Langar CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Langar CofE Primary School

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122763 Unique Reference Number NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Local Authority 292501 Inspection number 14 °15 September 2006 Inspection dates Ms. Joanne Harvey 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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Church Lane School address Primary Type of school Langar, Langar Community School category Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG13 9HG 4 °11 Age range of pupils

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01949 860056 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01949 860056 Fax number 67 Number on roll (school) Mr.Philip Morris Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. B Hillary Headteacher 19 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292501 14 °15 September 2006 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is much smaller than most primary schools, being one of the smallest rural schools in Nottinghamshire. It serves Langar and other villages on the Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire border. It occupies an idyllic site next to the parish church and work will soon begin to develop the building to include a community centre, a pre-school playgroup and a large hall. Very few pupils are entitled to free school meals. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. Slightly more pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities than the national average, but none has a statement of special educational need. The school has the Investors in People award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding and highly effective school giving excellent value for money. The needs of the children are at the forefront of all its work. It is a sign of the school's continuing quest to make school life even better for children that it modestly assesses itself only as good. It was a very good school at the time of its last inspection and has continued to flourish and develop since then. Passionate and tireless leadership by the headteacher along with his empowered, able and supportive staff have ensured that the facilities it provides and the quality of teaching and care are very effective indeed. This is despite considerable limitations of the building. A real strength of the school is its determination to place itself, in partnership with St. Andrew's Church, at the heart of its community, which it serves extremely well and from which pupils receive a great deal in return. As a result, pupils in all phases progress rapidly and standards

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Grade: 1

are higher than average. Assessment procedures are a strength. Staff make sure that they get to know each child very well in order that academic and personal needs can be met. Very skilful support staff work extremely closely with teachers to ensure those who need extra help do as well as they can. The school is an oasis of calm in which everyone feels exceptionally well cared for and valued. Consequently, pupils' behaviour is excellent. Parents and pupils are almost unanimous in their praise for the school. Pupils could not find any fault. 'Langar School is a really happy place to be,' volunteered one. The school council has a strong voice in decision making. Staff and their partners from the community make sure that there is plenty for pupils to do in and out of lessons to extend their skills, interests and enjoyment. Playtimes are active and joyful. Pupils are given ample opportunities to take responsibility and show initiative, including

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Grade: 1

many administrative tasks. For example, pupils help with registration and the administration for school lunches. As one child said 'we cannot get it wrong or there will not be enough dinner!' The curriculum is effective and enjoyable, although the links between subjects that stimulate pupils' creativity and independence are not sufficiently developed. The school recognises that this needs further work. Though teachers in the Reception Class do well with what they have available, the school is committed to ensuring that the quality of the outdoor curriculum matches the very high quality curriculum in the classroom. The long awaited development of the school building will present an ideal opportunity for this and also to implement the many plans the school has to extend pupils' experiences. The sky's the limit! The success the school has had in the past and its determination to do even better means that the

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Grade: 1

capacity for sustained future improvement is outstanding.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Take more opportunities to be creative in the way links are made between subjects. - Ensure the quality of the outdoor curriculum in the Reception class matches that which pupils experience in the classroom. 2 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils achieve very well indeed. Though many pupils start school with high levels of personal, social and emotional skills and a good knowledge of the world around them, for most their knowledge, skills and understanding of English and mathematics are broadly average. Pupils make very good progress in the Reception class and by the time they enter Year 1 have achieved or surpassed the goals set for them. The stimulating provision in the Reception class prepares pupils exceptionally well for their next stage. Through Years 1 and 2, they continue to progress well in reading, writing and mathematics. As is often the case in a small school, results in national tests tend to vary. In 2006, pupils achieved high standards in the Year 2 tests and at the time of the inspection, standards seen here continue to be high. Results in the Year 6 tests have been consistently above average and often well above average over recent years.

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Grade: 1

At the time of the inspection, standards seen continue to be high and pupils were seen to be making very good progress in Years 3 to 6. All groups of pupils, including those who have learning difficulties, achieve equally well.

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Grade: 1

Pupils here are mature beyond their years. Their positive attitude begins in the Reception class, where freedom to learn is extremely well promoted through a beguiling range of activities. Older pupils explained that they enjoy lively and effective teaching that makes their learning fun. Their attendance is excellent. Most pupils have a very good understanding of healthy lifestyles and make healthy choices. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is extremely successfully promoted. Care is taken to help pupils think positively about themselves, others in school and people from other cultures; as a result, pupils show respect for themselves and others. Their involvement in community and fund raising activities illustrates this well. Assemblies are happy and joyful. Pupils value and respond positively to the plentiful rewards for good work and unselfish behaviour and take responsibility for administering the reward

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Grade: 1

Teachers in the Reception class provide a stimulating indoor environment with an excellent balance of adult-led and structured play activities. All teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour so that they are attentive, rarely passive and respond quickly to instructions. Very good relationships ensure a supportive learning environment. Pupils enjoy learning for themselves and particularly like problem solving. They benefit from lessons in which they have response partners to exchange ideas 3 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 2006 with and where sharp incisive questioning challenges them to think and work hard. Work is assessed regularly, with the results used to plan work that challenges pupils of all abilities, resulting in very good progress. The pace of learning is usually very good. Teaching assistants are very effective in their support for specific pupils. Work

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Grade: 1

is marked regularly with, in most classes, comments that help pupils to improve. Targets are shared regularly with parents and pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is thoughtfully planned to ensure that pupils build their skills through a broad range of experiences. Pupils really enjoy their topic work because the teaching is more imaginative and they become more self-sufficient in their learning. However, not enough opportunities are taken to develop links between subjects that make learning even more meaningful and enable pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills at a high level in other areas of the curriculum. The programme for pupils' personal development is very effective. There is a good range of clubs which are very popular with pupils and parents. The school makes outstanding use of its position at the centre of its community, enriching experiences through plentiful trips, many visitors and successful friendships and partnerships. Children experience a wonderful curriculum in the Reception classroom, with lots of opportunities to make choices and learn

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Grade: 2

through practical experiences. The outdoor provision for the Reception children, however, is less effective.

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Grade: 1

Staff know individual pupils very well and are extremely quick to notice any worries. Help is always on hand to pupils and parents alike. Pupils who have learning needs or other difficulties are very well supported by able teaching assistants and do well. New pupils are helped to settle quickly. The very open, caring, friendly, family centred atmosphere, central to the school ethos, is a great strength of the school. It is valued highly by the community and particularly noted by new families. Opportunities are actively sought to enhance pupils' experience, for example 'master classes' at the local comprehensive school. Child protection arrangements are thorough and well understood. Pupils' progress is monitored carefully so that pupils and teachers know the next stage of learning. Personal and academic targets are well known. Pupils say they are extremely happy in a school where they achieve well academically and

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Grade: 1

personally in a safe and encouraging environment.

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Grade: 1

The school has a proven track record of sustaining high standards whilst delivering improvements, giving confidence that it can improve still further. The headteacher provides an outstanding role model for the school community. Despite a considerable 4 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 2006 teaching commitment, he has successfully created a hardworking team, united in their aim to provide the highest quality education in an atmosphere where everyone feels happy, valued, cared for and respected. Teamwork is paramount, as seen for example in the excellent and varied contribution made by teaching assistants. The school has a clear picture of its strengths and areas for development. Though sometimes lacking formality amongst the very small and close staff team, the monitoring and evaluation systems build on the improvement planning process to ensure success. Governors have

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Grade: 1

a clear understanding of the school and its development. They offer a range of expertise and level of commitment rarely seen in other schools. Parents are very happy; they are given and give back great support. 5 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 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? 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

1 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 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 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 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: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 September 2006 Dear pupils Langar CofE Primary School, Church Lane, Langar, Nottinghamshire, NG13 9HG I was pleased to meet you and all the staff and very much enjoyed the time I spent with you. Thank you for making me feel so welcome, talking to me and helping me to find out so much about you and your school. You go to an outstanding school where all the adults work hard to do everything they can to help you do your best in everything and be the best that you can be. They take very good care of you and make sure your lessons are fun. You have lots to do outside lessons, and playtimes and lunchtimes are happy times of the day. It was lovely to see you all behaving so well, getting on so well together, looking after each other and working really hard. You all make very good progress from the minute you come in to the Reception class to when you leave the school at the end of Year 6, and you reach

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

standards which are much better than the national average. You told me that you think your best lessons are when you do topic work. The school is going to find more ways of linking subjects together in this meaningful way and to give you more chances to use your very good literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. You do very well in the Reception classroom with lots of chances to make choices and learn through trying things yourself. Those who lead the school are going to make sure that you do as well when you are working outdoors. I would like to wish you the very best for the future. Joanne Harvey Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Langar CofE Primary School, 14 °15 September 2006

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