Lumley Infant and Nursery School

Lumley Infant and Nursery School Inspection report

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114003 Unique Reference Number Durham Local Authority 311446 Inspection number 16 May 2008 Inspection date Rosemary Rodger 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 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 140 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Brian Walker Chair Mrs Tracey Wilson Headteacher 1 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection Great Lumley School address Chester le Street County Durham DH3 4JL 0191 3885292 Telephone number 0191 3885292 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 16 May 2008 Inspection date 311446 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. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and the effectiveness of the Foundation Stage and investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ the quality of teaching and leadership and management.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, the scrutiny of pupils’ work, assessment data, school documents and parents’ questionnaire returns. In addition, there were discussions with the headteacher, school improvement partner, governors, staff and pupils. 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, as given in its self-evaluation form, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a below average size school situated in a small village. The area it serves is mixed socially and economically. The proportion of pupils eligible for a free school meal is below average. There is a below average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Most pupils are of White British heritage. There is a Nursery on site which provides part time provision for 49 children. The school has achieved the following awards: Basic Skills Quality Marks 1, 2 and 3; Activemark; Healthy Schools Award and local authority achievement awards.

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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: Lumley Infant and Nursery School, 16 May 2008

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Grade: 1

Lumley Infant and Nursery is an outstanding school. The inspirational leadership of the recently appointed headteacher and deputy headteacher are ensuring the school is building on the considerable strengths identified at its previous inspection. Relationships with parents are excellent. They are fulsome in their praise of the approachability of staff, particularly the headteacher, and the exemplary start their children have to their education in the Nursery. Recent steps to involve parents further by setting up a parent/teacher association are highly valued. Pupils achieve exceptionally well from starting points typical for the age of the youngest children. Standards are consistently significantly above average in national assessments, have been for the past five years in all subjects and have risen over each of the past three years. This is a direct result of the large amount of outstanding teaching. Pupils of all abilities make

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Grade: 1

excellent progress. A recent priority to provide activities to improve boys’ learning is proving to be very successful. For example, all pupils gasped as they watched alien characters on the whiteboard and provided some gruesome descriptions of it in a literacy lesson. Lesson planning provides a clear level of challenge for more able pupils who thrive because of this attention. The excellent use of whiteboard technology contributes brilliantly to pupils’ enthusiasm and enjoyment. Pupils’ learning is excellent because of strong relationships and mutual respect between pupils and their teachers. Teachers provide clear explanations and demonstrations, especially in the teaching of basic skills. The support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is superb because of the seemingly effortless ways in which they are fully included in lessons and are encouraged to take part. They make outstanding progress.

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Grade: 1

The personal development and well-being of pupils, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are excellent. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They say they feel safe and take their responsibilities seriously and with very high levels of maturity. The oldest pupils all take on some form of responsibility, whether it is as a member of the democratically elected school council or as various monitors around the school. Pupils have an excellent understanding of the need to eat healthily and keep fit. They get involved with the ‘garden grub’ club and grow their own produce. Pupils take on several wider roles to prepare them for later life. Recycling and composting are firmly part of the school’s contribution to sustaining and improving the environment. Pupils recently won a national competition organised by the British potato council. They are beginning to understand the concept of fair trade and know that some shops support selling fair trade

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Grade: 1

products. There is currently great excitement as pupils enter a competition to provide a design for a friendship tree in the school grounds. Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their excellent levels of attendance. Several parents commented on their children’s wish to go to school every day. The excellent curriculum balances the need to promote learning of the basic skills with an extensive range of indoor and outdoor learning. As the pupils said, ‘We have fun learning outside’. Extensive use is made of the school environment to enrich learning. Pupils have access to a range of play equipment and create wildlife areas and willow paths. Basic skills are taught in a lively and innovative way. For example, pupils learned about suffixes as they described the characteristics of fairy tale characters and they filmed each other as they rapidly spoke the tongue twisters made earlier in the day. Extensive use is made of information and communication

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Grade: 1

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Lumley Infant and Nursery School, 16 May 2008 technology to enrich learning, for example through the use of ‘talking books’ and the digital-cameras. After-school clubs provide further excellent enrichment with the dance and cookery clubs being firm favourites. The care, guidance and support provided for pupils are exemplary. Levels of academic guidance are excellent. Assessment arrangements are rigorous. They are particularly comprehensive for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and provide parents with detailed written and photographic evidence of their children’s work in school. A newly introduced marking policy is providing additional help to all pupils and beginning to encourage them to talk about their learning. Arrangements to ensure pupils are appropriately safeguarded meet requirements. Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher’s clear vision and passionate

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Grade: 1

commitment to the school are widely supported by parents. The enthusiasm, care and knowledge about all pupils in school are evident in everything that goes on. In the short period of the headteacher’s leadership the school has moved forward to an even higher level of excellence than at the time of the previous inspection. Actions to tackle the minor weakness related to the quality of outdoor provision have been inspirational. All staff demonstrate high levels of commitment and talent that are contributing to the school’s excellent capacity to go from strength to strength. The headteacher is well supported by a very talented deputy headteacher. They set and achieve high standards because of the school’s attention to detail and their thorough grasp of pupils’ progress. The reduction in the gaps in attainment between different groups of pupils reflects this attention to detail admirably. Governors are fully involved in the

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Grade: 1

school and provide equally strong levels of support and challenge. The headteacher has modestly judged some aspects of the school’s work. The inspection judgements, parents’ views and the excellent outcomes for all pupils support the overall excellent outcomes in every aspect. The school provides excellent value for money.

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Grade: 1

Quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are excellent. Parents’ views are overwhelming in their praise and admiration for the excitement and enjoyment provided for their children and the outstanding teaching they receive. The richness of the outdoor learning in both the Nursery and the Reception classes is exceptional. Resources are innovative and excellent use is made of natural materials to provide children with exciting activities. Children made snail trails and painted stones to make striped beetles after carefully observing their teacher modelling how to do this. A broad range of activities helps to promote excellent levels of personal and social development and independence. Children enjoy role play and working with adults to develop their language skills. When children start in the Nursery their standards are generally typical for this age group. Progress in all areas of learning is outstanding and by the time they

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Grade: 1

leave the Reception class they are exceeding the national expectations in all areas of learning. More able children achieve particularly well. Leadership is excellent. A very talented new member of staff has replaced the previous leader and is building very well on previous leadership by the headteacher.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ The school does not have any areas to improve that it is not already tackling. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Lumley Infant and Nursery School, 16 May 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: Lumley Infant and Nursery School, 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? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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

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 of 9 Inspection Report: Lumley Infant and Nursery School, 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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: Lumley Infant and Nursery School, 16 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 May 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Lumley Infant and Nursery School, Durham, DH3 4JL Thank you for the warm welcome you gave me when I visited your school recently. There was so much to see and talk to you about it was a pity I could not stay longer. Your school is outstanding. Your parents agree with my views too. Please thank them for the comments they sent me about your school. Your school is excellent because of the exciting work you do that enables you all to achieve very well by the time you leave. You are encouraged to take on many responsibilities and have really learned fantastically well how important it is to protect the environment. Your teachers are very skilled and make your learning fun, especially when they use the whiteboards to show cartoons. This helps you learn to read and write in an interesting way. You have so many interesting projects taking place outside and have won many awards too.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

All your teachers and assistants work very well because they are very committed and care about you all very much. They are led by an excellent headteacher who wants the very best for you all. Good luck to you all as you enjoy your time in school. I will look out for the friendship tree design if I am ever passing the school again. Best wishes Rosemary Rodger Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Lumley Infant and Nursery School, 16 May 2008

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