New Pasture Lane Primary School

New Pasture Lane Primary School Inspection report

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117909 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 326713 Inspection number 1–2 July 2009 Inspection dates Kathryn Dodd 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 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 134 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 Andrew Clegg Chair Mrs Sue Tompkin/Mrs Alison Tadman 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 Burstall Hill School address Bridlington YO16 7NR 01262 601684 Telephone number 01262 673873 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 1–2 July 2009 Inspection dates 326713 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: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Almost all the pupils at this smaller than average sized school are from White British family backgrounds. The school serves the local community, where there is significant social and economic disadvantage. An above average proportion of pupils are entitled to free school meals. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with a statement of special educational need, is well above average. The school makes provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Nursery and Reception classes. There are two staff who share the position of headteacher, an arrangement which was very recently established. The school holds a number of awards, including the Activemark, Basic Skills Award, Inclusion at Silver Level and Healthy Schools 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: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 2009

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Grade: 2

This good school has an accurate view of its effectiveness and provides good value for money. From skills that are below, and sometimes well below what is typical for their age, pupils achieve well to reach average standards by Year 6. This represents good improvement since the last inspection, when pupils’ achievement was satisfactory. In recent years, pupils’ progress has accelerated and standards are on rising. Results in national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2008 were the highest for five years. This improved picture results from rigorous efforts of leaders to raise standards by setting challenging learning targets and keeping a very close eye on pupils’ progress towards them. Although only a minority of parents returned the inspection questionnaire, the vast majority express their confidence in the quality of education on offer. They appreciate that staff are ‘approachable and helpful’ and say the school ‘works very hard

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Grade: 2

to help their children to reach their full potential’. From starting in Year 1 below average pupils make good progress through to Year 6 to reach average standards. This stems from the good quality of teaching and learning and an effective curriculum. The curriculum is carefully adapted to meet pupils’ individual needs. Pupils who have additional social and emotional needs, or those who find behaving well difficult, can access personalised support programmes. Standards are generally rising, but in English, standards in writing lag behind those in reading. Closing this gap has already been identified as a priority for improvement, and efforts are starting to pay dividends. Pupils are, for example, now more enthusiastic about writing. Opportunities for practising writing skills in all subjects, at a level that consistently challenges pupils, are sometimes overlooked and this restricts progress especially of the more able pupils.

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Grade: 2

Making sure that pupils are happy, know how to stay safe and healthy and can make a positive contribution to their community are high priority. As a result, pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Pupils are well prepared for their future. Their good behaviour and attitudes reflect their enjoyment of all that is on offer and the exceptionally caring and supportive environment within which they learn. Attendance, however, is below average. Efforts to promote better attendance, particularly to help parents to understand that poor attendance adversely effects their children’s achievement, have had limited success. Pupils’ good progress and rising standards are the result of good quality leadership and management. The headteachers set high and clear expectations of everyone. Governance is outstanding. Governors play a pivotal role in shaping the school’s future leadership structure and influencing improvement planning. This, along with the effective support of the senior

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Grade: 2

leadership team and the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of all the staff, is helping the school to move forward successfully. There is a good capacity to continue to improve.

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Grade: 3

When children start school, their skills are below and sometimes well below what is typical for their age in aspects of communication, language and literacy skills. Children settle into routines quickly because of the very warm and caring relationships between adults and children. This helps them to feel happy, safe and secure, and enjoy learning. Children’s personal, social and emotional development is good. Adults encourage children to behave well and to develop their confidence. Children play an active part in their school community, such as taking part in ‘French 4 of 11 Inspection Report: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 2009 Day’ activities. As a result of satisfactory teaching and learning and the satisfactory curriculum, children make steady progress. By Year 1, most children are still working towards the national learning goals and overall standards are below average. Sensible curriculum adaptations, such

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Grade: 3

as providing more opportunities for talking about learning, are helping to boost children’s poor language skills. Opportunities for taking learning forward at a good rate are sometimes overlooked because the arrangements for collecting and recording children’s very small steps in learning are not yet fully developed. As a result, activities do not always match children’s individual needs. Good progress is also sometimes hampered when children do not attend regularly. Satisfactory leadership and management have ensured improvement in some areas, such as learning outdoors. Staff are well aware that there is scope to improve the recording of children’s achievements, so that they can pinpoint necessary refinements to teaching, learning and the curriculum more effectively.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage and use the information to pinpoint where refinements to teaching and the curriculum are needed. ■ Ensure the opportunities for practising writing skills across the various subjects, consistently challenge pupils of all abilities especially the more able. ■ Improve attendance.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Between Years 1 and 6 pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make good progress. Standards reported from teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 are average. This represents good progress from pupils’ below, and sometimes well below, average starting points on entry to Year 1. In Years 1 and 2, progress is also accelerating. There are a greater proportion of pupils working at the higher levels of attainment currently in Year 2, particularly in mathematics. Standards by Year 6 are average and in recent years have been rising. Standards reported in 2008 were the highest for five years and were above average in mathematics, slightly above average in English and broadly average in science. In English, standards were higher in reading than in writing. These results reflected particularly good progress from pupils’ low starting points. The proportion of pupils making progress at a faster rate than expected nationally has

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Grade: 2

been increasing in recent years, enabling pupils to exceed their challenging learning targets. Current standards in mathematics are similar to the test results and are slightly above average. In English however, they are below average. One reason for the dip is the very high proportion of pupils in the group with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, the proportion of pupils reaching or exceeding the nationally expected level in writing still lags behind that in reading.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. The school is a warm and caring community, where pupils feel happy, safe and secure. They demonstrate good attitudes to learning, are clear about school rules, understand the consequences of their actions and most behave well. Older pupils offer words of encouragement when their peers fail to rise to the high expectations of behaviour. Pupils 5 of 11 Inspection Report: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 2009 enjoy receiving rewards for their efforts and look forward to ‘praise assemblies’. They enjoy making their school a better place to learn and most attend regularly. However, overall attendance is below average. Efforts to promote better attendance, both with pupils and their parents, have resulted in improvement for a few pupils. Nevertheless, a significant minority of

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Grade: 2

parents still do not ensure that their children attend on a very regular basis. Pupils eagerly take on responsibilities, such as being school councillors, with enthusiasm. They are extremely proud of the garden they have developed recently. There is a good awareness of how to help improve the local community to make it a better and safer place to live, but their understanding of Britain as an ethnically diverse society is still developing. Pupils’ good personal skills and good progress in basic literacy and numeracy skills prepare them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching and learning enable pupils to achieve well. Thoughtful organisation, positive relationships, effective use of praise and management of behaviour, along with the careful deployment of highly effective teaching assistants, all make a strong contribution to pupils’ good progress. Supportive marking provides pupils with a clear view of how they can improve. There are also examples of outstanding teaching and learning. In Year 2, for example, a combination of lively, fast moving teaching presented ongoing challenge to pupils’ thinking. In other lessons Skilled questioning carefully checks pupils’ understanding. As a result, pupils rise to the very high expectations placed upon them. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well because of good support within the classroom and when working in very small groups. In literacy and mathematics lessons, older pupils are taught in groups of

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Grade: 2

similar ability where work is well matched to their varying needs. In other classes and subjects, such as in science or history, however, planned activities do not always take pupils’ varying abilities fully into account, particularly to ensure the more able pupils are challenged.

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Grade: 2

A good quality curriculum enables pupils to make good progress. Providing a well enriched, exciting variety of learning experiences is a high priority. Opportunities for pupils to perform, such as in music and drama, contribute significantly to pupils’ enjoyment, self-esteem and sense of personal achievement. Very careful consideration is given to ensuring that those pupils who find behaving well difficult are engaged in purposeful learning activities. Effective partnerships with community professionals, such as police, develop pupils’ understanding of how to keep themselves safe and contribute positively within their locality. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well because they access an excellent range of highly individualised support programmes. Recent adaptations to the curriculum for writing have resulted in pupils’ increased enthusiasm, and are helping to fire their imaginations. Opportunities

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Grade: 2

for pupils to practise writing skills at levels that consistently challenge their thinking across subjects are, however, sometimes overlooked. The focus on developing mathematical language skills is now well established and makes a good contribution to the above average standards reached in this subject. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 2009

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ care and welfare are at the very heart of the school. Excellent pastoral support is evident in daily practices. Good attention is given to making sure that appropriate safeguarding arrangements are in place. Staff know pupils and their families very well. This ensures that the right kind of support is provided at the right time. Good partnerships fostered within the locality, such as with police and external support agencies, along with the effective contribution of the home-school link worker, combine effectively to provide seamless support. Efforts to engage parents in school life have recently extended. However, despite efforts to help parents to understand that poor attendance adversely effects their children’s achievement, attendance remains below average. Academic tracking is thorough and used well to keep a watchful eye on pupils’ progress. This has led to higher expectations by staff, the setting of more challenging targets and earlier

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Grade: 2

identification of underachievement. All of these improvements contribute to the picture of rising standards. Pupils regularly assess how well they are getting on and check what they still have to do to reach their learning targets. These best practices are not yet fully developed in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Pupils achieve well, within a very caring, safe, supportive, and inclusive setting. In recent weeks, the two headteachers have quickly established clear individual roles and accountabilities, while sharing a strong sense of common purpose and vision. Governors have strengthened their work considerably since the previous inspection. Their extremely thorough evaluation of the school’s performance, along with a keen level of challenge and excellent support, is successfully holding the school to account and very accurately influencing improvement planning. Governors have, for example, identified that there is scope to strengthen the effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion. This is satisfactory and is developing to extend pupils’ knowledge of global issues including life in a multi-ethnic society. The senior leadership team offer effective support, and their

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Grade: 2

professionalism, commitment and dedication are highly evident. The trend of rising standards, along with the now good rate of pupils’ progress between Years 1 to 6, clearly demonstrates that there has been good improvement since the previous inspection. Meticulous recording and skilful analysis of pupils’ performance by leaders, managers and subject coordinators make a strong contribution to this improved picture. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 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: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 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?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/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: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 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 2 The extent to which 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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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: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

3 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of New Pasture Lane Primary School, East Riding of Yorkshire, YO16 7NR Thank you so much for the friendly welcome you gave me when I visited your school. I really enjoyed being a part of your school community. You were keen to talk to me and answered my questions thoughtfully. Your behaviour was good and you were well mannered. It was good to hear that you feel safe and happy in school. All the adults care about you such a lot, and I could see that you also encourage one another to do well. It was good to see so many of you taking part in exciting activities, such as French Day. I particularly enjoyed listening to the orchestra and your harmonious singing in assembly, watching the rehearsal for your forthcoming performance of ‘The Tempest’ and hearing just how proud you are of your school garden. You get lots of chances to take part in activities like these, and this is one of the reasons why you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

enjoy school. You go to a good school. By Year 6, the standards you reach are similar to those expected for that age. However, the rate at which you learn between Years 1 and 6 is faster than expected. Your good progress and attitudes to learning are the reasons why you are well prepared for going to secondary school. The adults who work at your school know that you do well in your learning. In the last few years, many things have got better and this is why you are learning at a quicker rate. Even so, adults still search for ways to improve your school even further. This is why I have asked the school to make sure that:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the progress of the children in the Nursery and Reception classes is closely checked and used by teachers to improve the progress these children make ■ when you write in all subjects the work is at a hard enough level to help you improve your writing skills ■ you all attend regularly.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help by making sure that you tell your teacher if the work you are given, especially in writing, is too easy and by coming to school every day. I hope that your performance of ‘The Tempest’ goes well and that you can all enjoy eating the fruit and vegetables you are growing in your school garden. Yours faithfully Kathryn Dodd Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: New Pasture Lane Primary School, 1–2 July 2009

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