Friskney All Saints Church of England (Aided) Primary School

Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School Inspection report

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120620 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE Local Authority 291801 Inspection number 7 June 2007 Inspection date Colin Henderson 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 184 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Lynette Corten-Miller Chair Mrs Yvonne Shaw Headteacher 9 December 2002 Date of previous school inspection Church End School address Friskney Boston Lincolnshire PE22 8RD

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01754 820324 Telephone number 01754 820324 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 7 June 2007 Inspection date 291801 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 in one day.

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Description of the school

Most children come from the local and nearby villages, with an increasing number coming from outside the immediate area. This is an area of significant deprivation with high levels of unemployment. Almost all pupils speak English as their first language. Most, but not all, children start in the Foundation Stage with below average skills and many have no access to pre-school activities. The number of pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is higher than many other schools of this size. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average as some parents, for various reasons, do not take up their entitlement. The school has received the 'Investors in People' award and is part of the East Coast Partnership for sporting achievement.

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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: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 June 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school that serves its community very well and gives excellent value for money. It is valued highly by pupils and parents alike, as reflected in many parents' comments such as, 'I came to this school as a child and wish it was as good then as it is now'. A key factor in the school's success is the outstanding leadership of the headteacher. She has created a very effective and supportive team that has enabled new staff to settle quickly and contribute successfully to improving the school. Key staff manage their responsibilities very well and provide a continual focus on improvement. Excellent self-evaluation procedures help staff and governors to know how well the school is doing and to plan for its further development. This has resulted in outstanding progress since the last inspection. Teaching has improved to a consistently good level, with examples of outstanding practice, particularly in the Foundation

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Grade: 1

Stage. As a result, pupils' achievement throughout the school is good. Reception children get an excellent start to school in Red class. They benefit from very effective teaching, high quality individual care and support and a stimulating and well-organised range of learning activities. Most attain the standards expected of them by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils continue to achieve well from Years 1 to 6. This is mainly a result of teachers and teaching assistants using assessments very effectively to carefully track individual pupils' progress and plan interesting work, matched closely to their different learning needs. It is particularly effective in supporting the high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities to make excellent progress towards their learning targets. Standards vary from year to year as there are significant differences in the small cohorts of pupils. The school's Christian, caring ethos promotes outstanding personal development and well

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Grade: 1

being. Pupils clearly enjoy school and this is reflected in their good attendance and enthusiastic attitudes to work. Relationships are outstanding throughout the school, as reflected by older pupils looking after the younger ones at lunchtime. Pupils' behaviour has improved hugely since the last inspection and is exemplary in class and around the school. They talk enthusiastically about the interesting range of activities, particularly sporting, although some have expressed concern over the restrictions imposed by the very small hall. They have an excellent understanding of safe and healthy lifestyles, resulting mainly from such initiatives as 'Healthy School Day' and the school council's contribution to the School Travel Plan. The school has strong links with parents, the local community and other local schools and these enrich its programme and support pupils' achievement successfully. Staff know their pupils very well and provide outstanding care, support and guidance. Pupils

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Grade: 1

are confident about approaching any adult if they have a concern. The school has excellent procedures for safeguarding pupils. All staff use assessment information very well to check carefully on how well their pupils are doing. Some make outstanding use of the data to support specific groups of pupils and help them make excellent progress. This is planned for further use with other groups. Teachers guide pupils successfully to improve their weaknesses through the very effective use of individual and group targets, good marking and some self-assessment. This improves standards by helping pupils to know the level of their work and what they need to do to improve it. The leadership and management are outstanding. This is particularly evident in the way the headteacher leads the school and enables other key staff to provide effective leadership. The 'Friskney Team' is strong and includes all staff, a supportive and influential governing body,

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Grade: 1

4 of 10 Inspection Report: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 June 2007 pupils and their parents and carers. They continually seek to improve the school; for example, by developing a good curriculum based on themes, whereby pupils have more opportunities to use their key literacy and numeracy skills in a broad range of subjects. Given the capacity of this very effective team, the school is exceptionally well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Enhance the opportunities for pupils to apply their key skills in a broad range of subjects. • Use the examples of outstanding practice to guide all teachers and teaching assistants on how to support pupils to achieve higher standards

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Grade: 2

Children in Foundation Stage make exceptional progress and their achievement is outstanding in all areas of learning. Most attain the nationally expected targets by the end of the Reception year. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 achieve well because teachers plan carefully to meet the range of pupils' needs and use an interesting range of teaching approaches that generates enthusiasm for learning. Standards of attainment are improving. Year 2 pupils attain average standards overall with assessments showing good recent improvements in writing and mathematics. An increasing proportion of Year 2 pupils are attaining above national average levels. Standards at Year 6 have improved over the last three years to above average levels, especially in mathematics and science. However, they are lower in the current Years 5 and 6 as these cohorts have high levels of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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Grade: 1

The caring, Christian approach is valued highly by parents and is reflected in the high priority given to pupils' personal development. They enjoy school, get on very well together and their attendance is good. Excellent behaviour management encourages pupils to behave very well, including the very few who have behavioural difficulties. Pupils are eager to learn. Their economic well-being is promoted strongly; for example, through their involvement in the Young Enterprise Project with a local supermarket. Pupils know how to keep safe and healthy, and they participate in a good range of physical activities, including 'WOW' - walks once a week around the school grounds. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and supported very successfully by strong links with the local community, particularly the church.

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Grade: 2

Teaching in the Foundation Stage is outstanding. The children benefit from an environment that has greatly improved since the last inspection. Teachers and teaching assistants make imaginative use of it to create stimulating and well organised learning activities. Teaching is good in Years 1 to 6, with some outstanding examples. Teachers use interesting teaching approaches to capture pupils' attention; for example, in the style of a quiz to improve language use. Assessments are used very well to plan lessons. This is the reason why the school 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 June 2007 is able to meet the needs of different pupils so well. Key basic skills are taught well. Teachers manage their classes well to ensure that pupils sustain their concentration. They ask questions effectively to encourage pupils to contribute their ideas, although teachers do not consistently

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Grade: 2

use increasingly complex questions to challenge more able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The range of learning activities in the Foundation Stage is outstanding. It is good for Years 1 to 6. It is planned well to support the achievement of pupils of different abilities, particularly those with learning difficulties or disabilities. Pupils are enthusiastic about theme days and weeks, and the good range of clubs and trips that are well supported. Almost all of Years 5 and 6 were on a residential trip to Derbyshire during the inspection. The school plans to provide more opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum by developing a thematic approach for the next school year.

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Grade: 1

Staff know pupils very well and work hard to provide an outstanding level of care, guidance and support. There are very secure systems for ensuring pupils' safety and protection that meet government requirements fully. Pupils' academic progress is assessed regularly and accurately. They are encouraged to improve their work through effective marking and guidance from teachers, as well as through individual and group improvement targets. The outstanding guidance and support given by some teaching and support staff helps many pupils to make exceptional progress, especially those with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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Grade: 1

The leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher provides strong and purposeful leadership. She has established a very effective team approach and successfully encourages staff and governors to unite in rigorously checking on how well the school is doing and targeting improvement through detailed action planning. Governors provide good support to the school and exercise effective oversight. The headteacher and subject leaders make very good use of assessment data to carefully track pupils' achievement. They identify weaknesses in pupils' subject skills and knowledge and then improve them, for example, in science. They encourage teachers to target the pupils who are in need of further help or should be achieving better. The excellent management of specific support strategies contributes to the achievement of some groups of pupils, particularly those with learning difficulties and disabilities. The school

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Grade: 1

plans to extend the use of such high quality support programmes to benefit more pupils. By distributing leadership and management responsibilities across a broad range of staff, the headteacher has enabled her colleagues to tackle weaknesses rigorously and contribute effectively to improving the school. A close scrutiny of teaching, supported by excellent opportunities for staff to extend their professional skills, ensures that leaders promote consistently good quality provision. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 June 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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?

1 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: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 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: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

8 June 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, Church End, Friskney, Boston, Lincolnshire PE22 8RD Thank you for being so friendly and making me feel welcome when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and watching you learn. I think that you go to an excellent school. These were the things I liked most about your school. • All the adults care about you as individuals. They make sure that you are safe and you always have someone to turn to if you are worried. • You all get on very well together. I particularly like the way that the older ones look after the younger ones at lunchtime. • Your behaviour is excellent and you clearly enjoy school. This means that teachers can get on with the job of helping you learn. • Teachers make your lessons interesting and all the adults put a lot of effort into helping you do well. You enjoy your work and try hard to do what your teachers ask.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• You have a good understanding of how to improve your work. You know your own improvement targets and are keen to achieve them. • The school puts on many interesting activities, clubs and trips. I know that you enjoy these very much. • Mrs Shaw, the staff and governors are working hard to make your school even better. I agree with Mrs Shaw and her staff that many of you could make more use of your writing and number skills in a broader range of subjects. It is pleasing that work has already started to help you do this. Some of you benefit greatly from the extra teaching support you are given, particularly in small groups, and your work improves a lot. Mrs Shaw and her staff intend that more of you will benefit from such excellent support. I hope that you continue to be happy at school and carry on working hard. Colin Henderson Additional Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Friskney All Saints CoE (Aided) Primary School, 7 June 2007

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