Scorton Church of England Primary School

Scorton Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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119613 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 313358 Inspection number 5 March 2008 Inspection date Sue Sharkey 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 30 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Peter Atkinson Chair Mrs Elizabeth Smith Headteacher 1 February 2005 Date of previous school inspection Snow Hill Lane School address Scorton Preston Lancashire PR3 1AY 01524 791596 Telephone number 01524 791596 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 5 March 2008 Inspection date 313358 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 small rural school serves not only the village of Scorton, but also pupils who travel from outlying areas. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above the national average. Pupils are taught in two mixed age classes: Foundation to Year 2 and Years 3 to 6. The number of pupils in each year group is often fewer than 7.

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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: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 March 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a school providing good quality education and good value for money. Some aspects of its work are outstanding. The school is a vibrant community providing a purposeful, caring environment in which pupils say that they enjoy learning. This contributes well to their outstanding personal development. Parents are positive in their praise, saying how their children enjoy attending school. The skills and confidence that pupils develop ensure that they are very well prepared for future learning and life as a young adult. Progress and achievement are good. Children enter Year 1 with standards that are above those typically expected for their age, particularly in communication and language skills. Good progress in Key Stage 1 sustains these standards which are above national expectations at the end of Year 2. During Key Stage 2 pupils continue to make good progress, so that standards by the end of Year 6 are broadly above average. Pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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Grade: 2

are supported extremely well by teaching assistants, and this accounts for their good achievement. Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding. Good relationships between staff and pupils underpin the extremely good behaviour. Pupils enthuse about the importance of healthy eating and exercise and proudly talk about walking or cycling to school. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Some pupils participate in the school council and this gives them an awareness of taking responsibility in the community. Teaching and learning are good overall, and sometimes outstanding. Pupils’ achievement across the school is good because of the quality of teaching. Pupils confirm that the excellent displays in the classrooms, often of their work, provide a rich environment and help them with their learning. The curriculum is good. There is a wide range of well-supported extra curricular

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Grade: 2

activities including sport, dance, and information and communication technology (ICT). These activities are sometimes open to parents, welcoming them into school to learn with their children. Years 5 and 6 have the chance to take part in a residential trip every two years, which broadens the curriculum for them and takes learning outside the classroom. This was taking place during the inspection but the inspector had the opportunity to talk with these excited pupils on their return. Leadership and management are good. The school leaders are caring; they foster an environment in which pupils can achieve well in their personal development. The headteacher is well supported by her staff and governing body and all are committed to raising standards. Teachers are responsible for several subject areas and their contribution as leaders is good, but as yet they do not carry out sufficient formal monitoring of their subjects in order to fully support school

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Grade: 2

improvement. The governors provide effective guidance and keep a good balance between offering support to the school and challenging it to do even better. The school has good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

The quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Children enter the Foundation Stage with a range of skills, which, for many, are in line with those typical for their age. They are well nurtured and cared for in a safe and stimulating environment. Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are good ensuring that planning reflects an understanding about how 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 March 2008 young children learn. As a result, children gain in confidence and independence. The indoor curriculum is well planned with a range of games that consolidate and support early learning. However, the outdoor area does not yet provide opportunities to include all aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum. Throughout the Reception year children make good progress so that by the end of the Foundation Stage most children have levels of knowledge, skills and

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Grade: 2

understanding above what is expected for their age. They make good gains in their early skills, with teaching assistants playing a vital role in the support and development of the children. The children behave very well and are keen to learn. They enjoy talking about their work and show how they link letters and sounds to activities on the computer. Children with learning difficulties make good progress because early assessment and close links with parents highlights their needs.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop more structured systems of monitoring by subject leaders in order to help raise standards. ■ Extend the outdoor opportunities for Foundation Stage children to ensure that all areas of the curriculum are included.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. When pupils start in Year 1 most have reached levels above the learning goals expected for their age at the end of the Foundation Stage. They make good progress in Years 1 and 2. Over the last few years, pupil assessments at the end of Year 2 have been above average in reading, writing and mathematics. In Key Stage 2 pupils’ progress continues to be good so that by the end of Year 6, standards overall are still above average, particularly in mathematics. In the 2007 national tests for Year 6 pupils, the school successfully addressed the dip in English, mathematics and science in 2006. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and they make good progress towards their targets set for learning.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding and this is an important element in their good academic progress and achievement. This is a very happy school where pupils say they feel safe and secure because teachers have patience and help them. They say they enjoy school, lessons are fun and they learn something new everyday. Pupils actively try to keep themselves fit through regular exercise in school and through healthy eating. Pupils have an excellent understanding of these aspects of their development. Attendance is good and the school consistently works with parents to continue to raise this. Pupils make excellent contributions to the wider community through their support of local and national charities and through very good links with the church. The school council enables pupils to gain a real understanding of citizenship. Pupils feel their views are heard through the school council and

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Grade: 1

are very keen to use this channel of communication as a means of helping their school to improve. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good with some outstanding features. Planning clearly shows that each pupil, in these mixed age classes, is challenged and supported. Lessons are usually exciting, have a brisk pace and the time spent in the classroom is used well. Pupils are keen to learn, demonstrated by their excellent attitudes to learning. The marking of pupils’ work is generally good, but not all marking explains to pupils how they can improve their work. Teachers question the pupils effectively to promote discussions and they encourage them to think carefully about their responses. Teachers and teaching assistants skilfully work together ensuring that everyone, including those with learning difficulties, all take a full part in lessons and achieve well. Pupils enjoy regular use of computers to support their learning and help make it fun.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It meets requirements; takes account of national initiatives and guidance, and responds successfully to the challenge of mixed age classes. This provides enjoyable opportunities for pupils of differing ages, including those with learning difficulties, to work together and make good progress. This is exemplified in Years 1 and 2 where pupils joined together to make puppets. This started by drawing the shape, then using computers to refine the design and further emphasise colours, finishing with the completed puppet made using a range of materials. The curriculum is well planned in this way so that every opportunity is taken to link subjects together. However, there are occasionally limited opportunities for pupils to practise the basic skills of literacy and numeracy across other subjects. The school works well with a range of partners in the community helping to widen extra-curricular opportunities.

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Grade: 2

Pupils from Foundation Stage to Year 6 have the opportunity to learn French.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils and all the required procedures for safeguarding, including child protection, are in place. Relationships throughout the school are very good. Pupils confirm that they feel safe and are very happy to come to school because they are well supported and feel comfortable talking through worries with staff. Good induction processes and contacts with parents ensure that pupils’ strengths and needs are identified early and well catered for. Academic guidance is good overall. Due to the small numbers in school, adults know pupils well and adapt work well to their needs, although the tracking of pupils’ progress is not always as rigorous as it might be. Good links with outside agencies give extra support to pupils.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management, including governance, are good. The effective leadership of the headteacher and the way in which staff work very well as a team help to promote a caring ethos in which pupils learn successfully. It is due to good team commitment that the school successfully 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 March 2008 improved standards at the end of Year 6 following the dip in national tests in 2006. The school’s self-evaluation is effective and accurately highlights areas for improvement. Subject leaders have a good understanding of their subjects but have few opportunities to monitor performance formally in order to make further improvements. Governors know the school well and work closely with staff to help shape the direction of the school. Parents have positive views about the school and take advantage of the many opportunities to be involved in their children’s

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Grade: 2

learning. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 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: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 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 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 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: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 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: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

6 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Scorton Church of England Primary School, Lancashire, PR3 1AY I am writing to thank you for making me feel very welcome when I visited your school. I really enjoyed talking to you and have good memories of how friendly you are, not just towards me but also towards each other and your teachers. I was impressed with how keen you were to talk to me, telling me about your many activities. I saw how extremely well behaved you were in lessons, in the playground and as you moved around school. Years 5 and 6 had obviously had a super time on their residential visit and I was really pleased to be able to talk with them. These visits are exciting but I’m sure that you and your teachers were feeling very tired afterwards. Was it the late nights? I looked at other parts of school life, including how teachers help you to understand about being healthy. When I asked you about this you were so good at telling me how much you knew

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

about the importance of healthy food, regular exercise and how to keep safe. I thought your art work was brilliant; you must have really enjoyed creating those lovely tiles and the black and white felt work you made from sheep wool, all of which was displayed in the entrance. I enjoyed spending time in each of your classrooms, not just watching you learning inside, although that was good, but outside as well. I have asked that the outside area for Reception children should include all the different kinds of work that they do inside. For example, by providing opportunities to practise their writing, art and music. Your teachers work very hard. I have also asked them to find some time to examine your books much more and to work together to check that what they teach you and the methods used are the best to help you learn. Thank you for all your help; I know how proud the school is of all you do. Well done.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Best wishes Sue Sharkey Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Scorton Church of England Primary School, 5 March 2008

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