Eureka Primary School

112677 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LA Local Authority 310978 Inspection number 12 °13 March 2008 Inspection dates Michael Miller 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 135 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Christine Brown Chair Mrs Karen Hambleton Headteacher 10 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection Dunsmore Way School address Midway Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 7LA 01283 216451 Telephone number Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 °13 March 2008 Inspection dates 310978 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.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average sized school. The headteacher has been in post for 15 months. There is a higher proportion of boys on roll than seen nationally. Children enter the Foundation Stage, in the Reception Year, with skills and knowledge well below the expected levels for their age. Nearly a third of the pupils either join or leave the school other than at the usual time of first admission. This has been the case for a number of years and this level of mobility is well above average. Most pupils are of White British ethnic origin. There are no pupils for whom English is an additional language. The proportion of pupils taking free school meals is above average. The percentage of pupils who have additional learning needs is above average, but the proportion with a statement of special educational need is average.

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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: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good and effective school. Pupils make good progress not only because they have fun in learning, but also because their teachers have fun in teaching. Pupils and teachers enjoy their work because they have high expectations of each other. Pupils are challenged well and consequently they achieve well. Standards are rising. They were below average in the 2007 national tests and assessments and pupils made only satisfactory progress. Standards in Year 6 are now average overall with pupils making good progress. This is because the quality of assessment, tracking and targeting by teachers has improved significantly over the past year. Consequently, academic guidance is good, though still a work in progress. Success in the tracking of literacy and numeracy is only just starting to be applied in science and other subjects. Nevertheless, potential underachievement is picked up quickly and higher attaining pupils reach

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Grade: 2

their predicted levels. Because of this, the school shows good capacity for further improvement. All the parental questionnaires were positive and many gave good examples as to how the school is going from strength to strength. In 2007, boys' standards in Year 2 assessments were significantly below average and they made sound progress from their levels of attainment on entry. There are two vital keystones supporting the school's success. The first is the clarity of direction provided by the new headteacher. This is appreciated and shared not only by the pupils but also by other staff, parents, carers and governors. Pupils understand their targets well and know how to improve. Staff are enabled to concentrate on what really matters, cooperating well in driving school development. Parents feel involved in their children's education and encouraged by the school to support their children's learning. Together, staff and pupils work

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Grade: 2

hard to create not only a learning environment of quality, but also an excellent philosophy for learning. Pupils celebrate their successes, but are not afraid to share experiences which have not worked out quite as well as they had hoped. Such attitudes underpin the second vital keystone, the pupils' outstanding personal development. Their attitudes to learning and social interaction in creating the school community are a significant strength. The school's leadership and management are good because they are focused well on establishing a high quality of care and education. Good teaching and effective humour provide a solid foundation upon which pupils' effective learning is enabled to flourish. This also results from a good curriculum which is now starting to make even more meaningful links between subjects. Teachers are working hard on additional improvements in order to promote pupils' key skills

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Grade: 2

and raise further their achievement. Pastoral care is excellent. Staff are approachable, provide fine role models for the pupils and working relationships are excellent. Pupils and parents alike emphasise how friendly a place the school is. One parent summed all this up when they wrote: 'My children come home nearly every day so excited about something they have done. They are so engaged with what is happening at school.'

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage is led and managed well. Children enter the Reception class with skills and achievements that are well below that expected nationally. By the end of the year, standards have risen to below average overall and children have made good progress. This is because of the good, lively teaching, aided by effective support from teaching assistants. Consequently, children settle well and quickly become confident about classroom routines. Because of this, 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008 the way children learn to cooperate, care and support each other are established well. Good links are also developed between Reception staff and parents. Adults pay particular attention to developing communication skills and extending children's vocabulary. Good resources, particularly outdoor facilities, give children quality opportunities to explore, investigate and discover together.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards by applying the good elements of assessment and target setting in literacy and numeracy to all other subjects. ■ Complete the planned review of the curriculum to ensure pupils' key skills, especially for boys, are promoted and developed effectively in all subjects.

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Grade: 2

Standards are currently average in Year 6 and pupils' achievement is good. Standards and achievement have risen since the previous academic year, especially for potentially higher attaining pupils. Standards in literacy are improving particularly well. This is due to important improvements in assessment and the tracking of pupils' progress. Target setting is now sharper because it is well informed. Consequently, pupils across the ability ranges, including those requiring additional learning support, or who have moved recently to the school, are making good progress. The school is now on course to meet successfully its increasingly challenging targets. In 2007, standards in Year 6 were below average overall, particularly in English. Nevertheless, standards achieved by pupils requiring additional learning support were above expectations, with significantly above average attainment in mathematics and progress for

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Grade: 2

these pupils was good. In Year 2, although there were equal numbers of girls and boys, standards were well above average for girls but significantly below for boys. Boys requiring additional learning support did not attain successfully.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development is outstanding because the school has invested much time and effort in creating a positive ethos and a splendid school environment. Pupils' behaviour, their attitudes towards each other and their sense of community are excellent. Because they enjoy school so much, attendance is above average. Parents confirm their children's love of school. Pupils know well how to stay safe and adopt healthy lifestyles. Their commitment to their own and the local environment earned the school a distinction in the 2007 Teaching Awards for the school's approach to sustainability. Not only are pupils' moral understanding and sense of social responsibility high, but their spiritual and cultural awareness are also equally well developed. They appreciate and respect very well the opinions and values of others. Pupils reflect well on world events, and multicultural similarities and differences, through their 'International Zone'

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Grade: 1

which forms part of the school library. The quality of their personal development, coupled with rising standards, is preparing them very well not only as citizens but also for their future economic well-being. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Wherever you go in the school pupils are keen not only to show you their work but also explain their learning. Learning is good because pupils know their targets, how to achieve them, and how to improve. Teaching is good because teachers understand increasingly well how each individual pupil learns. Teachers' own individual development plans are helping them improve their strategies for raising attainment. These are focused well on how to engage and motivate pupils and the improved use of assessment to accelerate progress. Pupils learn well because teachers use questioning effectively, not only to challenge pupils but also to encourage them to think for themselves and explain their ideas. Where monitoring and teachers' constructive self-assessment identify any weaknesses in the teaching these are tackled quickly and professionally. Teachers work well together and provide each other with mutual support. Pupils

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Grade: 2

When the school first started to improve its approach to assessment in the Autumn of 2006, it realised there was underachievement. Consequently, it knew it needed to change not only its approach to learning but also to ensure what it taught was more relevant. A revised approach to the teaching of literacy and numeracy has had a major impact on improving learning, and teachers' awareness as to how subjects link together and support each other. This has formed the basis for the good curriculum which is now serving pupils well and raising standards. However, the school is keen to do more. It is currently in the process of completing its curriculum review to ensure the embedding of key skills across the full range of national curriculum subjects. There is a good range of extra-curricular opportunities. Curriculum enrichment is good, such as the experiences offered for the younger pupils during Dinosaur Day. Opportunities for

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Grade: 2

extension and enhancement work for older pupils are also good. The school uses its environment particularly well to support learning.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Pastoral support and aspects relating to the care and welfare of pupils are often exemplary. The school has a sensitive approach to the personal needs of its pupils, which underpins their excellent personal development. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are very robust. Links with agencies to ensure the effective support of pupils and their families are very good. Parents praise highly the quality of their contact with the school and find it most approachable. Academic guidance is good and improving. Teachers evaluate carefully the ways they mark pupils' work. Consequently, pupils are clear on how to improve. Tracking and target setting is now a focus for further improvement. Good systems devised for literacy and numeracy are starting to be applied well to science, but have yet to be extended to other subjects. This forms part of the school's improvement planning.

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Grade: 2

6 of 11 Inspection Report: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Significant strengths in the school's leadership contribute to the good leadership, management and governance of the school. Principal amongst these is the direction provided by the headteacher. Her excellent clarity in strategic thinking and personal qualities have helped the staff to draw together as an effective team. Consequently, the school's leadership team, from key coordinators to governors, work and cooperate together well. Monitoring and evaluation by the senior leadership team is often exemplary. The skills of coordinators in evaluating the impact of their strategies for development are good. Improvement planning is focused well and prioritised effectively. Target setting is now good and challenges well all groups of pupils. This is an inclusive school. Whilst it is sometimes conservative in its own self-evaluation, this is because it sets itself high standards. There has been good improvement since the last

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Grade: 2

inspection in standards, learning and the curriculum. This school is increasingly successful because it puts the children first. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 March 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: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 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? 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?

1 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 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 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: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Eureka Primary School, Midway, Swadlincote, DE11 7LA In your school hall there is a mirror around which are the words: 'Everybody's different ... but we are all special.' You understand this very well. I would like to thank you for the friendly way you came to talk to me and explain, each in your own way, why you believe Eureka Primary School to be special. I enjoyed talking with you and visiting your lessons. You showed me how much fun you have in learning. Yours is a good school. The things I found are best about it are:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are enthusiastic about school and your enjoyment in learning is excellent

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you appreciate your school environment and take very good care of it

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you understand the importance of listening carefully to each other's views

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are very friendly and play a most active part in school and community life

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you take excellent care of each other, both when you are at work and at play

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you have good teachers who help you to learn well and have fun together

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you achieve well and make good progress during your time at the school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ your headteacher, staff and governors work together well to help you to learn.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ extend to other subjects the good ways in which they check and track your progress in literacy and numeracy ■ continue to develop the ways you make important links between subjects, so that you can learn more and make even better progress and especially raise boys' level of skill. Finally, on your headteacher's door there is a poem, one verse of which reads: 'If you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected. Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected.' Keep passing on your love of learning with your smiles. With all best wishes for your future, Michael Miller (Lead inspector) 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Eureka Primary School, 12 °13 March 2008

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