Great Orton Primary School

Great Orton Primary School Inspection report

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112110 Unique Reference Number Cumbria Local Authority 310785 Inspection number 12 March 2008 Inspection date Carole Cressey 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 27 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Richard Heaton Chair Mrs Dianne Bates Headteacher 1 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Great Orton School address Carlisle Cumbria CA5 6NA 01228 607800 Telephone number 01228 607800 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 March 2008 Inspection date 310785 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 Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated progress, achievement and standards, personal development and well-being, care, guidance and support. Evidence was gathered from the school’s own self-evaluation form (SEF), national published assessment data and the school’s own assessment records, policies, minutes of meetings, observation of the school’s work, interviews with senior members of staff and pupils, and the parents’ questionnaires. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments were not justified and these have been included where appropriate in the report.

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Description of the school

Most children come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. More pupils than average join and leave the school at various stages of the year, especially in Key Stage 2.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Orton Primary School, 12 March 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which is well led and managed. The headteacher, staff and governors are a very united team who work together very well to ensure that this very small school provides a good education for its pupils and equips them well for the challenges of the future. Leadership has a very accurate insight into the school’s strengths and weaknesses and, as a result, is constantly improving and adapting its provision to ensure all pupils achieve as best they can. This results in consistently good teaching, care, guidance and support which, along with an exciting curriculum, ensure that most pupils meet the challenging targets set for them. Behaviour and attitudes are good and pupils are developing a love of learning and a very strong sense of their place in their school, their local community and the wider world. They learn to become self-confident, responsible, well-informed and tolerant members of society.

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Grade: 2

One parent commented, ‘When my children get up they are excited to come to school.’ This was self-evident as pupils happily arrived at the start of the school day, eager to show their teachers their own ‘mind maps’ they had done at home or the spellings they had tried so hard to remember. They were met by warm, friendly adults who made time to talk with their parents and younger brothers and sisters. This created a safe, secure, calm and enthusiastic start to the day for children and their families. Learning is certainly not a chore in this happy environment. Parents say they are ‘astounded’ at how well their children develop once they start school. Standards are above average and pupils achieve well. Children start in the Reception class with skills and knowledge that vary widely from year to year but that are broadly typical for their age. A number of pupils join the school later in Key Stage 2 and a good proportion of these

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Grade: 2

have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Whatever starting points pupils have when they begin at the school, they achieve well and make good progress. By the ages of seven and eleven, pupils usually reach the standards expected for them in relation to their ages and abilities in English, mathematics and science, and often exceed them. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make very good progress because of the very good individual support, care and guidance they receive and often achieve the expected levels for their ages. Pupils make good progress because teaching and the curriculum are consistently good. Work in lessons is well matched to the wide differences in abilities, ages, interests and learning needs in each class. Teaching assistants are deployed exceptionally well to ensure pupils receive the necessary support to be effective learners. The use of information and communication

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Grade: 2

technology, puppets, ‘talk partners’ and games all grasp pupils’ interests and make learning fun. Teachers and leaders know how well pupils are doing through regular and rigorous tests and observations. Pupils are provided with individual targets they have to achieve before they move on to the next stage of learning. However, for some pupils these targets are too broad and they are unclear about what exactly they need to do to improve their work. Although displays of pupils’ work around the school are of a good quality, the presentation of work in books is often not good enough. The curriculum is not restricted at all by the small size of the school, and is good. Leadership works with a range of partners to ensure pupils have access to the full range of experiences and activities which helps to prepare all pupils to be successful. Innovative musical experiences, residential trips from Year 4 upwards, competitive sports, visits to the theatre, a Buddhist Centre

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Grade: 2

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Orton Primary School, 12 March 2008 or a nature reserve and a science day at a secondary school are just a few of the enrichment activities that ensure learning is never dull. The good emphasis on developing pupils’ basic skills, along with a good programme of social and health education, provide the pupils with necessary tools to develop personal safety, care and healthy living, and prepare them well for life in the 21st century. Flexible groupings and settings ensure that all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are gifted and talented, work at the right level. Everyone gets to have a lead role in one of the school’s regular musical productions. This promotes considerable self- confidence which makes a very useful contribution to pupils’ preparation for moving to the much larger secondary school. As further preparation for the

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Grade: 2

next stage of their school life, pupils not only learn one foreign language but have the opportunity to learn three, one of them with their parents at an after school club held in the summer term. The pupils in this school are developing an exceptionally clear understanding of different faiths and cultures. They talk with confidence and maturity of the importance of respecting those with different traditions. They proudly say ‘racism is nasty’. They are similarly determined that if there is any hint of bullying or inappropriate behaviour in their school the punishments in place ‘will teach the bullies a lesson’. The school council is rightly proud of its contribution to making a difference to the life of the school. The level of care the staff give to the pupils is reflected in the care the pupils give each other. The school council is most proud of the zoned areas it has created in the playground so that, as one of them said, ‘the little ones can have

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Grade: 2

fun too’. The parents’ confidence in the leadership is rightly placed. The school gives good value for money and has built well on the successes of the previous inspection. In addition, since the last inspection, the school has turned a potentially deficit budget into a surplus which, together with support from the local authority and the local community, is enabling the school to build a hall and kitchen. These facilities have been greatly lacking in the school’s long history. The school is well placed to continue to be successful in the future.

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Grade: 2

The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage is good. The good leadership and management ensure children make good progress and, by the end of Reception, reach the goals expected for their ages. Considerable emphasis is placed on helping children to learn to be kind and sociable individuals who can share, wait their turn and begin to see how their actions affect others. Basic skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and numeracy are woven into activities well. Children have lots of fun learning through play. However, not all activities have sufficiently clear objectives for children to ensure they get the maximum learning from each experience.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure all pupils understand their targets and know how to improve their work including their handwriting and presentation. ■ Improve planning in the Foundation Stage so that staff know precisely what children will learn from the tasks and activities provided. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Orton Primary School, 12 March 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Orton Primary School, 12 March 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? 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Orton Primary School, 12 March 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Orton Primary School, 12 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Great Orton Primary School, Cumbria, CA5 6NA Thank you so much for being so friendly and welcoming when I visited your school a short while ago. I was so pleased to see how well behaved you are and how hard you all are trying to be good learners. Your parents told me how much you enjoy school and how pleased they are with how well you are doing. I agree with them. Your headteacher, teachers and governors work really well together to make your small school a good place to learn. Because of that, you all do really well in your lessons and reach good standards in English, mathematics and science, so well done for working so hard and being successful! I think the school council’s idea to have zoned areas at break times is such a good one. How kind you are to think of the safety and care of the youngest children in your school. I know why you are so kind. It is because all the adults in your school show such care and kindness to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you. This helps you all become better learners and much nicer people. I was especially impressed with how well you understood the importance of showing respect to people who have traditions and religions that are different from your own. You really knew about racism and bullying. Congratulations! I could see neither will ever be tolerated in your school. In order to make your school even better, I have suggested that you need more help to understand your targets and to know how well you are doing in your work. So I hope you will listen carefully and pay attention to your teachers’ comments. I liked the displays around your classrooms but I think that you need more help to improve your handwriting and presentation of your work. Those of you in the Reception class have lots of exciting activities which help you read, write and count especially when you are working with your teachers but not always when you are choosing your own activities. I think these should be a little bit more difficult so

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that you are really challenged. You go to a good school where your headteacher and teachers make lessons fun and help you learn such a lot. I hope you will continue to enjoy school as much as you do now and that it will help you to become happy and successful adults. Yours sincerely Carole Cressey Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Orton Primary School, 12 March 2008

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