Scampton Church of England Primary School

Scampton Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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120585 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LA Local Authority 313683 Inspection number 20 September 2007 Inspection date Glynn Storer 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 controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 74 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Sheila Pryor Chair Mr Charlie Hebborn Headteacher 9 February 2004 Date of previous school inspection High Street School address Scampton Lincoln Lincolnshire LN1 2SD 01522 730340 Telephone number 01522 731864 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 20 September 2007 Inspection date 313683 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 in one day. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: Standards in mathematics throughout the school and issues relating to the progress of different groups of learners; The impact of the school's use of performance information on pupils' learning and achievement; The quality of the monitoring and improvement planning carried out by governors and by leaders at all levels. Evidence was drawn from lesson observations, the scrutiny of the school's assessment monitoring records, discussions with the headteacher, staff, pupils and governors and from general observations around the school. 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

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Description of the school

This small primary school serves families from the village of Scampton, north of Lincoln, the nearby Royal Air Force base and outlying communities. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds and none speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is low. Because intake groups are so small, children's attainments on entry vary from year to year. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is about average overall but well above average in some year groups. The number of pupils with a statement of special educational need is also above average for a school of this size. The school has gained the Active Mark, Investors in People and Healthy Schools 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: Scampton Church of England Primary School, 20 September 2007

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Grade: 2

Scampton Church of England Primary is a good school, which provides good value for money. Pupils of all abilities, from the most needy to the gifted and talented, flourish in an extremely caring environment, and as a result, achieve well academically and exceptionally well in many aspects of their personal development. At the heart of the school's success is its strong and positive ethos. The school is like a large family, in which highly effective pastoral care and personal guidance build pupils' self-esteem and confidence. This feature of the school is highly valued by parents, one of whom wrote, 'Wonderful from top to bottom. It is a small school with a very big heart.' The school has the strong support and approval of most parents, although a small number feel that their voices are not heard. The school and governing body are actively seeking to address the concerns of these parents. The school is well led and so is going from strength to strength. The recently appointed

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Grade: 2

headteacher has high aspirations for the school and for the pupils. He has introduced rigorous procedures for assessing and monitoring pupils' progress, for evaluating the work of the school and for identifying priorities for school improvement. Because these arrangements include all staff and governors, they give the school a good capacity to improve further. The headteacher's enthusiasm for the school rubs off on staff, builds morale and inspires commitment. A strength of the school is that everybody is pulling in the same direction. This is partly because they share the headteacher's vision, but also because improved monitoring systems are already giving an accurate picture and building quality and consistency in many aspects of the school's work. Almost all pupils achieve well, particularly in English and science. In recent years, many pupils have attained above average standards in the national assessments and tests for seven- and

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Grade: 2

eleven-year-olds. Nevertheless, overall standards vary from year to year. This is because the performance of relatively high numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in some very small year groups affects the school's overall scores, despite the fact that these pupils also make good progress in relation to the difficulties that they face. The work of pupils currently in Year 6 indicates that all are on course to meet the challenging targets that the school sets for them and that some are already working at levels normally expected of older pupils. However, though satisfactory overall, pupils' progress in mathematics in recent years has been somewhat less than that in English and science. The school has identified this trend and already has well-conceived plans to address this relative weakness in pupils' achievement. Underpinning pupils' good progress is the way that teachers personalise learning. They use

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Grade: 2

information from the school's thorough assessment procedures to identify those needing additional support or challenge, and to provide it. They also match pupils' ongoing work very closely to their prior attainments, so that pupils of all abilities can make good progress. Teachers monitor pupils' progress carefully and use their marking and other evaluations to provide good quality guidance and targets to help them to progress to the next level. Pupils know their targets and how to achieve them, and are highly motivated to succeed. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school because a lot of the teaching is lively and engaging and a rich curriculum promotes excellence and enjoyment in equal measure. Occasionally, however, the pace and timing of lessons do not bring out the best in pupils. The school has addressed weaknesses in provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and the installation of interactive

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Grade: 2

whiteboards throughout school has improved teaching and learning considerably. Nevertheless, the school is still very short of computers and so the use of ICT as an aid to pupils' learning throughout the curriculum remains restricted. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Scampton Church of England Primary School, 20 September 2007 Pupils' extremely positive attitudes and exemplary behaviour are also key factors in the good standards that they achieve. Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent and staff at all levels provide a good quality of pastoral care. Consequently, pupils say they are unafraid to make a mistake and readily rise to the challenge to do their best. Staff promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to a high standard. Procedures for safeguarding pupils fully meet current requirements and pupils receive a good grounding in how to be safe. Pupils have a strong voice and make an excellent contribution to the school and wider community. They

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Grade: 2

support village projects, such as recycling, and in doing so gain valuable insights into citizenship. Pupils putting themselves forward for election to the School Council speak with a maturity beyond their years. The building of a 'hall' and the school's partnership with a local secondary school have done much to improve provision for physical education and to promote healthy lifestyles. The school's Active Mark and Healthy Schools awards are evidence of pupils' excellent response. Positive attitudes and values, along with good levels of basic skills prepare pupils well for their ongoing education and for their lives as young adults.

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Grade: 2

Standards and quality in the Foundation Stage are good. Children in their reception year make good progress from their various starting points and at transfer to Year 1 attain standards that are at or somewhat above nationally expected levels for five-year-olds. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. The school makes good provision for all areas of learning and structured play and learning out-of-doors forms a regular part of children's experience. Parents say that induction arrangements are effective and it was clear during the inspection that children in only their third week in school were settled and happy. A strong focus on children's personal, social and emotional development lays firm foundations for the exceptionally positive attitudes and behaviour that they develop as they progress through school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Systematically enact the action plans for improving pupils' achievements in mathematics.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the number of computers available to pupils and ensure that they are used to aid pupils' learning throughout the curriculum. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Scampton Church of England Primary School, 20 September 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: Scampton Church of England Primary School, 20 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 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 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?

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: Scampton Church of England Primary School, 20 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 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: Scampton Church of England Primary School, 20 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 September 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Scampton Church of England Primary School, Scampton, Lincolnshire, LN1 2SD Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. Thank you also for taking time to talk to me and to answer my questions. I particularly enjoyed hearing the ideas of candidates for the School Council. I thought that your ideas for improving the school were really mature and sensible. Here is what I found out about your school. There are many really good things happening in your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Almost all of you make good progress, particularly in English and science.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers make sure that the work they give you is just right.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children who find learning difficult get all the help that they need and they too make good progress. ■ You enjoy school because teachers, educational visits, visitors and special events make learning interesting and very enjoyable. ■ You get on exceptionally well with one another and your behaviour is excellent.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers and other adults help you when you have problems, make sure that you are safe and give you really good advice about your work. ■ Mr Hebborn, the staff, governors and pupils work hard to make your school a better place.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your teachers have already noticed that some children do not do quite as well in mathematics as they do in other subjects and have already made plans to help you do better. Therefore, I have asked Mr Hebborn to make sure that these plans are carried out carefully. He and the other staff will be keeping a close eye on how well you are all doing, so make sure that you always do your very best. When I spoke to School Councillors, they told me that you do not have enough computers - and I agree. I have asked the governors to try to find enough money to buy more, so that using computers can become part of all the work that you do. I hope that you will all continue to work hard and do well. Yours sincerely Glynn Storer Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Scampton Church of England Primary School, 20 September 2007

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