Langtoft Primary School

Langtoft Primary School Inspection report

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120381 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LA Local Authority 313598 Inspection number 26 °27 September 2007 Inspection dates Nichola Perry 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 191 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Susan Oakley Chair Mr James McCullough Headteacher 7 February 2005 Date of previous school inspection Manor Close School address Langtoft Peterborough PE6 9NB 01778 343419 Telephone number 01778 346724 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 26 °27 September 2007 Inspection dates 313598 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Langtoft Primary School is an average-sized school. The majority of pupils have favourable social and economic backgrounds and very few are eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is average although those with a statement of special educational need are higher. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The school has achieved Investors in People status and is in the final stages of meeting the Healthy Schools Award.

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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: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory and improving school. Whilst leadership and management are satisfactory overall, the new headteacher's high expectations and vision are good. He demonstrates strong leadership skills and has the support of all staff. Self-evaluation is good and clearly focused on identified areas for improvement. Governors are effective. Their level of challenge has led to rapid action on improving standards and, in partnership with the headteacher, they have been instrumental in securing key appointments. All acknowledge that the setting of individual targets for pupils and checking of progress are crucial to them raising standards and achievement further, especially in science. Standards and achievement are recovering from a brief decline at the end of Year 6, caused by weaknesses in assessment and work not being sufficiently well matched to pupils' needs. Results in 2007 demonstrate that strategies have been successful in improving performance. Teaching

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Grade: 3

has improved as a result of a more stable staff in Years 3 to 6 following a period of change, better checking of progress and the introduction of learning targets during the last twelve months. Achievement is now satisfactory. Subject leaders are beginning to show increased confidence and greater awareness of the need to be accountable for raising standards. This aspect of their leadership is not yet well developed. The school offers satisfactory value for money. Improvements to the curriculum have led to good provision. The immediate impact has been to provide greater flexibility in teaching and learning with increased focus on developing basic skills across subjects. A very effective example of this was seen during a Year 2 lesson when the teacher demonstrated making a cup of tea in a teapot. This linked well to writing instructions, highlighted safety issues and provided opportunities for discussing preferences and difference.

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Grade: 3

Pupils loved it. Extra-curricular activities are plentiful, varied and well-supported. The school has a very positive atmosphere where good behaviour, above average attendance and delightful relationships prevail. Good personal development, evident in the school for many years, reflects the strong emphasis placed on aspects of its care for pupils. The school is vigilant in ensuring pupils are safe and secure and systems for safeguarding pupils meet all requirements. Pupils recognise the swift action taken to deal with occasional instances of bullying. Pupils enjoy school and show good awareness of health and safety, both within school and outside. They are eager to take responsibility and support their school well through the school council. Development of pupils' moral and social awareness is good although the school acknowledges that opportunities for spiritual and multi-cultural development are satisfactory. Additional

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Grade: 3

support for pupils' learning in lessons is satisfactory but inconsistent across the school. Academic monitoring and guidance are satisfactory. Parents are very positive about the school and pleased with the level of care their children receive.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good and is contributing well to ensuring pupils develop good basic skills. The curriculum is planned effectively to cover all areas of learning, with opportunities to develop pupils' imaginative and structured play, including outdoor play. The good emphasis on teaching language, communication, social and problem-solving skills leads to good achievement and standards above expected levels by the time pupils enter Year 1. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 2007 Relationships are good so that pupils settle quickly. Parents are very pleased with what the school offers their children. The Foundation Stage leader is developing effective links between her Year 1 class and the Reception class to ensure that good provision and effective learning are maintained.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Regularly check how well pupils are doing and set them specific challenging targets so that standards rise further, especially in science. ■ Develop the leadership skills of core subject leaders so that they contribute effectively to the overall leadership of the school. ■ Ensure that teaching assistants are fully used in all parts of lessons so that there is consistently high quality support in all classes.

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Grade: 3

English, mathematics and science standards were above average for some years but results in 2006 fell below average in mathematics and science. There were too few higher levels, especially in mathematics. As a result of effective strategies, mathematics results in 2007 improved significantly, especially for higher attaining pupils. Current performance is above average in English and mathematics due to improvements in teaching, better use of tracking data, the introduction of targets and well-focused intervention. Achievement is now satisfactory and gaining momentum. Strategies to improve attainment in science have yet to result in improved standards. Pupils enter the school with standards at least in line with those expected. They make good progress and achieve above expected levels in the six areas of learning. This good start is further built on through Years 1 and 2 so that pupils of all abilities achieve well and reach above average

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Grade: 3

standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Effective development of pupils' moral and social awareness leads to good personal development and well-being. Behaviour in and around the school is good and pupils show a maturity not often seen in this age group. Play at break times is active and energetic but pupils also have a care for those engaged in quieter pastimes so that breaks are happy and harmonious occasions. Many pupils have a good involvement in day-to-day school activities and are increasingly involved in the wider community. Pupils show good awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and diet and take part in the many out-of-school opportunities for sport. The school council allows pupils to work together for the common good, an opportunity they willingly grasp. Pupils enjoy school and attendance is good. Pupils learn effectively about their own as well as other cultures, for example through their internet links with a school in France. Spiritual

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Grade: 2

and multi-cultural awareness are not as well developed. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 2007

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Grade: 3

Following a period of change, the quality of teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 fell significantly. This had a negative impact on achievement and standards in 2006. However, there is evidence of recent good teaching, including during the inspection. This has addressed the legacy of underachievement so that achievement is now at least satisfactroy and improving and standards in the current Year 6 are above average. In the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 teaching is consistently good, resulting in good achievement. Across the school strong relationships and personal development of pupils increases their confidence and enthusiasm for learning and enables teachers to get on with teaching. In all lessons planned work is well adapted to the needs of pupils. Teachers demonstrate a clear understanding of what is to be learnt and share this with pupils. They often use well focused questions for pupils of all abilities which helps to ensure pupils are fully engaged in learning

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Grade: 3

at the correct level. There is increasing evidence of teachers referring to pupils' targets throughout lessons but this is not yet consistent practice. Classrooms are lively and stimulating and this, along with effective use of whiteboards and other resources, ensures that pupils are increasingly learning in active and practical ways.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provides rich learning opportunities for pupils, including the more able and those with learning difficulties or disabilities. Improvements to the curriculum ensure that learning is often presented using themes that link knowledge and skills from different subjects, for example, an historical study of Henry VIII provided good planned links with literacy. This development, along with stronger emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills, is contributing effectively to improving achievement across Years 3 to 6. The curriculum is brought alive for pupils by visits and visitors, such as the Job Week, theatre groups and art exhibitions. For older pupils, residential visits make a very positive impact on their personal and social development. Provision for personal, social and health education is good. The school recognises the need to broaden the range of opportunities to support pupils' spiritual development. Strong links with

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Grade: 2

the Deeping Sports Group provides a good variety of opportunities to enhance provision in physical education.

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Grade: 3

Care guidance and support are satisfactory. The school provides good pastoral support for pupils and has in place all the policies and procedures required to ensure their care and protection. Pupils who find learning hard, or who have learning disabilities or other needs, are identified early and most are effectively supported. However, support for pupils' learning is variable and in some lessons support staff are not always fully contributing to learning. Pupils who join the school mid- term are rapidly integrated into school life - one parent wrote 'wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!' The quality of academic guidance for pupils is satisfactory. Systems for checking their progress in learning are comprehensive. However, while this 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 2007 information is increasingly used to set clear targets for improvement, pupils are not always clear about how they should go about reaching those targets and how long it will take them.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are having a satisfactory impact on standards and achievement. There is evidence of rapid improvement recently, much of it stemming from strong, clear leadership by the newly appointed headteacher and governors' monitoring and challenge of the schools' performance during the last year. Governors know the school well and have been very pro-active in key appointments to the school's leadership. Together, along with actions taken by the assistant headteachers, they have succeeded in halting the decline in standards at the end of Year 6. Core subject leaders are making a satisfactory contribution to the school's work. They are adopting their roles enthusiastically and have action plans in place, but are not yet fully accountable for raising standards in their subjects. The capacity for further improvement is satisfactory because, although recent changes are already having a beneficial impact, it is

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Grade: 3

too early to see the impact of longer-term strategies, such as those involving more rigorous tracking of pupils' progress leading to improved standards. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 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 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 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 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 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 3 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?

3 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: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 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 3 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: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 September 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Langtoft Primary School, Peterborough, PE6 9NB Thank you for your warm welcome to your school. We enjoyed meeting you and talking to you. We were pleased that you were happy to share your views about your school with us and we liked the way you spoke so confidently. These are some of the things that your school does well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You clearly all like coming to school because your attendance is so good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You like your teachers, feel safe and know that someone will always help you if you are worried about anything. ■ You behave well in lessons and around the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You try hard and make progress in your work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You understand the importance of being healthy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teaching is well planned and lessons are interesting.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have lots of visits and after school activities.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You care about each other and look after the younger children.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked your headteacher, governors and staff to do three things to make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To help older pupils to improve their standards of work more quickly, especially in science, by setting even more demanding targets for you - we've also asked your teachers to check up on how well you are doing more often so that if any of you aren't doing too well they can do something about it straight away. ■ To make sure that the teachers can help the headteacher make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To make sure that you receive all the help you need help in your lessons.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Keep working hard and enjoying your time at Langtoft. We wish you all continued success in your learning. With very best wishes Nichola Perry Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Langtoft Primary School, 26 °27 September 2007

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