North Scarle Primary School

Inspection Report North Scarle Primary School

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120385 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE Local Authority 291708 Inspection number 13 °14 February 2007 Inspection dates Martin Newell 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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School Lane School address Primary Type of school North Scarle, Lincoln Community School category Lincolnshire LN6 9EY 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01522 778724 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01522 778724 Fax number 64 Number on roll (school) Mrs B Wells MBE Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs K McCann Headteacher 23 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291708 13 °14 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller-than-average size primary school which serves the village of North Scarle. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need are both similar to those found nationally. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds and, of the very small number of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds, none are at an early stage of learning English.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school and the pupils are justifiably proud of the quality of education that it provides. Many parents spoke positively about the school and 'its tremendous community feel... a place where children love coming to learn... a true village school'. The school has made good improvement since the last inspection and, under the good leadership of the headteacher, demonstrates a strong capacity to improve further. The school provides good value for money. The small numbers of pupils in each year group often results in standards varying from year to year. However, national data and inspection findings show that all pupils make good progress and achieve well and standards are often above average by the time that pupils leave the school. This good progress owes much to the good quality of teaching which is often challenging, meets the needs of pupils well and takes place in an environment that is conducive to effective learning. However, formal and rigorous

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Grade: 2

procedures for providing an overview as to how well pupils are doing and regular reviewing of targets are not yet fully embedded in school practice. Pupils' personal development is good. There are high levels of mutual respect between adults and pupils; pupils feel valued and that they have a voice that is listened to. Pupils behave well and speak positively and appreciatively about their time at school. Attendance is above the national average. Pupils have a good awareness of what is needed to keep fit, healthy and safe and make a much valued contribution to local community life. The school provides a good curriculum, including good provision in the Foundation Stage, that adds much to pupils' standards, achievement and enjoyment of school. However, the school recognises that learning could be made even more interesting and stimulating by pupils using their good literacy, numeracy and computer skills in innovative and exciting enterprise activities and more cross-curricular work

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Grade: 2

and projects. The good level of care on hand for all pupils is a strong feature of the school and helps pupils to grow in self-confidence and to leave the school as well-rounded individuals. Leadership and management, including governance, are good. The headteacher leads the school well and has set an accurate agenda for improvement that is clearly articulated in its rigorous self-evaluation. The school's judgement of its own effectiveness is at times a little modest but reflects its desire and determination to provide a high quality of education. Subject leaders are now rightly playing a more active role in evaluating teaching and standards, and plans are already in place to strengthen this role further. The school is well supported by a knowledgeable governing body who share the headteacher's commitment to ensuring that pupils fulfil their potential.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils' progress is more formally and regularly tracked and targets reviewed to further impact on pupils' achievement. 2 Inspection Report: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 February 2007 • Provide more opportunities for pupils to put their basic skills to the test in innovative and exciting enterprise initiatives and cross-curricular work that make learning more thought-provoking and enjoyable.

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Grade: 2

Year group sizes are often small and, for example, there are currently only three pupils in the Reception class and eight in Year 2 and Year 6. Attainment when pupils start at the school varies but is broadly average overall. The good teaching and provision in the Foundation Stage enable all pupils to make good progress. Standards are currently securely in line with national expectations in all areas of learning by the end of Reception Year. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2 have fluctuated over the past three years and are currently a little above average. This represents good progress and achievement given the pupils' starting point and reflects the quality of the teaching, which is good. Pupils of all abilities continue to achieve well as they move through Years 3 to 6. This is reflected in the national value-added data which clearly points to good progress. Standards in English,

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Grade: 2

mathematics and science are currently above average and there has been a marked improvement in writing standards, which has been a school priority. There is, however, scope for further improvement in the school's tracking and target setting procedures so that their impact on pupils' achievement becomes stronger.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Pupils are reflective and a strong sense of community wraps around the school. They behave well and show a genuine concern for one another. Pupils pointed out, 'We might sometimes fall out but bullying doesn't happen here.' Pupils' awareness of other cultures is developing well, although there is still work to be done. Pupils are proud of their school. They feel safe and valued and their enjoyment of all that the school offers is reflected in the above-average attendance rates. Pupils have a strong grasp of what is needed to keep fit and healthy because of the school's commitment to promoting these important ideals. Pupils are only too willing to make a telling contribution to the school and local community through, for example, positive play leaders, class councils, delivering food parcels for the housebound and cooking

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Grade: 2

meals for elderly residents of the village. Pupils develop a good range of skills and qualities to help them in later life but they are not put to the test enough in innovative, relevant and exciting enterprise initiatives that would further enhance their learning and enjoyment. 3 Inspection Report: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement owes much to the good quality teaching. Across the school the very positive relationships and the mutual respect between adults and pupils create a calm and productive learning environment. The good teaching of writing and investigative skills has impacted well on raising standards in these areas of the curriculum. Regular and effective use is made of computers and interactive whiteboards to help bring learning to life. Teaching assistants play an influential role in enhancing pupils' achievement. Teaching is most effective when lessons not only have pace and challenge but also bring a buzz of excitement and a real onus is put on pupils taking initiative and responsibility for their own learning. These attributes, though present, are not consistently evident throughout school. Good procedures are in place for assessing how well pupils are doing in different subjects. The weaker aspect is that

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Grade: 2

the information is not yet collated well enough to effectively inform target setting procedures and thereby to impact on pupil achievement. Although marking is regular, and in some classes it is good, there are instances when it does not give pupils enough guidance on the next steps to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum, where pupils' English, mathematics, science and computer skills are developed well. This helps pupils to build a good foundation for their next school and, eventually, the world of work. The school goes the extra mile to enliven the curriculum through a good emphasis on subjects such as art and design, design and technology and the teaching of French. The school knows there is still work to be done in linking subjects and looking at ways of really testing out pupils' basic skills in more exciting ways. The school makes good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and this enables them to achieve as well as their classmates. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to learn about keeping fit, safe and healthy and to contribute significantly to events in the local community. Given the small size of the school, there is a good array of after-school clubs and, although

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Grade: 2

satisfactory at present, the school is, rightly, looking to expand the number of visits and visitors to school to further broaden pupils' learning experiences.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good levels of care and support for all its pupils and the individuality of pupils is both recognised and celebrated. All staff know pupils well and the well-being of pupils is at the centre of the school's work. Procedures for safeguarding pupils and for child protection are effective. The strong links with outside support agencies ensure that pupils who may need extra help, be it academic, personal 4 Inspection Report: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 February 2007 or social, receive the necessary support. Discussions with pupils indicate that they have a good understanding of academic targets they are working towards. The good teaching and helpful guidance in lessons help pupils to make good progress, but procedures to formally track pupils' progress and achievement and to add further to pupils' academic development are not yet firmly embedded in school practice.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher provides strong and caring leadership. In her short time in post she has quickly and astutely identified and started to tackle the areas the school needs to address to take it on to its next level. She is firmly focused on raising standards and achievement through the introduction of a stimulating and exciting curriculum and the more rigorous tracking of pupils' progress. The headteacher analyses assessment data well and has already introduced a more rigorous approach to school self-evaluation. In this small school, the headteacher and governors recognise the importance of sensibly sharing responsibilities between staff. There are high expectations of how subject leaders should evaluate the quality of teaching and learning and, although this is work in progress, their roles are developing well. Governors are enthusiastic and supportive

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Grade: 2

and are regular visitors to the school on both a formal and informal basis. The Chair of governors has a good grasp of where the school is at and of its planned path to further success. Community cohesion is promoted well because the views of parents and pupils are actively sought and both express their satisfaction with and appreciation of the quality of education the school provides. 5 Inspection Report: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 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: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 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? 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 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: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 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: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

15 February 2007 Dear Children North Scarle Primary School, School Lane, North Scarle, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN6 9EY You may remember that I recently visited your school and this letter is to tell you what I found out. But first, I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for making my stay so enjoyable and for making me welcome. I had the chance to talk to lots of you, including all the Year 6 pupils and members of the class councils. It was good to hear that you really enjoy school and the after-school clubs, and that bullying is not an issue at North Scarle. You will be pleased to hear that I think North Scarle is a good school. Teaching is good and that helps to make sure that you make good progress and do well in subjects such as English, mathematics and science. Your headteacher runs the school well and together with all staff at the school makes sure that you are well looked after, are happy and safe and that you are

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

encouraged to keep fit and healthy. Another strength of the school is you! You behave well, are keen to learn and are respectful to all the adults in school. I have made some suggestions as to how the staff can make the school an even better place for you to learn. I have asked teachers to more regularly check up and record how well you are doing and to provide more exciting and interesting ways in which your good English, mathematical and computer skills can be put to the test. All the staff and the governors want the school to get better and better. Having met you, I am sure you will want to play your part by always behaving well and trying your best. I wish you every success for your future. It was a pleasure to meet you. Martin Newell Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: North Scarle Primary School, 13 °14 February 2007

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