Setting

Mrs Laminman Headteacher Legsby Primary School Main Street Legsby Market Rasen Lincolnshire LN8 3QW

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 25 February 2010 , for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during my visit. Please pass my thanks on to the chair of governors who met me at such short notice and to the pupils I met.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Pupil mobility, noted at the last inspection, has continued. Over two thirds of the pupils in the older year groups begin their schooling elsewhere. Additionally, in September 2009, 12 pupils joined Legsby school because a local school closed. There has been some unavoidable staff turnover since the last inspection.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

As a result of the inspection on 29 February 2008, the school was asked to: raise standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science by further accelerating learners’ progress; extend and develop the speaking and listening skills of the pupils; and re-assess the organisation of the school day to ensure that the time for teaching and learning matches the minimum national recommendations.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made satisfactory progress in making improvements and satisfactory progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Children enter the school with knowledge, skills and understanding that are very low in comparison to those expected nationally, especially in language. Children make generally good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, so that by the time they move into Year 1, they achieve levels that are below those expected nationally. In Year 6, a cohort of two pupils took the national tests in 2009, thereby making it Serco Boundary House 2, Wythall Green Way Wythall Birmingham West Midlands B47 6LW T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0121 683 2033

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Direct email : ann.morris@serco.com September 2009 Page 2 difficult to make comparisons with national figures. They made the expected progress in mathematics but fell short in English. Pupils’ attainment in the same year by the end of Year 2 remained slightly below the national average and in writing it was below. However, there is a clear trend of improvement from the previous years. The school is setting challenging targets using robust information from the pupil tracking system. Staff are able to identify which pupils are underperforming because of the ongoing checks on pupils’ progress. This is helping to accelerate pupils’ progress across the school. The latest monitoring information indicates that the pupils currently in Year 6 are making satisfactory progress in English and mathematics and the majority of pupils who have been at the school over a longer period of time are on track to attain their challenging targets. The new pupils who

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

joined the school in September 2009 are also generally on track to attain their targets. Support for pupils identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is ensuring that they make the expected progress. Pupils currently in Year 5 are building soundly on the good progress they made in reading and writing at the end of Year 4. Pupils in Key Stage 2 benefit from specialist science teaching which promotes good investigative work. The school’s tracking data indicates that standards are rising steadily in science across the school.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

In the four lessons observed, pupils made generally good progress. They tried hard and settled to tasks promptly. They were given opportunities to practise their speaking and listening skills, for example, through pair and small group work. Question and answer sessions were generally well focused on improving pupils’ speaking skills because teachers expected pupils to explain and develop their answers. Pupils speaking and listening skills are also developed through drama and other engaging activities such as ‘speakers’ corner’. Some challenging tasks made learning active and fun, particularly in the numeracy lessons observed. Behaviour and pupils’ attitudes to learning were consistently good.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The headteacher has a clear vision for improvement and responds determinedly to the challenges presented by a small school and the level of pupil mobility. Staff, including support staff, work well together to achieve the common goal of raising standards. Their strong focus on using assessment information to accelerate progress in learning is leading to better pupil outcomes. Adjustments of timing have been made to the teaching day so that the national recommendations are now met. Governors’ regular visits enable them to know the school’s strengths and weaknesses well, thereby enabling them to provide balanced support and challenge. Current government requirements for safeguarding were being met at the time of the monitoring inspection.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Local authority supports the school well through regular reviews of its performance. The constructive dialogue with the School Improvement Partner is very much appreciated by the headteacher. September 2009 Page 3 I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Dilip Kadodwala Her Majesty’s Inspector September 2009 Page 4

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