Elton CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that leaders check and improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in science, so that pupils make good progress.
• Improve the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment and improve outcomes in writing by ensuring that teachers:
  • provide opportunities for pupils, particularly the most able, to write at length
  • raise expectations of pupils’ handwriting and spelling
  • develop pupils’ abilities to edit and proofread their own writing.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders’ self-evaluation is well informed and accurate. Leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They put sharply focused plans in place and take action to tackle weaknesses quickly.
• Leaders have improved the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in mathematics. They have redesigned the mathematics curriculum and improved teachers’ subject knowledge using high-quality training. The quality of teaching and learning in mathematics is consistently good.
• Staff value the support and training opportunities they receive. Staff morale is high.
• Parents value the ‘family-centred’ ethos of the school and the staff’s in-depth knowledge of pupils. As one parent said, ‘The nurturing atmosphere and good-quality teaching means that my child is flourishing.’
• Leaders use additional funding thoughtfully to provide tailored, personalised support for all pupils with SEND. Leaders carefully assess the needs of each individual pupil and ensure that work matches their abilities. They draw upon the expertise of a wide range of external agencies, such as educational psychologists, behaviour support and autism outreach teams. Pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders ensure that pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. Leaders have a clear understanding of the barriers to disadvantaged pupils’ learning. They use the funding to provide academic support for disadvantaged pupils, including one-to-one support during lessons and ‘precision’ teaching to address gaps in learning. They also ensure that funding is used to improve disadvantaged pupils’ access to the arts. For example, all pupils learn to play instruments, ranging from the ukulele to the violin.
• The PE and sport funding is used to provide access to a wide range of sports and competitive events, such as indoor athletics, golf, trampolining and badminton. Funding is used innovatively to ensure that pupils access physical activity throughout the school day. For example, a sports apprentice is employed to provide lunchtime activities and to train key stage 2 pupils to become ‘sports leaders’.
• Leaders ensure that the school and its pupils are welcoming and tolerant. A number of pupils join the school having been excluded, or at-risk of exclusion, from other settings. Others join the school with complex SEND. Leaders adapt the curriculum to meet their needs and provide high levels of care and support. These help pupils to settle quickly and make rapid improvements in their personal development and welfare.
• The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong. Leaders ensure that pupils have engaging and meaningful trips and experiences. Pupils make visits to different places of worship, such as Hindu temples and mosques. Leaders regularly plan city trips so that pupils can meet people from other cultures and can experience the arts. For example, pupils recently visited Manchester to see the Hallé orchestra. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders are developing a varied and interesting curriculum in many subjects. The leadership of history and geography ensures that pupils are taught a rich curriculum, enhanced through real-life experiences such as a recent archaeological debate with the local history group. However, the leadership of science is underdeveloped. Leaders do not check that the quality of teaching and learning in science is consistently good.

Governance of the school

• Governors make visits to the school and receive regular reports from the headteacher to check on the impact of actions to improve the school.
• Most governors are well trained. They audit the skills they offer as governors to ensure that they have the necessary expertise to be able to ask challenging questions of leaders. Consequently, the governing body holds leaders to account for their performance in providing pupils with a good and improving education.
• Governors are financially astute. They ensure that additional funding is used wisely to provide effective support for pupils with SEND and for disadvantaged pupils. They carefully check the impact of this funding on outcomes for these pupils.
• The governing body is reflective. It regularly evaluates its own effectiveness. For example, at each meeting, the question ‘What have we achieved today?’ is asked. The governing body is outward-looking and regularly seeks to improve the quality of leadership by working with other schools.
• The governing body fulfils its statutory safeguarding duties and regularly audits the safeguarding policies and practices of the school, including recruitment and vetting procedures. These checks ensure that leaders keep pupils safe in school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff receive regular safeguarding and first-aid training and updates. Due to the size of the school, staff know pupils incredibly well and are quick to spot changes in behaviour, attitude or appearance. Staff are vigilant and have a sharp understanding of the signs that pupils may be at risk of harm.
• Pupils are taught about how to stay safe. They have a growing knowledge of online safety. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that staff are quick to help them if they are worried or concerned about something.
• Parents overwhelmingly agree that their children are well cared for and safe while in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good, especially in reading and mathematics. In these subjects, teachers expertly plan work that builds on what pupils know and can do. This helps pupils to make good progress and develop a secure knowledge and understanding.
• In mathematics, teachers plan activities that develop pupils’ problem-solving and reasoning skills. They encourage pupils to talk together and share ideas to find answers to problems. As a result, pupils can increasingly explain and reason mathematically.
• Teachers use a range of strategies to explain tasks to pupils and help them to quickly engage in activities.
• Teachers use questioning effectively to check pupils’ learning and understanding. In one particularly successful mathematics lesson, the teacher skilfully asked a range of questions to check pupils’ understanding of algebra. The teacher quickly spotted pupils’ misconceptions and worked with a small group to adapt teaching to meet their needs.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Teachers provide pupils with a range of strategies to successfully read words. For example, in one lesson, pupils were taught how to read the word ‘old’. The teacher then explained how pupils could use this knowledge to read other words such as ‘cold’, ‘fold’ and ‘sold’.
• Teachers skilfully develop pupils’ language and a love of reading. They read books to pupils every day. During one reading lesson, pupils were captivated by the story of ‘Prince Caspian’. They were encouraged to think about what words mean and how they could use ambitious vocabulary from the text in their own conversations or stories.
• Pupils’ reading skills are rapidly improving. They receive personalised support and regular one-to-one reading sessions with staff. Pupils read fluently and have a good understanding of what they read.
• Teaching assistants are well deployed. They provide effective support for pupils, including those with SEND. They adapt learning and ensure that pupils have the necessary resources to complete tasks, without constant adult support.
• Pupils appreciate the time staff give them and the efforts they make to celebrate their learning.
• Pupils enjoy homework. They delight in being able to study and research projects such as the Bronze Age and the ancient Egyptians. Pupils appreciate the bespoke nature of homework and how teachers ensure that it matches their interests and meets their needs.
• Teachers plan exciting and creative activities in history and geography. They ensure that learning is well sequenced and that pupils make meaningful links between these subjects. For example, pupils were able to talk, in depth, about their studies of the Second World War and natural disasters, making comparisons between the death toll of the Holocaust and that of worldwide earthquakes.
• The teaching of writing is improving. However, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for the most able pupils to write longer pieces. Expectations of pupils’ handwriting and spelling are not consistently high. In addition, teachers are not developing pupils’ abilities to edit and proofread their own work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils enjoy learning and are proud of their school. As one parent said, ‘On some occasions my children do not want to come home as they have so much fun in school.’
• Pupils feel valued as individuals. They recognise their responsibilities to care for and look after each other. As one pupil said, ‘We are like a family.’
• Pupils are friendly and kind. They enjoy playing together at breaktimes. For example, pupils played happily in the snow, with older pupils helping the younger pupils to build snowmen.
• Pupils are tolerant and respectful. They have an appreciation of other faiths, cultures and backgrounds. As one pupil said, ‘We want to make everyone feel happy and welcome at our school.’
• Pupils are becoming more resilient. They are beginning to develop the perseverance needed to tackle challenging work. As one pupil said, ‘We learn as much from our failures as we do when we are winning.’
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe online. They know about bullying and say that it rarely happens in school, and if it does happen, it is dealt with quickly.
• Pupils know how to lead healthy lifestyles. They especially enjoy cooking club. Pupils are taught how to make nutritious meals such as pasta bake, pizza wraps and chow mein. They peel, chop and cook a range of healthy foods. Pupils then enjoy the meal together, around the table, developing their social skills as they eat.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They set clear rules and regularly remind pupils of these. Most pupils listen carefully and concentrate on their learning.
• Pupils are polite and well mannered. They are respectful to visitors while in school. For example, one pupil asked the inspector, ‘Excuse me. Please may I get to the computer?’
• Pupils enjoy earning ‘power points’ for their good behaviour. They relish the opportunity to demonstrate the school’s values and receive book prizes from the ‘lucky dip box’ when they have earned enough points.
• Leaders have worked well with pupils and families to reduce the number of incidents of poor behaviour in school. Pupils agree that behaviour is good and that staff promptly address any negative behaviour.
• Pupils attend school regularly and very few are persistently absent. Attendance is now better than that seen nationally. Pupils are punctual and well prepared to start the school day.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Historically, pupils have not always made the progress they should in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. However, current pupils’ work, particularly in reading and mathematics, shows that pupils’ progress is rapidly improving. There are more pupils making the good progress the school expects than has previously been the case.
• The proportions of pupils reaching the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stages 1 and 2 have been broadly in line with the national averages for the last three years. Current pupils’ work is of a good standard in reading and mathematics and is in line with that expected for their age.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check is broadly in line with the national average. The effective teaching of phonics ensures that pupils can read words accurately.
• The use of different approaches to teaching and specialist support from teaching assistants is successful in improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. These pupils now make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Most pupils make good progress in writing. However, the most able pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to write at length. Pupils are not consistently challenged to write neatly, spell correctly or edit and proofread their own work. At the end of both key stages, pupils are not yet reaching their full potential and attaining the highest possible standard.
• Pupils make good progress in most other subjects, particularly history and geography. In these subjects, pupils have a deep and secure understanding of what they have been taught and can apply it across other areas of the curriculum. However, pupils’ depth of knowledge and understanding in science is not as strong.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112815 Derbyshire 10057687 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 21 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Stephen Baker Paul Hunter 01629 650282 www.elton.derbyshire.sch.uk info@elton.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 May 2015

Information about this school

• Two new teachers have joined the school since the previous inspection.
• The school is designated as having a religious character and received a Section 48 inspection on 13 July 2017.
• There were no Reception-aged children on roll at the time of the inspection.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in all classes. The inspector listened to pupils read in Years 1, 2 and 3 and met with groups of pupils from key stage 2 to talk about their learning and experiences in school. The inspector, together with the headteacher, scrutinised pupils’ work in English, mathematics and from the wider curriculum. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at lunchtime.
• The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, members of staff and four members of the governing body, including the chair, the vice-chair and the safeguarding governor. The lead inspector also had a telephone conversation with a member of the local authority.
• A wide range of documents were scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding, behaviour, pupils’ performance, attendance and records of the school’s monitoring and evaluation of the quality of education. The inspector also examined the school’s plans for improvement, plans for the use of additional funding, minutes from governing body meetings and information available on the school’s website.
• The inspector spoke with individual parents during the inspection. He considered the 12 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. No responses were received to Ofsted’s online pupil or staff surveys.

Inspection team

Steve Varnam, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector