raising standards of achievement as well as developing good quality personal development and levels of care. He is well supported by efficient administrative staff and the good teaching team. Recent changes to the subject leadership have yet to have a clear impact on raising standards but staff understand their role well and have clear and detailed action plans for future development. A strength of the school is its willingness to extend available expertise and experience by looking outside the school and, for example, building school improvement initiatives with other local schools. These initiatives have included developing the systems for monitoring performance and analysing this so that appropriate intervention in learning can be made at an early stage. The governing body is very supportive of the school and governors are active in visiting and

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Grade: 2

attending events. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 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: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 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? 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 2 The attendance of learners 1 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: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 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: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

30 March 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Nocton Community Primary School, School Lane, Nocton, Lincolnshire, LN4 2BJ I want to say thank you for the way you made me feel welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed my time with you and found you very friendly and helpful. I particularly enjoyed meeting the school council who shared with me the many things they liked about school and they were very interested in how they could help make the school better in the future. I think you are fortunate to be at such a good school, and one in such a beautiful setting. You obviously think you are lucky to be at Nocton as well because you and your parents told me how much you enjoy your time there. You work hard and your behaviour at school is outstanding. This makes it much easier for teachers to teach you new things. Because of this, most of you do well at school. You make good progress and you reach high standards that prepare you well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

for moving to secondary school. You are especially good at mathematics, and you do very well in your sporting activities as well. The teaching is good and all of the adults care for you and look after you well. The staff know you all as individuals, and they know your families well too and this makes it easier for them to provide suitable work for you. Mr Dowler leads the school well and he makes sure that everything done in the school is aimed at helping you succeed. Like most schools, there are things that can be done to make it even better. I have asked the teachers to do the following. • Give you opportunities to write more, in other subjects as well as in literacy. • Make the teachers' marking of your work more precise and help you get better at judging for yourselves how well you have done. Once again, thank you for your help and I hope you carry on working hard and enjoying your time at Nocton.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Geof Timms Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Nocton Community Primary School, 28 °29 March 2007

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