Alkborough Primary School

Alkborough Primary School Inspection report

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117725 Unique Reference Number North Lincolnshire Local Authority 326669 Inspection number 10–11 June 2009 Inspection dates Gina White HMI 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 58 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 Tim Hardy Chair Mrs Kristina Barrett Headteacher 1 March 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Whitton Road School address Alkborough Scunthorpe DN15 9JG 01724 720301 Telephone number 01724 720301 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 10–11 June 2009 Inspection dates 326669 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: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is much smaller than average and serves a rural area at the centre of four villages in North Lincolnshire. Pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes: one of which includes the Early Years Foundation Stage children. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is well below average and overall socio-economic circumstances are more favourable than the average nationally. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need is very high for the size of the school. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average, and includes pupils with moderate learning difficulties. All pupils are from a White British background and none are learning English as an additional language. The school is an extended school and provides a breakfast club, community access and runs a parent and toddlers group for pre-school children as part of its family learning programme. The school has

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Description of the school

awards for Basic Skills, Healthy Schools and Activemark for its work in physical education. The headteacher has been in post since January 2008.

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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: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Grade: 2

Alkborough Primary School is a good school. Standards are above average and pupils make good progress in relation to their starting points. The school provides a very good start for its youngest children. Parents are very supportive of the school and its distinctive ethos which one described as, ‘A friendly family atmosphere where everyone is encouraged to care for each other’. The school provides a good level of care, guidance and support. Pupils say they feel safe and secure in school. This has a good impact on pupils’ personal development and well-being. Good relationships are a feature of the school and pupils and adults treat each other with respect. Pupils enjoy being at school and their attendance is good. Their behaviour in lessons and around school is excellent. Pupils contribute well to their local and school community: they take seriously their responsibilities to serve on the school council and act as

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Grade: 2

buddies to younger pupils and those with special needs. However, opportunities for them to progressively develop an understanding of the diversity and culture in modern Britain and the wider world are underdeveloped. Teaching is good overall, and some lessons are outstanding. This supports pupils’ learning very well. Work is well matched to their needs, particularly in mathematics which has been the focus of much training and development for staff. Targets are shared with pupils and parents and progress is reviewed regularly. The headteacher has introduced a new marking scheme; called ‘tickled pink and green for growth’. It is used consistently by teachers to highlight good features in pupils’ work and where improvements are needed. It is widely understood by pupils and parents alike. The curriculum is good. Pupils are securely developing skills in using information and communication technology (ICT). The curriculum includes a wide range of experiences through

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Grade: 2

topic work, subjects, visits and events. Pupils like the fact that there is so much to do. However, curriculum planning is not as effective as it could be in planning links between subjects and activities to help pupils learn more effectively and make good progress in all subjects. The school has moved forward quickly under the excellent leadership of the headteacher. The headteacher, staff and governors have worked effectively to bring about improvements in resources, the learning environment, teaching and the curriculum. Well focused plans, together with what has already been achieved, demonstrate a good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 1

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the Nursery and Reception class. Provision is outstanding and is expertly led and managed. Planning for children’s personal development and their learning is exceptional. An exciting range of stimulating activities and resources keeps children engaged and focused. Children enjoy their learning and actively participate in activities. The majority make very good progress from their starting points. Most children can confidently count to 10 and beyond and are beginning to understand simple addition and subtraction. Provision for their physical and emotional well-being is excellent: children are confident to make their needs known, to initiate their own learning and work readily with peers and adults. Children quickly make friends, take turns and share resources. They show care and concern for each other and play and work safely in a secure setting. The outdoor area is a major strength of the provision.

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Grade: 1

4 of 11 Inspection Report: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 Resources are very well organised to enable children to make independent choices in their play and children move seamlessly from indoors to outdoors throughout the day.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide opportunities for pupils to develop a greater understanding of the cultural diversity of Britain and the world beyond. ■ Improve curriculum planning to make clear the links between subjects, visits and events and how they are expected to help pupils learn and make progress.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a very good start in the Nursery and Reception with good development of early reading, writing and mathematical skills and excellent attitudes to learning. Pupils make good progress in relation to their starting points and trends in attainment by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are above average. Most pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress and some make very good progress. The school has acted quickly following the dip in results in 2008. Systems for tracking pupils’ progress have been further strengthened. Year 3 pupils have responded well to focused intervention and support and have made excellent progress in numeracy. School assessments show they are on track to meet their targets. The school wide focus on mathematics and target-setting has supported higher achievement across all year groups. All pupils are securely using a wider range of calculation strategies to solve

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Grade: 2

problems and are making good progress in applying what they learn to a range of different contexts. Teacher assessments show that most pupils in Year 6 are reaching high standards in English, mathematics and science. School data shows pupils make good progress across a range of subjects. Pupils achieve highly in music.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good and their cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils are developing a good sense of justice and fair play and participate in collective worship. They are beginning to learn about different religions. The school council is well organised and takes an active role in many aspects of school life. School councillors consult widely with pupils and represent them well. Their views contribute to decisions such as the purchase of play equipment. Pupils feel their thoughts and ideas are listened to and are confident and happy. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles: they understand the importance of a healthy diet and take regular exercise. Year 3 and 4 are beginning to monitor their fitness levels and can already see an improvement in a short time.

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Grade: 2

Teachers know their pupils’ needs and interests very well and lessons are well planned to meet them. Effective use is made of resources, such as ICT and the school and local area to engage and challenge pupils in interesting activities. Use of the playground during practical problem solving in Years 1 and 2 supported pupils’ work with higher numbers. Well planned use of different methods of calculation helped pupils to make good progress in measuring with 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 increasing accuracy and precision. Teachers use questioning effectively to find out what pupils recall and where there are gaps in their understanding. The focused use of pupil discussion with a partner is used widely and well in lessons. Pupils say that opportunities to work with older pupils help them to learn better. They encourage each other to do well and are quick to applaud good achievement for example when they sing and play musical instruments. In some

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Grade: 2

foundation subjects, opportunities are missed to involve pupils more actively in the lesson. Peer assessment is developing. At its best it is underpinned by excellent teaching where pupils have high expectations of themselves and know exactly what they are looking for and how to improve. In Years 5 and 6 pupils can identify good features in each other’s work and are able to give precise and accurate feedback to each other.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum has developed since the last inspection to better meet pupils’ needs and interests. Opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects and to use ICT are more firmly established. Pupils continue to enjoy a wide range of games and activities in physical education. Resources to support play and sport are good. Personal plans for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities meet their interests and development needs well and promote their progress. Personal, social and health education and opportunities to learn about citizenship are at an early stage of development. Pupils enjoy the wide range of extra-curricular activities and enrichment. They say they enable them to do things they would never otherwise do.

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Grade: 2

The promotion of pupils’ well-being and academic progress is good. Improved systems for tracking pupils’ progress and effective guidance enable pupils to know what steps to take to meet their targets. Pupils with a statement of special educational need and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good support which is well focused on their learning and developmental needs. This underpins the good progress they make. Parents appreciate the good communication between school and home. Child protection and health and safety arrangements meet requirements.

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Grade: 2

Although the overall leadership and management are good, the leadership demonstrated by the headteacher since her appointment has been outstanding. Her clear vision for the further improvement of the school is shared by staff and governors. Systems for managing the performance of staff, target-setting and assessment in English and mathematics are firmly in place. Further development of subject leadership is planned. Training and support are well integrated in improvement plans. As a result, subject leaders know their roles and what is expected of them and further training is planned. Their involvement in focused observations of the quality of teaching and learning helps them in developing their roles. Governors are actively involved in the school. They are well informed and able to make strategic decisions as a result of their own monitoring, regular training and detailed reports from the 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Grade: 2

headteacher. They know their roles and responsibilities and understand, for example, that planning for community cohesion needs strengthening. Equality of opportunity is well promoted and supported. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 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: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 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? 1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 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: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 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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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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 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: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Alkborough Primary School, North Lincolnshire, DN15 9JG I want to thank you for the way you made me so welcome when I inspected your school recently. I enjoyed meeting you, and talking to you about your school and your work. I agree with you and your parents that Alkborough Primary is a good school and the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding. The youngest children make excellent progress. They enjoy learning and have an exciting range of activities and resources to help them learn and develop. In all classes you are learning lots of new things and make good progress as a result of the effective teaching that takes place. Many of you are reaching high standards in your reading, writing and mathematics. I was very impressed by how keen you are to learn in lessons. The effort you put into your singing, playing musical instruments and homework projects is amazing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your behaviour is excellent: you learn and play together well, act safely and responsibly and take good care of each other. The staff take care of you very well too, and do a good job in helping you when you need extra help to learn. The curriculum is good: it meets your interests and needs well. It includes a good range of opportunities to go on visits, work with specialists and other children in different age groups. You have an excellent headteacher who, together with the other adults and governors are keen to make your school even better. They know what needs to be done and have very clear plans to improve teaching and to help you learn even more. I have suggested two things to help them in their task.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Develop your understanding of Britain as a mixed society and provide more opportunities for you to find out about the lives and beliefs of people from other parts of this country and the world. ■ Make sure the curriculum is planned to make clear the links between subjects, visits and events and how they are expected to help you learn and make progress. Yours faithfully Gina White Her Majesty’s Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Alkborough Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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