Kinderley Primary School

Kinderley Primary School Inspection report

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110762 Unique Reference Number Cambridgeshire Local Authority 310411 Inspection number 15 °16 May 2008 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 69 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr J Hoyles Chair Mrs R Reeve Headteacher 4 October 2004 Date of previous school inspection Church Lane School address Tydd St Giles Wisbech PE13 5LG 01945 870374 Telephone number 01945 870374 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 15 °16 May 2008 Inspection dates 310411 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 primary school serving the village of Tydd St Giles, Newton and the surrounding area. An above average proportion of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. There are few pupils from minority ethnic groups or with English as an additional language. The proportion of the pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, or with a statement of special educational need, is broadly average overall but very high in some year groups. A high number of pupils join or leave the school at times other than normal. Attainment on entry to the school varies widely due to the small numbers in each year group but overall is often below that expected. The school has a Healthy School Award and Activemark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It is improving well, and provides pupils with a good education that prepares them effectively for the future. Pupils achieve well due to the good teaching they receive and the excellent leadership of the headteacher. Standards vary year-on-year and are affected by the very small size of the year groups but the majority of the pupils, including those who find learning difficult, are making good progress. The school's self-evaluation is accurate, and its monitoring procedures robust, and this means there is a good capacity to improve further. Pupils talk enthusiastically about how they enjoy school. This is reflected in the views of most parents, summed up by one who wrote, 'My children cannot wait to go to school in the mornings and often complain that they cannot go at weekends!' Achievement is good and standards are broadly average by the end of Year 6. Improvements are beginning to become evident in the standards reached by younger pupils. When children

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Grade: 2

start in Reception, they often have levels of attainment, especially in their speech, communication and language skills that are below those expected. They make good progress, especially in developing their personal and social skills, and this prepares them well for future learning. In Years 1 and 2, the good progress continues and by the end of Year 2, standards are often close to those expected. Current standards in Year 6 are above average in reading and broadly average in mathematics and science. However, standards in writing are below average throughout the school, as are the pupils' speaking skills. The pupils who find learning difficult achieve well due to the good support they receive. Pupils' personal development is good overall and there are some outstanding features. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves healthy, how to be safe, including while using the internet, and they have many excellent opportunities to make a real contribution

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Grade: 2

to the school or wider community. These outcomes are the result of good levels of care and support. The systems for ensuring pupils are safe and secure at school are all in place. In addition, the school provides good guidance for pupils, using the recently introduced and detailed systems for tracking progress and identifying any weaknesses. However, teachers do not fully use opportunities during lessons to help pupils understand exactly what is expected of them and how they can improve. The good achievement is the result of good teaching and learning, and a well-planned curriculum. Teachers work hard to plan appropriately for the mixed-age classes and have successfully incorporated the recent national changes to the literacy and numeracy curriculum. There are good relationships with all pupils and these cause them to have very positive attitudes towards school. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and this is the result of much

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Grade: 2

improved leadership and management. The headteacher's leadership is outstanding and strongly focused on raising standards. Subject leadership is good and this is helping to create the conditions for further improvement. The governing body have a good awareness of the school's strengths and weaknesses and one of its major strengths is the way it builds strong partnerships with a wide range of outside agencies and local networks. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008

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Grade: 2

The provision in the Foundation Stage has been much improved since the last inspection. Achievement is now good and children make effective progress. Historically, most children have not fully achieved the expected early learning goals by the end of the Reception year, but standards draw close to the expected goals amongst the current group. Children benefit from being able to work alongside Year 1 pupils in many lessons. The outdoor facilities and resources, the accommodation and the quality of teaching and learning are all good and this is generating better progress and higher standards. Activities are well planned and resourced, and the teacher is supported by experienced and an effective teaching assistant who plays a full part in the teaching and assessing of children's progress. The Foundation Stage is well led and managed. Arrangements for starting school are good and this is reflected in some very positive parental

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Grade: 2

comments such as, 'the teaching is fantastic...it is a loving and caring environment.'

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide better and more frequent opportunities to develop pupils' speaking skills.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure teachers consistently help pupils understand what is expected of them and how they can improve their work.

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Grade: 2

Standards vary considerably year-on-year due to the very small year groups. However, the overall picture is an improving one due to the changes in staffing and other improvements since the last inspection. The good progress in the Foundation Stage is being built on successfully throughout the school. The progress of pupils in the past has been satisfactory but not always consistent enough to raise standards sufficiently. For example, in 2007 the Year 2 national assessments showed that standards were broadly average. In the 2007 national tests in Year 6, standards were very low in English and mathematics, and above average in science, although pupils had made satisfactory progress overall. The school has worked hard to raise standards so that the current pupils have achieved well and made better progress from their starting points this year than has been the case in the past. However, standards in writing are still weak

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Grade: 2

across the school, partly because there are too few opportunities to develop pupils' speaking skills and improve the depth and range of their vocabulary. Standards in art and design are good across a range of styles.

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Grade: 2

Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards school and really enjoy being there. They have good attitudes towards lessons and most take a full part in question-and-answer sessions. When they are given responsibility, such as the school council, they respond extremely well and take it seriously so that their ideas have a positive impact on the school community. Behaviour is good both in and out of lessons and pupils understand very well how to keep themselves healthy and safe. The school has worked hard and successfully to encourage better attendance and this is now good. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and recent improvements have had a strong effect on learning, which have accelerated progress and helped standards to rise. Teachers work hard to plan appropriate work so that pupils find lessons interesting and challenging. At times, teachers miss opportunities to encourage pupils to share their ideas with others and explain their learning. Teachers work well together and recent opportunities to compare work from different age groups has extended their understanding of the levels pupils can achieve. Relationships are very good and this encourages good behaviour and attentive pupils, which in turn is having a positive impact on learning. The teaching assistants provide teachers with very good support, especially for the youngest children and those who find learning difficult or who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Grade: 2

The good, well-planned curriculum has been extended recently by the addition of French. The Foundation Stage and Year 1 pupils have good opportunities to go swimming. The curriculum is planned in themes and meets the needs of mixed-age classes well. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities through clubs and sports' events with other schools, although there are few opportunities to learn musical instruments. School visits are used well to enrich the curriculum. In one example, a recent visit to a museum and old house resulted in some very effective written work. The provision for pupils who find learning difficult and those who have particular gifts or talents is good and supports their learning very effectively.

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Grade: 2

This aspect of the school's work is good because academic support has improved greatly following the development of more detailed systems for tracking pupils' progress. These are helping staff to highlight any underachievement quickly and provide extra support. Teachers' marking sometimes provides pupils with good help so that they understand how to improve their work but this is inconsistent. Nonetheless, target setting is good and pupils know what they need to do to reach the next level. The school ensures pupils' safety by meeting all statutory safeguarding requirements. Child protection arrangements and health and safety systems are robust, and pupils are happy they can trust adults in the school and have someone to turn to if they have any worries or concerns.

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Grade: 2

The improvements made since the last inspection have been the result of excellent leadership by the headteacher. She has sought out areas needing improvement and addressed these dynamically with a clear focus on raising standards. This is not a school where underachievement is tolerated or where there is any risk of complacency. Subject leadership has improved recently which has enabled more effective monitoring and evaluation of the school's work. This has 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008 resulted in better self-evaluation and an awareness of what remains to be improved. The practice of sharing the monitoring of pupils' writing and mathematics is particularly successful and helps all staff to understand what is expected at each level. The governing body have been through a period of turbulence but there is a good understanding of strengths and weaknesses. The governors provide the school with good support and are aware of where further improvement

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Grade: 2

is needed. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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?

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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 May 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Kinderley Primary School, Tydd St Giles, Wisbech, PE13 5LG Thank you very much for the way you made me welcome when I visited your school recently. Thank you as well to those of you I met and talked to, especially the school council, or those of you I sat with at lunch. You helped me find out more about your school, especially the main things that you like. I especially think Year 6 were very positive, even though they were in the middle of their SATs! Most of your parents agree with you and say that you enjoy school. I could see that in the way you behave in and around the school, and the way you join in with the activities provided in your lessons. This helps your teachers to help you learn new things. Kinderley is a good school and Mrs Reeve is an excellent headteacher. Most of you make good progress in your learning. You are especially good at reading, but I have asked the teachers to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help you to get even better at writing and at talking to people and discussing what you are learning. The school is very good at making links with other schools and people outside school. You are very good at knowing how to stay safe and be healthy, and you have many opportunities to take responsibility and have a positive impact on the community, whether in school, in the villages or through charity work in the wider world. I especially liked the Reception safety officers! The school has much improved systems for tracking how well you are doing and seeing what progress you are making. I have asked your teachers to use some other techniques in lessons to make sure you know how well you are doing and how you can improve. Thank you once again for your help. Enjoy your time at Kinderley and keep working hard! Yours sincerely Geof Timms Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Kinderley Primary School, 15 °16 May 2008

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