King Edwin Primary and Nursery School

King Edwin Primary and Nursery School Inspection report

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122639 Unique Reference Number NOTTINGHAMSHIRE LA Local Authority 314353 Inspection number 7 °8 April 2008 Inspection dates Martin Newell 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 330 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Dick Empson Chair Mr Peter Dalby Headteacher 13 October 2003 Date of previous school inspection Fourth Avenue School address Edwinstowe Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG21 9NS 01623822111 Telephone number 01623825707 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 7 °8 April 2008 Inspection dates 314353 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average sized primary school. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is similar to the national average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly in line with that found nationally and the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need is below the national picture. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds and, of the very small number of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds, none is at an early stage of acquiring English.

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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: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, which enables all pupils to achieve well and to leave school as well-rounded individuals, both academically and socially, well equipped to face the next challenges in their educational lives. The school enjoys very good support from parents and is justifiably proud of its good reputation in the local community. A comment made by one parent and echoed by others, sums up parents' views, 'I am happy and proud that my children have been taught at King Edwin'. Under the very good leadership of the headteacher, the school has made good progress since the last inspection. The rigour with which weaknesses have been tackled has resulted in improvements to standards, pupil achievement, teaching and assessment. The school has not rested on its laurels and all staff share a commitment to making the school even better. This winning combination illustrates the school's good capacity for continued improvement.

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Grade: 2

From a starting point below national expectations, all pupils make good progress and by the time they leave school, standards are generally close to the average nationally, and above average in writing. Standards across the school are on a continuing upward trend. Much of this is due to strengths in teaching, the curriculum, leadership and the qualities that pupils bring to the life of the school. Teaching pushes pupils' learning on at a speedy rate and many lessons are challenging yet fun for pupils of all abilities. Relationships are a real strength and there is a genuine respect between adults and pupils that helps to create a learning environment where pupils flourish. Pupils' writing skills are taught particularly well and the push is now on to ensure that pupils' problem solving and investigative skills are developed in the same way. The curriculum is well planned and stimulating and meets the individual needs of pupils effectively. It promotes a real sense

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Grade: 2

of enjoyment and achievement for pupils, helped in no small measure by the wide array of enrichment activities. This is a school that recognises and celebrates the individuality of pupils, an approach that is reflected in the high levels of pastoral care for pupils. Pupils have a genuine voice in the life of the school that builds up their confidence and self-esteem. Pupils are given plenty of guidance to help improve their work and are only too ready to take on board the comments and advice given. Pupils behave very well and have an infectious enthusiasm and enjoyment for school. They show a mature awareness of right and wrong and respect the traditions and beliefs of others. Pupils know, and importantly practice, what is needed to follow fit and healthy lives and manage risks well. Their sense of social responsibility is clear and they make important and much appreciated contributions to both the school and local community.

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Grade: 2

At the core of many good schools lies good leadership and management and King Edwin School is no exception. The headteacher plays a significant and pivotal role in driving the school forward and is constantly seeking improvement. He values the important and effective contributions made to school development by the senior leadership team, subject leaders and governors, whilst recognising that monitoring of teaching and learning by subject leaders needs more of a cutting edge to have an even bigger impact on pupils' achievement.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching supports a variety of learning activities and helps the children make good progress. Adults work together very well in striking a balance between the teaching of key skills and opportunities to learn through practical and child initiated tasks. Just occasionally, 4 of 11 Inspection Report: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 2008 tasks are too adult directed. Opportunities to capitalise on developing children's communication skills are used well. Good use is made of the outdoor accommodation. Excellent ongoing assessment provides all practitioners with a clear picture of how well pupils are doing. Good induction procedures enable children to quickly settle into school routines. Partnership with parents is good as is the management of Foundation Stage provision, which contributes much to its effectiveness.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure pupils' problem solving, investigative and enquiry skills are taught and developed in a systematic and progressive manner. ■ Provide more opportunities for subject leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.

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Grade: 2

Attainment when pupils start at the school has historically been below national expectations. When they leave, they attain standards close to the national average, and have writing standards a little above average. This represents good progress and achievement. However, the picture is complex. Children get a good start in the Foundation Stage and achieve well. National test data shows that over time standards at the end of Year 2 have not been high enough although this situation has improved significantly because of improvements, primarily in teaching and assessment. Standards are now currently close to the national average and all pupils are achieving well. This positive picture continues in Years 3 to 6, where teaching continues to be consistently good, resulting in good achievement and progress for pupils. The school's accurate, rigorous and challenging assessment and target-setting process shows continually improving standards

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Grade: 2

with many pupils exceeding their challenging targets. To accelerate this improvement, the school has identified the need to improve pupils' investigative, problem solving and enquiry skills.

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Grade: 2

Pupils behave very well and attendance is satisfactory. Their attitude to school is excellent, helped by the good learning habits they are taught. Pupils show high levels of respect for adults and one another. They are mindful of each other's safety. They have no concerns about bullying, pointing out there is always someone to talk to if they have any concerns. Pupils' good progress owes much to the considerable enjoyment they glean from their work, although too few opportunities are provided for them to take more initiative for their own learning. Teaching and the curriculum builds pupils' confidence and their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are reflective, caring individuals with a good awareness of different faiths and cultures. Strong encouragement for pupils to adopt a healthy lifestyle means they carefully consider their diet and stay physically fit. The work of the school council contributes positively

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Grade: 2

to the school by offering ideas on improving the school playground and village recreational area. Pupils actively raise money for good causes at home and abroad. Pupils leave the school well prepared for their future. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 2008

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Grade: 2

The fact that all pupils make good progress and achieve well owes much to the good quality of teaching and learning. Many lessons are packed with pace and challenge and based on good quality planning that ensures that the tasks set are well matched to the ability levels of pupils. Relationships across the school are excellent and there is a real sense of fun and enjoyment evident in many lessons. Writing skills are taught very well. The school has recognised the need to provide more consistent and exciting opportunities in teaching for pupils to develop their investigative, problem solving and enquiry skills. Teaching assistants make a significant contribution, supporting and enhancing the achievement of those pupils who find learning difficult. When marking pupils' work, teachers make it crystal clear what is needed to move on to the next level.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils effectively and is planned so that learning is both enjoyable and challenging. The introduction of new literacy and numeracy initiatives is well advanced, building on already well-established good practice. The new building, with improved resources, allows information and communication technology to play a key role in pupils' learning. New approaches to teaching phonics and expanding opportunities for speaking and listening and drama have had a positive impact on writing standards. While work on developing investigative, problem-solving and independent approaches to learning are underway, they have yet to fully impact on raising standards further. Pupils' work is enriched by a wide choice of after-school clubs, visits and visitors. Pupils learn modern foreign languages and to play musical instruments. The emphasis given to physical education, with successful participation

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Grade: 2

in inter-school competitions and the growing of fruit and vegetables on site, significantly enhances pupils' well-being.

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Grade: 2

Staff go the extra-mile to ensure pupils benefit from high levels of pastoral care. The rigorous systems for safeguarding pupils, child protection and risk assessment exemplify the school's fervent commitment to the well-being of its pupils. They feel safe and, importantly, they say, 'we have a voice that is listened to and respected'. Good links with outside agencies support the school's internal mechanisms to help pupils experiencing behavioural or emotional difficulties. Pupils who find learning difficult benefit from good levels of support. Academic guidance is good. Pupils have a good awareness of their individual targets in literacy and numeracy and the levels they are working at. Procedures for tracking pupils' progress are not yet rigorous enough in subjects other than English, mathematics and science. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 2008

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Grade: 2

The school's success owes much to the leadership of the headteacher. He has led the school very well through some turbulent times and his vision, strategic planning and steely determination to make the school a better place have not wavered. He has a very accurate grasp of the school's strengths and ensures weaknesses are rigorously tackled. He has brought staff, pupils, parents and governors with him in creating a strong team spirit. Good systems are in place for analysing test and assessment data and the information is used very well to set priorities for school improvement. The headteacher benefits from strong and effective support from senior staff and key subject leaders who help to drive forward initiatives that make a difference to pupils' achievement. However, opportunities for subject leaders to regularly monitor teaching and learning, or sample pupils' work are not yet an established feature of

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Grade: 2

school self-evaluation. Governors play an important and influential role in supporting, challenging and evaluating the work and performance of the school, although formal records of their visits are not made. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 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: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 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? 3 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 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: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 April 2008 Dear Children Inspection of King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, Edwinstowe, Mansfield, NG21 9NS You will probably remember that we visited your school not too long ago and I am now writing to let you know what we found out. Before I do, I would first like to thank you for making us feel so welcome. I have told your teachers how you were all so helpful and polite. Through our discussions with you it was great to hear how much you love coming to school and how much fun you find it. It was also good to hear about how safe you feel in school, that bullying is not an issue and that there is always someone to talk to if you are worried. We found many positive things about King Edwin School. These helped us to conclude that yours is a good school. Your teachers and other staff make teaching and learning fun and help you to achieve well. The curriculum, the clubs, the visits and visitors are strengths, as is the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

way in which the school helps you to keep safe and healthy. Mr Dalby is a very good headteacher, and together with all the staff and governors, makes the school a good place to learn. There is a further strength of the school that I have not mentioned yet. That is you, the children. You are great ambassadors for the school, you behave well and show great enthusiasm. You know and practise a lot about keeping healthy and safe and you make a real difference to the life of the school. Well done! Even good schools like yours can improve. We have asked your teachers to help improve your problem solving and investigative skills. We have also asked your teachers to check more closely on how well you are being taught and how well you are learning. Mr Dalby, the staff and governors want the school to become even better and I know you will play your part by continuing to behave well and working hard. I wish you every success in your future. It was a

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

pleasure and privilege to meet you. Martin Newell Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: King Edwin Primary and Nursery School, 7 °8 April 2008

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