The St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, Great Gonerby

St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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120601 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE Local Authority 291795 Inspection number 19 June 2007 Inspection date Martin Cragg HMI 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 112 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Elizabeth Jackson Chair Mr David Williams Headteacher 1 July 2002 Date of previous school inspection High Street School address Great Gonerby Lincolnshire NG31 8LB

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01476565896 Telephone number 01476565896 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 19 June 2007 Inspection date 291795 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Sebastian's school is smaller than average and serves the village of Great Gonerby although some pupils travel to the school from out of the immediate area. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The large majority of pupils are of White British origin although a very small number speak English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need is broadly average but the percentage with learning difficulties or disabilities is well above average.

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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: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 2007

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Grade: 2

Parents were overwhelmingly positive in their responses to the questionnaire. One wrote, 'I cannot praise the school enough for the education they provide for my child.' Others described the school as 'a happy and safe environment' where 'teachers focus on the individual needs of pupils' and provide 'excellent care and support'. St Sebastian's school provides good education for its pupils. Its particular strength is the ethos of respect and care rooted in its faith status. Children are known well by staff at the school and they are treated as individuals. This is reflected in the time put aside by the headteacher and by class teachers to talk to pupils about their experience of school and their learning, a feature commented on by several parents. In this supportive environment, pupils develop confidence, show positive attitudes to their learning and feel safe. They behave well and their attendance is well above average. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are identified

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Grade: 2

early and provided with relevant support to aid their learning and social development. Pupils enter the school with standards that are below national expectations, especially in communication, language and literacy. The profile of each year group varies considerably, generally with more boys than girls and few with the highest levels of ability. There is also a relatively high number of pupils who join the school or leave during the year, especially in Key Stage 2. Pupils make good progress through the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 to achieve standards which are broadly average by the end of Year 2. Although results dipped in 2006, they have recovered to the level of previous years in 2007. By the end of Year 6, pupils generally make good progress to reach standards that are in line with the national average. They are often above average in mathematics and science but, although results in English are average,

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Grade: 2

areas of literacy such as pupils' range of vocabulary and oral skills are underdeveloped. Pupils of all abilities made good progress in the lessons observed during the inspection. The quality of teaching and learning is good. It is consistent across the school. Teachers plan well for the range of ability in classes and use a good variety of activities to engage the interest of pupils. Teachers assess pupils' work regularly and this information is used to identify those who need additional help. It is also increasingly used to shape planning and inform the curriculum. The curriculum is good and meets statutory requirements. Teachers select topics to match pupils' interests where possible. The growing range of activities, events and trips provide good support for pupils' personal development. Although key literacy skills are planned into some subjects across the curriculum, this is not yet consistent enough.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The school has clear direction provided by the headteacher and shared by staff and governors. There is a strong commitment to improving the achievement and personal development of pupils. The headteacher's evaluation of the school's strengths and weaknesses is accurate and takes into account the views of pupils and parents. Subject leaders know what needs improvement and have put strategies in place. They monitor assessment and teachers' planning closely but do not yet observe lessons formally. The school has good partnerships with the community, local churches, other schools and external agencies which contribute well to pupils' personal development. Most of the issues from the last inspection have been resolved successfully although work in some areas of literacy is still in progress. There is good capacity to improve further. Overall, the school provides good value

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Grade: 2

for money. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' breadth of vocabulary and oral skills, especially in Key Stage 2. • Ensure that teachers plan effectively to reinforce key literacy skills in other subjects across the curriculum. • Improve the monitoring of provision and evaluation of progress by engaging subject leaders in regular lesson observations.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Pupils enter the school with abilities which are below national expectations and there is considerable variation in the size and profiles of different year groups. Pupils make good progress to reach standards that are broadly average by the end of Year 2. They generally make good progress to reach standards that are in line with the national average by the end of Year 6 and often above average in mathematics and science. They are set challenging targets which most achieve. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who learn English as an additional language make generally good progress from their starting points.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also good. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Their attendance is very good. They show respect for each other and work together effectively. Pupils are regularly expected to collaborate in pairs and small groups. They say that they feel safe and that any bullying is dealt with promptly. Pupils understand the need for a healthy diet and take an active part in sports events and clubs. They enjoy their learning and contribute well in class. They take responsibility through assemblies and as monitors. Pupils understand different cultures and are racially tolerant. They welcome new pupils to the school warmly and give them special attention. Older pupils act as playground leaders after thorough training. There is a lively ecology group which has ambitious plans for the school community. Pupils develop satisfactory

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Grade: 2

skills for their future working lives with good teamwork but less sophisticated oral skills.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are consistently good. Teachers match work well to pupils' needs. They use a good variety of activities to make learning interesting. They encourage pupils to learn through applying skills, as seen in a lesson using data collected on pulse rates before and during exercise to devise graphs. Teachers also use interactive white boards effectively; for example, in a lesson where a short film clip was used to get young children to predict a story line and describe characters. As a result, most pupils are enthusiastic and make good progress. Lessons are conducted with good pace and relationships are very good. Teaching assistants are used effectively to support the learning of individuals and small groups. Teachers assess pupils' work regularly and monitor their progress. This information is used well to identify those who need additional support and, increasingly, to focus lesson planning on areas of weakness.

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Grade: 2

5 of 10 Inspection Report: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 2007

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad and balanced and supported well by a growing range of activities, events and trips which develop pupils' confidence and social skills. The Foundation Stage provides children with a good range of activities and experiences, including opportunities for them to make choices in their learning. Key literacy skills are not yet consistently planned into other subjects. The curriculum is well supported by good quality display in classrooms and around the school, including photographs of pupils at work as well as examples of their work. This maintains their interest and stimulates their recall of earlier learning.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils are good. The school vigorously promotes respect and equal value for all. Relationships are very good and pupils respond positively to the models of behaviour set by staff. Pupils with specific needs receive good support through programmes which are carefully matched to their needs. There is good support from external agencies. Parents are provided with good information on their children's progress. The school ensures that pupils understand safe behaviour; for example, by using the story of a little girl who wandered away from her parents. The school meets all the requirements for safeguarding children.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher provides strong direction for the school and monitors teaching and learning thoroughly. He knows the school's strengths and weaknesses. The school improvement plan contains appropriate areas for development. Subject leaders monitor assessments and teachers' planning to identify priorities but do not yet observe lessons formally to evaluate impact. Staff work effectively as a team. The school caters well for all its pupils whatever their needs. Resources are deployed effectively to meet the needs of pupils and parents comment positively on class size. Learning resources are good and accommodation is used effectively. Governors have a good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. The school has tackled most of the issues from its last inspection report successfully and has good capacity to improve further. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 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: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 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 2 The behaviour of learners 1 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: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 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: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 June 2007 Dear Children Inspection of St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, Great Gonerby, NG31 8LB I visited your school recently to see how well you were doing in your lessons and how much you enjoyed school. Thank you for the welcome you gave me. I enjoyed talking to some of you in lessons and at lunchtime. I was impressed by your friendliness and the views you had about your school. My inspection found that yours is a good school. You are well looked after by your teachers and you get on well with them and with each other. You feel safe and you told me that any bullying was dealt with quickly. You make good progress in your lessons because teaching is good. You work well together and answer questions with enthusiasm. You enjoy the range of topics that you learn about, especially when you use computers or practical work. Your teachers take a lot of care in finding out about you and helping you to learn. Most of you know what

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you need to improve in your work. The school is well led and your teachers and other staff work well together. When I asked you what you would change, you told me about the playground. There are some areas of the school's work that I have suggested should be improved. • I have asked the school to encourage you to use a wider range of words in your speaking and writing. • I also suggested that you need to practise your reading and writing more in other subjects. • I asked your teachers to watch each other teach sometimes so that they can see how well you are doing. I am sure that your school will continue to be a happy and a safe place for you to learn. I enjoyed visiting you and hope that you are successful in your learning. Yours sincerely Martin Cragg Her Majesty's Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, 19 June 2007

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