Coltishall Primary School

Coltishall Primary School Inspection report

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121017 Unique Reference Number Norfolk Local Authority 313839 Inspection number 10–11 March 2009 Inspection dates John Foster Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 144 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Stephen Haines Chair Mr Mark Adamson Headteacher 23 May 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection St John's Close School address Coltishall Norwich NR12 7HA 01603737481 Telephone number 01603736118 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 10–11 March 2009 Inspection dates 313839 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is smaller than average, including children in the Reception year of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school is situated in a village to the north of the city of Norwich. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage with English as their first language. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is a little below average though the percentage requiring a statement of special educational needs is well above average. The school operates a breakfast club and there is a private provider of childcare at the end of the school day. The school has gained the Financial Management Standard in Schools award, the Activemark 2008, the National Healthy Schools status, the FA Charter Standard and is currently working towards the Arts Mark 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: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good and improving school which gives good value for money. This judgement closely matches the school's own view of its performance. The headteacher, who has been in post four terms, receives good support from staff and governors. Consequently, he has made a positive impact on the work of the school. This is evident through the improving levels of achievement by pupils. New systems to track pupils' progress are working effectively. They have enabled the school to identify and target the lower achievement of groups, such as the higher attaining pupils, to ensure that they reach the high enough standards by the end of Year 6. The systems are relatively new and evidence shows that pupils are currently making good progress and that the rate of progress is improving term-by-term. However, they have not been in place long enough for the systems to be fully integrated into the school's work and show consistency in

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Grade: 2

progress. The good quality teaching found in the school has been another factor which has helped to improve the rate of progress pupils make. Teachers plan lessons well to ensure that pupils of all abilities are challenged. At its best teaching is inspirational and pupils concentrate fully, taking an active part in their learning. The excellent relationships between the children and adults lead to outstanding behaviour in lessons, so that time is not wasted in class management. The quality of marking is not consistent throughout the school and, because of this, pupils are not always aware of how they are able to improve their work. Too often the marking offers praise without enough suggestions for improvement. Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural progress is outstanding. Pupils show high levels of consideration to each other and relationships throughout

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Grade: 2

the school are excellent. Pupils are aware not only of the cultural mix found in this country, but also about cultures further afield, through, for example, the links the school has with a school in China. The school has had visitors from that school and staff from Coltishall have visited the Chinese school. Pupils are aware of the need for healthy living and members of the school council have been involved in discussion with the school cook to ensure that healthy dinners are served which pupils enjoy. The school provides well for healthy living with many sporting activities and a trim trail for pupils. The school council has a positive influence on the work of the school. The pastoral care is outstanding. The school's arrangements for looking after, and caring, for pupils are exemplary and this is reflected in the pupils' own comments about how safe and secure they feel in school. They say that if they have a problem there is

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Grade: 2

always an adult to talk to, they will be listened to and action will be taken when necessary. The academic guidance for the pupils is not as secure as the pastoral care. There are inconsistencies across the school in the quality of teachers' marking of pupils' work and the guidance given to them about how their work can be improved. The school provides a good curriculum for its pupils which is enhanced by a wide range of activities, both during and out of normal school times. They are given opportunities to meet children from other schools, take part in village activities and learn to make music together. The good range of visits and visitors supports learning well. The school is well led and managed. The headteacher is an inspirational leader and has a clear and positive vision for the school. The staff work well together and subject leaders lead their subjects effectively. Parents are very supportive of the headteacher and the school. For example,

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Grade: 2

one wrote, 'I am totally enthused by the school,' whilst another noted that, 'The headteacher has had a positive impact on the school'. Governance is good. Well led by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable chair, the governors know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009 fully committed to making it even better. The governing body monitors the school's performance well and governors enjoy close links with individual classes and subject leaders. Currently governors are not involved early enough when plans for the school's future development are being drawn up.

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Grade: 2

Children are provided for well in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They start with attainment that is broadly in line with that expected for their age. They are taught well and make good progress to reach, and at times exceed, the expected goals. Children's personal development is excellent. They are supported well and they enjoy each other's company, playing and working well together. For example, two girls were playing in the water tray, and one said to the other, 'You're my daughter today, because I'm the mummy.' The second child accepted this willingly. The facilities for learning are good with a spacious classroom and a covered outdoor area for all-weather use. These facilities are used well for learning. Lessons are carefully planned to include direct teaching whilst allowing the children to choose their own activities. The teaching assistant takes an active part in the learning, supporting the teacher well. During lessons she

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Grade: 2

makes continuous assessments about each child's contribution to the lesson. This information is then used to plan future learning. Leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are good.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ ensure marking and assessments of work clearly tell pupils what they need to do to improve;

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What the school should do to improve further

■ raise achievement levels by ensuring that the recently introduced systems for assessing and tracking pupils' achievement are consolidated into all aspects of the school's work.

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Grade: 2

Pupils throughout the school make good progress, so that by the time they leave the school standards are above average. Whilst the progress made in the recent past has been broadly satisfactory, current evidence shows that the rate of improvement is now good and is improving term-by-term. Following a dip in standards at Key Stage 2 in 2007, the 2008 results showed improvement, though the progress made between Year 2 and Year 6 was broadly average. The percentage of pupils reaching the expected Level 4 in English, mathematics and science was above the national average in 2008, though the percentage who reached Level 5 was below the school's target in all three subjects. Similarly at Key Stage 1, the percentage reaching the expected Level 2 was above average in reading, writing and mathematics but fewer pupils reached level 3. With carefully targeted action by the school, higher attaining pupils are making

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Grade: 2

good progress and those in Year 6 are on track to attain better results than those of 2008. Pupils who find learning difficult make good rates of progress.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They enjoy school and, because of the excellent relationships they have with their peers and the adults in school, they enthusiastically participate in all the school has to offer. Attendance is above average and pupils are only absent when they are ill. The 'Buddy Groups' are an excellent way to settle newcomers into the school and maintain 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009 their friendships throughout their time at the school. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They have a strong sense of right and wrong and support each other well in all they do. Their cultural development is exceptional. They have regular opportunities to play and listen to music, they appreciate art and the school enjoys strong links a school in China. The curriculum is planned to enhance pupils' understanding of a wide range

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Grade: 1

of cultures through, for example, the study of life in Africa and India. The School Council is a strong group of pupils who have a positive effect on the work of the school. The councillors maintain their own finances and it is they who decide, alongside the headteacher, how the money is to be best used for the benefit of the whole school. The school has excellent links with the local community such as when the choir sings for the elderly at Christmas and the close liaison with the Parish Council with pupils involved with the council in the 'Coltishall Cares' campaign. Given the good progress pupils make in literacy and numeracy and the exceptionally good social skills they develop, they are well prepared for their next step in education.

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Grade: 2

Most of the teaching is good and some is outstanding. Where teaching is outstanding it enables pupils to make excellent progress in their work. The quality of teachers' planning is good with identified activities for pupils of different ages and abilities to be found in each class. Pupils and adults show mutual respect and this helps pupils to learn well. The excellent behaviour throughout the school means that teachers do not have to spend time managing inappropriate behaviour but can concentrate on their prime object of ensuring that good learning takes place, which it does. The quality of teachers' marking is variable across the school. Whilst it often praises good work and effort, in some classes there is insufficient information and support to let children know how they can improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum to help pupils learn. The new strategies for numeracy and literacy have been introduced and are beginning to have a positive impact on learning. The planning for teaching topic work across all classes at Key Stage 2 has proved to be an excellent move. Topics are planned for all pupils between Year 3 and Year 6 and the use of mixed age and ability levels for topic lessons has resulted in good learning for all pupils. The school provides a good range of activities to enhance pupils' learning and enjoyment. Pupils are given opportunities to learn to play musical instruments and there are many sporting activities available to them. They take full advantage of the opportunities offered. The school has introduced foreign language teaching to its curriculum, with pupils learning to speak Spanish and French. The local area is used well to support learning and the wide range of visitors and visits arranged

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Grade: 2

support learning well. These include visits to such places as the University of East Anglia and links with Norwich City Football Club.

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Grade: 2

The school provides outstanding pastoral care for its pupils. The staff give this a high priority, resulting in pupils who are safe, secure and happy. Statutory checks to safeguard pupils are in 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009 place. The 'Buddy Groups' help to support the excellent relationships between pupils, with the older ones willingly taking responsibility to support the younger ones. Pupils who find learning difficult are identified early and supported effectively to help them to make good progress. The quality of feedback to pupils on how well they are doing is variable across the school and, as a result, pupils in all classes are not always aware of what they need to do to improve their work. Whilst in some classes the children have specific targets identified for improvement, this is inconsistent across the school.

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Grade: 2

In the four terms since his appointment, the major focus of the headteacher's work has been the raising of standards and pupils' achievement beyond the satisfactory levels of the past few years. In this he is fully supported by the deputy headteacher, the staff and the governing body. The schools' planning clearly set out the priorities for the next three years, with detailed plans for the next academic year, displaying a clear direction for school improvement. Coupled with its accurate self-evaluation, this places the school in a good position to improve further. Governance is good. The governing body is fully involved in monitoring the schools' performance, though governors are not involved enough at the early stages of school planning. They are clear about the strengths of the school and where improvements need to be made. The school has a clear and positive ethos to ensure a fully inclusive school. The arrangements for community

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Grade: 2

cohesion are good. The children understand the cultural differences found locally, nationally and globally. The school's curriculum is designed to enhance their knowledge of other cultures in this country and beyond. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009 .

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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: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009

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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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009

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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 The extent to which 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 March 2009 Dear Children Inspection of Coltishall Primary School, Coltishall, Norwich NR12 7HA This letter is to thank you for the welcome you gave me when I came to inspect your school recently. I would like to thank you for helping me with my work and to tell you what I found out about your school. You are fortunate to go to a good school where Mr Adamson and the staff care about you very much. You get on well together and you respect your teachers so that you behave well for them. The teachers work hard to make sure that you are taught well and this helps you to make good progress. You told me that you enjoy school because the teachers make learning fun. You also say that none of you is left out of activities in the playground, largely because of the good arrangement of 'Buddy Groups'. You know that you should exercise and eat healthy food. The school council has been able to talk with the school cook to make sure that you enjoy the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

healthy dinners provided. The staff provide a good range of activities for you both during and outside school time, such as music and sport. The governors work hard to make sure that the school is giving you a good and enjoyable education. In order to make the school even better, I have asked Mr Adamson, the staff and governors to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure that when they mark your work, the teachers identify for you the ways in which you can make it even better ■ make sure that they track your progress fully and ensure that the information they have is used to help you to make the best progress you can. With all good wishes for the future Yours sincerely John Foster Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Coltishall Primary School, 10–11 March 2009

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