Pierrepont Gamston Primary School

Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School Inspection report

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132194 Unique Reference Number NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Local Authority 315960 Inspection number 3 May 2007 Inspection date 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 200 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Rev A W Fyall Chair Mr J Heard Headteacher 17 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection Coledale School address West Bridgford Nottingham NG2 6TH

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0115 981 9292 Telephone number 0115 982 7182 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 3 May 2007 Inspection date 315960 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 in one day.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized primary school whose numbers have increased significantly since it opened five years ago. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly in line with the national average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need are similar to the national average. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The number of pupils from ethnic minority background is similar to that found in other schools nationally but none of these pupils are 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 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 2007

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Grade: 2

The school provides its pupils with a good quality education and inspection findings fully endorse the school's view of its own effectiveness. The school enjoys high levels of support from the vast majority of parents, as shown by one parent and echoed by others, 'All children are made to feel highly valued, their confidence built up and helped to achieve their potential.' Under the very good leadership of the headteacher there is a determination to making the school even better. This, together with the school's track record of tackling weaknesses, is a winning combination for further successes. The school provides good value for money. Attainment when pupils start at the school is broadly at the nationally expected level. Standards when pupils leave school are currently well above average. Test and assessment data show that from their varied starting points, pupils, irrespective of their ability or ethnicity, make good

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Grade: 2

progress and achieve well. Much of this is due to the good teaching and vibrant curriculum, both of which are key strengths of the school. Teaching is often pacey, challenging and well matched to the individual needs of pupils. The school collects a good deal of information to gauge how well pupils are doing but it is not organised in the most effective way to give the clearest overview of individual pupil progress. Pupils' personal development is good. Behaviour is never less than good and often better. Pupils love coming to school, their enjoyment palpable and they are reluctant to miss a day. Pupils play their part to the full in creating a strong sense of family and community cohesion. Pupils are cared for and respected very well but academic guidance is not as strong as it could be. This is because marking does not always give clear pointers for improvement and pupils are not active enough in setting their own targets for improvement. Pupils know a good deal about

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Grade: 2

following healthy lifestyles and about keeping safe. They are always ready to contribute to the school and local community. The good provision in the Foundation Stage is the starting point for good development of key basic skills and a rich array of learning and enrichment opportunities in Years 1 to 6. These add much to the pupils' achievement and enjoyment of school. At the core of the school's success lies good leadership and management, with the headteacher playing a pivotal role. All the staff work very well together with no sense of complacency; instead, there is a shared commitment to setting the bar higher and continuing to build on the good improvement since the last inspection. Governors play their part well through good levels of support and by taking an active and effective role in evaluating the work of the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Organise assessment information in the most effective way to provide a clear overview of pupils' progress and achievement. • Make pupils more aware of what they need to do to improve through more tailored individual targets, sharper marking of their work and involving them more in setting their own targets.

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Grade: 2

Attainment when pupils start at the school is generally in line with national expectations. Standards at the end of the reception year are securely at an average level and above in some areas of learning. Standards by the end of Year 2 are currently above average and well above 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 2007 average overall by the end of Year 6. The important factor is that test and assessment data clearly show that across the school, pupils of all abilities and ethnicities make good progress and achieve well. Much of this is due to good teaching, challenging target setting and the rigour with which the leadership of the school tackles weaknesses. For example, although there is still room for improvement, strategies for pushing up writing standards are proving both successful and effective in closing the gap between reading and writing.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good with aspects which are outstanding. Pupils' behaviour is good and for the older ones in school, excellent. Their enjoyment of school is outstanding and they talk as enthusiastically about lessons as they do about after school clubs and visits. It is no coincidence that attendance at the school is very good. Pupils are reflective, thoughtful individuals who show good levels of respect to adults and one another. They have a good awareness of different faiths, cultures and traditions. Pupils are well grounded in what is needed to follow healthy lifestyles and manage risks in their lives. Pupils make a telling contribution to the school and local community and the recently re-established school council is emerging as a forum for them to have a greater say in decision making. The good teaching of basic skills alongside the development of

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Grade: 2

team-working and other qualities prepare pupils well for the future. However, these attributes are not always tested out in exciting ways, such as giving pupils the opportunity to take part in innovative enterprise initiatives.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Lessons are often packed with pace, challenge and humour. Teachers and the highly effective teaching assistants go the extra-mile to make learning vibrant and stimulating. The excellent relationships mean that pupils are not afraid to 'have a go'; knowing their contributions will be valued. Good use of interactive whiteboards and laptops brings learning springing to life and the improvements to the teaching of writing skills have seen standards rise. Occasionally teachers do not get the full attention of pupils when making pertinent teaching points. Teachers are always looking to improve their performance and readily take on board constructive comments when their teaching is monitored. The school has good procedures in place for assessing how well pupils are doing but the information is not organised in the most effective way to give a ready overview of pupils' progress. Marking of pupils' work

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Grade: 2

is frequent and, at times good, but on other occasions does not provide pupils with clear or concise enough pointers for improvement.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and makes an important contribution to pupils' enjoyment of school. A good emphasis is given to the development of pupils' literacy and numeracy skills and their investigative skills in science. Computer skills are developed well across different subjects. However, there is scope for improving how writing can be further developed in a more cross curricular manner. Provision in the Foundation Stage and for supporting pupils with learning 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 2007 difficulties are both good. Enrichment opportunities are a strength of the school, with a wide array of after school clubs including sport, Goan cookery, science, a choir and visits to galleries, museums, and theatres. Visitors are as diverse as sculptors and beekeepers. Over half of the pupils play a musical instrument and the teaching of modern foreign languages is now embedded

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Grade: 2

in the school curriculum. The curriculum promotes the importance of healthy lifestyles well and makes good use of the local community as a learning resource.

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Grade: 2

The care and guidance for all pupils are good. A strong sense of caring envelops the school and pupils feel safe and valued. Pupils adamantly state, 'Bullying never happens at our school and if it did it would be dealt with immediately; no doubt about it!' Pupils are also eager to point out that there is always someone on hand to talk to if they are concerned about anything at all. Appropriate safeguarding and child protection procedures are in place. The good links, firmly established with outside support agencies, and the school's own support mechanisms, all mean that help is available for any pupil experiencing learning, emotional or social difficulty. Good procedures are in place for helping pupils start at the school and for transferring to secondary school. Pupils have good awareness of their group targets in literacy and numeracy. Targets are not always tailored enough for individual pupils and pupils do not always play an

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Grade: 2

active enough role in setting and reviewing their own targets.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher leads and manages the school very well. He has played a pivotal role in the development and improvement of the school since it opened five years ago. He puts in place strategies and initiatives that bring results, for example, improving writing standards, a higher incidence of good teaching, better assessment and a more exciting curriculum. He is determined to make the school even better and the very strong team spirit that is a feature of the school means this quest is likely come to fruition. There is a good senior management team in school, the members of which monitor and evaluate teaching and learning well. More regular and wider samplings of pupils' work would give them and other subject leaders a sharper insight into pupil achievement. The school's self evaluation is open, frank and importantly, accurate and takes on board the views of staff, pupils, parents and governors. Governance of the school is

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Grade: 2

good because governors play an effective and influential role in supporting, monitoring and challenging the work and performance of the school. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 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? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 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 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

May 4 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, Coledale, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 6GH You will probably remember that I visited your school not too long ago and I am now writing to let you know what I found out. Before I do, I would first of all like to say thank you for making me feel so welcome and making my visit one that I will remember. I have told your teachers how you were all so helpful and polite and that you were great ambassadors for the school. I managed to talk to lots of you and it was good to hear how much you enjoy school, the after school clubs and all the other activities that are on offer. I found many good things about your school and, like you, I think it is a good school. Teachers and other staff make learning enjoyable and help you to achieve well and to reach good standards by the time that you leave school. The school is good in the way that it helps you to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

learn about the importance of keeping fit, healthy and safe and works very hard at making sure you are cared for very well. Another strength is the way in which your headteacher runs the school and helps to make it such an exciting place to learn. But another great strength of the school is you! The way you behave, how hard you work and how you care for one another are just some examples. I have talked to your teachers about how they can help make the school even better. They are going to watch your progress even more closely, make sure marking of your work gives you some good pointers to help you improve and give you the chance to set some of your own targets for improvement. The headteacher and all the staff and governors want the school to carry on getting better and better. Having met you I know you will play your part by continuing to work as hard and behave as well as you do now. I wish you every success in your futures. It was a pleasure and privilege

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to meet you. Martin Newell Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Pierrepont Gamston CE Primary School, 3 May 2007

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