Eagle Community Primary School

Eagle Community Primary School Inspection report

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120376 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LA Local Authority 313594 Inspection number 22 November 2007 Inspection date Alan Lemon 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 80 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr B Earnshaw Chair Mrs C Randall Headteacher 23 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Scarle Lane School address Eagle Lincolnshire LN6 9EJ 01522 868354 Telephone number 01522 868354 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 22 November 2007 Inspection date 313594 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 who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: standards of writing in Key Stage 1 and mathematics in Key stage 2, improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school, and the effectiveness of leadership and management in maintaining a sharp focus on raising standards. Evidence was gathered from observations of lessons and pupils' work, discussions with the headteacher, staff, governors and pupils, the parent questionnaires and school self-evaluation documents. 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, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in the report.

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Description of the school

This is a small village school. Since 1998, the number of pupils on roll has increased from 46 to the current roll of 80 pupils. It is anticipated that a new housing development in the village will mean further increases in pupil numbers. There are 12 children in the Reception year of the Foundation Stage and their attainment on entry is average. Almost all pupils are White British and there are very few whose first language is not English. While they come from a variety of backgrounds, the area served by the school is relatively advantaged. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is average. The school is a member of the Lincoln Learning Network, a partnership of seven schools providing opportunities to share expertise, training and additional activities for pupils.

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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: Eagle Community Primary School, 22 November 2007

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Grade: 2

The Eagle Community Primary School is a good school. It has reached this level of effectiveness through the determination of the headteacher to improve the school and raise standards. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good and the school now has some outstanding features. The care, guidance and support it provides to all its pupils are excellent and result in outstanding personal development. Throughout the school, relationships are extremely good. The school is highly committed to every pupil's well-being and pays close attention to all aspects of their health and safety. Staff continually encourage pupils to achieve as well as they can. They work hard to ensure pupils, including those with learning difficulties, are very well placed for a positive move into secondary education and a successful future. The school is very well co-ordinated in supporting and guiding pupils on their progress. Assessment

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Grade: 2

is thorough. Effective feedback is given to every pupil through consistently good marking of their work. Regular tracking of pupils' progress informs teachers and pupils alike on how well they are progressing towards achieving their literacy and numeracy targets. Pupils understand these systems and greatly value the support they receive. The school's work in this respect is complemented by the strong partnership with parents, many of whom have expressed very positive views about the work of the school. The school gives meticulous attention to creating the very best conditions for pupils to thrive. Pupils think very highly of the staff and express no hesitation in saying how much they enjoy school. Their enjoyment is evident in the high level of attendance as well as in the considerable effort and concentration they invest in their work and activities. Substantial progress has been made on improving attendance since the previous inspection. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social

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Grade: 2

and cultural development is excellent. They are thoughtful, discerning and confident individuals. Pupils have a very clear sense of duty and of what is right and wrong. They willingly and purposefully contribute to school life, the local community and beyond by raising money for many good causes. The school council is an effective forum for pupils to take an interest in school improvement. Impressively, pupils have taken on the key messages from the school's sharp focus on healthy lifestyles and staying safe. Visits by the police, fire officers and the school nurse, together with the close attention to staying safe on roads all contribute significantly to pupils' well-being. Pupils' achievement is good. The standards currently reached by children in the Foundation Stage are typical for their age, and good in some areas of learning. Until 2007, the Key Stage 1 results for several years showed standards were below average. However, the pupils in Years

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Grade: 2

1 and 2 are now making satisfactory progress and standards are average, including in writing. This is as a result of re-arranging the classes, improving the curriculum and strengthening teaching and learning. At Key Stage 2, the results of the national tests have been steadily above and, in some years, well above average, which reflects the consistently good quality of teaching and learning taking place. In particular, present standards in English and mathematics are above average because of the good progress pupils make. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and the very few pupils whose first language is not English are supported effectively to make good progress. In lessons, at Key Stage 2 in particular, teachers have a very strong rapport with pupils and manage their classes expertly. Pupils are quick to settle and they concentrate well. At all stages, lessons are planned well. Pupils' work is matched effectively to their capabilities as a result of

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Grade: 2

the good use of assessment data. Teachers' expectations are high and pupils enjoy the challenge 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Eagle Community Primary School, 22 November 2007 in their work. In general, pupils are encouraged to use their considerable capacity to learn independently. Occasionally, however, teaching is too adult-led and the pace of learning slows down because some pupils feel they have to wait for adult help when they could easily help each other. Teaching assistants are deployed effectively, especially to support pupils with learning difficulties. The provision for literacy and numeracy, science and information and communication technology is good. Good progress has been made since the previous inspection on promoting pupils' spelling and phonic skills, so raising standards in reading and writing. The curriculum has been made lively and interesting for pupils, engaging them well in learning.

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Grade: 2

There is a good deal of enthusiasm among pupils for the many additional activities in sports and the arts. Good links with other schools contribute to the school's capacity to provide a wide breadth of opportunities. The school uses specialist sports and music staff to extend the curriculum and French is taught in Years 3 to 6 by visiting teachers from a local secondary school. The headteacher's strong leadership provides the whole school community with a clear direction and this has lifted expectations and is helping to raise standards. Governors have strengthened their contribution by improved monitoring. They have a clear grasp of the school's priorities and provide it with good support and challenge on its direction and development. Leadership across the school is good. There is widespread engagement by staff in monitoring the school's work and pupils' performance. This is helping teachers to be effective as subject leaders and

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Grade: 2

to support pupils' achievement and personal development. The school has made good progress on self-evaluation. It evaluates itself well and is effective in planning improvements, demonstrating a good capacity to continue to improve.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good and it is well led and managed. Close liaison with the Nursery sharing the site means that good information and smooth transfer arrangements aid the Nursery children when entering Reception. This is helping to strengthen provision and raise standards. Now that the Reception children are taught separately from Year 1 pupils, teachers are able to focus more closely on the needs of their classes and progress is better. Improvements to the accommodation have also had a positive impact. Teaching is good and all children are well engaged in learning. The curriculum is planned well and provides a good balance of activities covering all the areas of learning. The standards reached are largely typical for children in Reception year, although standards are increasingly reaching beyond this, particularly in children's personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and

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Grade: 2

understanding of the world, creative and physical development.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make sure that all teachers promote pupils' greater independence effectively in lessons and encourage them to take more responsibility for their own learning. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Eagle Community Primary School, 22 November 2007 .

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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: Eagle Community Primary School, 22 November 2007

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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?

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: Eagle Community Primary School, 22 November 2007

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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: Eagle Community Primary School, 22 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Eagle Community Primary School, Eagle, Lincolnshire, LN6 9EJ Thank you for the very warm welcome I received and the interest you showed me on my visit to your school recently. I especially appreciated the help of those I met with to gain your views of school. I had a very useful day and I quickly found out that you have a good school. The adults working in the school take excellent care of you and support you extremely well. I was not surprised to hear you say how much you really enjoy school and like the teachers. Your behaviour and your attendance are outstanding. With all the activities on offer, the staff do well to make school interesting and exciting. On visiting all of the classrooms, I found out that your teachers and assistants are doing a good job in helping you learn and make progress. You are achieving well. The quality of your work in lessons, in your books and in test results shows that the standards you reach are good. Since

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you are very capable of doing so much for yourselves, I have asked the school to increase the opportunities for you to work independently and to take greater responsibility for your own learning. Your headteacher, the school governors and all the staff, are doing a particularly good job of improving your school, especially in helping you to reach even higher standards. Once again, many thanks and I wish you all well for the future. Alan Lemon Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Eagle Community Primary School, 22 November 2007

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