Norbriggs Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning, and thereby pupils’ progress, by ensuring that:
  • teachers challenge the most able pupils consistently so that a greater proportion achieve the higher standard by the end of key stage 2, particularly in English
  • all staff show pupils how to present their work in a consistently neat way, using the fluently joined handwriting style in line with the school’s policy
  • the assessment of pupils with SEN and/or disabilities is of the highest quality so that the needs of these pupils are precisely met.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has a clear vision for the school. He has established a culture of high expectations. He has challenged underperformance and shown a strong resolve to seek the best possible teaching and learning for the pupils. The wider staff team share this vision.
• The headteacher’s high expectations have been made very clear to those teachers with additional roles and responsibilities. Staff development plans and regular meetings to hold leaders to account are now in place. The headteacher systematically addressed priorities for school improvement following the last inspection. He has provided opportunities for senior leaders to work with staff to improve teaching and learning.
• Senior leaders have a very accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching within the school. They have provided wide-reaching support to improve teaching.
• The school has organised training for staff linked to the areas identified for improvement. Staff value this support because it has helped them to improve their teaching. Senior leaders have monitored this training closely to check that it has had the impact they intended. They have provided further training where needed.
• Governors and senior leaders closely monitor the impact of the pupil premium funding. They check whether the support given to disadvantaged pupils is effective and ask staff to adapt this where pupils are not doing well enough. This contributes to these pupils making good progress.
• Leaders use the primary PE and sport premium well. They have provided effective training for teachers and broadened the areas of activity for pupils by including, for example t’ai chi. Leaders responded to the pupils’ requests for equipment on the playground at lunchtime and trained some pupils to be mini leaders of sports. Pupils are pleased with the range of opportunities they now have to be active at lunchtimes.
• The headteacher has worked with governors, staff, pupils, parents and carers to introduce a more consistent and transparent system for rewarding good behaviour and helping a few pupils to regulate their emotions. This has considerably improved behaviour. Parents, staff and pupils all recognise the positive impact that this has had.
• The ethos of the school promotes attitudes of fairness and equality. The school promotes pupils’ social, moral and cultural awareness well. The pupils spoke in great depth about significant artists and enjoyed their own contributions to the ‘Art Gallery’ in the hall. They appreciated opportunities to sing with other schools and raise money for charities that were important to them. There are slightly fewer opportunities to reflect more deeply within religious education than in other subjects. Pupils could name different religions but had little understanding of the features of these religions or the values held by believers.

Governance of the school

• The governing body knows what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve.
• Governance has improved considerably since the last inspection. The committee structure is embedded and enables governors to hold the headteacher to account. They understand the school’s performance data and share the headteacher’s high expectations of staff and pupils.
• Governors have been a key part of the whole school’s review of behaviour. They have prioritised the use of the school’s resources to ensure that the pupils make the best possible progress.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff are well trained and this is updated regularly. The school undertakes robust checks on all those who work with children. The governor responsible for safeguarding monitors the school’s arrangements along with the headteacher.
• The school has clear and well-established systems to provide support to vulnerable pupils and families. The pastoral manager has developed good links with parents and provides thoughtful support. Leaders work effectively with other agencies to provide the best possible support for all pupils. Where this is with alternative providers, appropriate procedures to ensure the safety of the pupils concerned are in place.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• There are very positive relationships between staff and pupils. They treat each other with respect. Teachers have high expectations of the pupils’ behaviour in class. Pupils listen attentively. They respond quickly to instructions and so opportunities to learn are maximised.
• The teaching of phonics is improving. Leaders continue to assess the progress of pupils carefully. Where staff identify, for example, particular sounds that pupils do not know, they change their plans so that pupils learn them.
• Teachers strongly promote reading, and this has had a positive impact on pupils’ skills and motivation. Teachers model reading and phonics well. Some pupils told the subject leader for English that they were keen to read but lacked the opportunity to do so. Staff have worked together to provide reading clubs at lunchtime and opportunities to share books that they like. This has provided particularly good support for pupils who are less confident readers.
• The organisation of guided reading has given pupils the opportunity to read and discuss high-quality texts. Teachers have prioritised time within the curriculum to teach weaker areas, such as inference.
• Staff understand what the pupils need to do next to make progress. Lessons generate interest and excitement. For example, pupils worked well together to define different homophones. The teacher then provided additional challenge through her questioning before introducing a task to further extend their knowledge.
• There is a highly consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics. Teaching now includes more opportunities for children to reason and use their mathematical skills throughout the year. A well-established routine of feedback to pupils enables misconceptions to be addressed, helping pupils master skills and apply them well.
• Where pupils experience difficulties, swift intervention by staff means that they do not fall behind. The subject leader for mathematics monitors thoroughly to ensure that pupils consolidate their learning quickly and move on to greater challenges.
• Teachers ensure that they plan cross-curricular writing effectively in subjects such as science and history. Pupils write in a variety of genres and styles, including historical diaries and newspaper reports.
• Leaders have sought out opportunities to make the curriculum exciting. Pupils respond with great interest to scenarios in drama. They listen carefully, respond quickly and display respect and patience in t’ai chi. Pupils’ art work shows careful observation and precision. Pupils enjoy talking about the wide range of different artists, showing an interest in cultural diversity.
• There are occasions where expectations of most-able pupils are not high enough. For example, the quality of some of the most able pupils’ writing in their topic books does not match the standard of that in their English books and they answer in less detail. In addition, their presentation was poorer.
• Staff do not consistently expect pupils to have a fluent style of handwriting or show them how to present their work to the highest possible standards. This limits the fluency of their writing and prevents some pupils reaching the higher standard of which they are capable.
• Staff carefully consider the extent of the support they give to pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. They encourage them to become increasingly independent over time. However, the assessments the teachers make of these pupils’ progress are not accurate enough to plan work that closely meets their needs. Nevertheless, their work with pupils with complex emotional needs is very effective.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school has a highly inclusive ethos.
• Pupils enjoy attending breakfast club. They like the range of foods on offer and enjoy the choices that they can make.
• Pupils are confident and keen to share their points of view. They listen well in class and respond positively.
• The school monitors the progress of the pupils attending its nurture provision. Staff use this knowledge about children’s emotional health and well-being to adapt teaching and learning to meet their needs.
• Pupils learn how to keep safe online through a well-planned e-safety curriculum. They understand how to report situations that make them feel uncomfortable.
• Pupils understand that all forms of bullying are wrong. They say that racist incidents are rare because there is a shared understanding that everyone is equal. They describe how staff have helped them to understand how pupils in the early stages of acquiring English might feel by reading a story in an unfamiliar language.
• Pupils enjoy positions of responsibility such as mini leaders or school councillors.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The implementation of the school’s new behaviour policy has improved pupils’ behaviour markedly since the last inspection. Pupils are well behaved in lessons. Inspectors saw no instances of learning being disrupted. Pupils listen to staff and do as they are asked. They move around the school sensibly and are polite to visitors.
• The school has well-managed and rigorous systems to monitor attendance. Levels of attendance are around the national average. Persistent absence is high; this is due to pupils with long-term illnesses. Leaders’ strategies of working with parents are helping to improve the attendance of the small number of pupils who do not attend school often enough.
• The overwhelming majority of pupils behave consistently well at lunchtimes, which are lively social occasions. A very small proportion of pupils find it more difficult to manage their own behaviour. Staff are working with these pupils well so that they learn to become self-disciplined over time.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Children enter the school in the early years with skills below those typical for their age. They make good progress so that the proportion of children about to leave the Reception Year having achieved a good level of development has remained broadly in line with the 2017 national average.
• This year, the proportion of pupils in Year 1 attaining the expected standard in phonics has risen. It is very close to the current national average.
• Pupils’ workbooks confirm that progress in Year 2 is good. This year, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 has risen sharply and is now well above the 2017 national averages in writing and mathematics and in line with the national average in reading.
• Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2, in 2017, was in line with national averages for writing and mathematics, and was approaching the national average in reading. This year, teachers have assessed the proportion of the current Year 6 cohort as having attained at least the expected standard to be broadly in line with the 2017 national averages.
• The progress that disadvantaged pupils make from their starting points is good. By the end of key stage 2, these pupils have caught up so that high proportions attain at least the expected standard. These pupils, like others at the school, leave well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• On occasions, teachers do not challenge the most able pupils well enough. As a result, too few of these pupils achieve the higher standard by the end of key stage 2.

Early years provision Good

• Almost all children enter the school in the early years with skills below those typical for their age. Nevertheless, they make consistently good progress and leave well prepared for key stage 1.
• The leader of the early years knows the strengths and weaknesses of the early years. To secure improvement, she has modified the start of the day so that parents and children can practise key skills together. She models how to sound out words and enables children to show their parents how to play mathematical games. This has increased the involvement that parents have with their children’s learning.
• Staff carefully focus on key skills which the children need to become successful learners. By the end of their time in Nursery, children can sit and listen to a story. They are curious learners with good concentration. A highly stimulating environment helps children want to learn.
• Children’s behaviour is good. They demonstrate respect and consideration for each other and all adults. They are sensitive to each other’s needs while being well motivated to investigate and explore.
• Experiences such as farm visits enrich the children’s learning. Staff build on the children’s interest to challenge them. For example, children enjoyed building bridges for Sid the goat to cross. They thought carefully about how to stack the materials they had chosen and changed their designs to make them stronger. Other children drew plans to keep the goats safe and some built and tested bridges that they could walk across, testing them for safety first.
• Staff have introduced well-considered ways of addressing the areas that children need to improve. For example, when they begin each morning, staff encourage children to answer a daily question with their parents. This improves children’s communication and confidence.
• The staff have high expectations of the children. Children make good progress. The staff match tasks well to the children’s next steps for learning. Occasionally, not all questioning is precise enough to challenge children to think in greater depth.
• Staff use the pupil premium effectively to help disadvantaged children to develop the key dispositions and attitudes they need. This helps these children to attain much closer to their peers by the time they begin Year 1. The foundation base is safe and secure. Staff communicate well with each other so that children’s individual medical needs are understood and met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112705 Derbyshire 10052958 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 Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Philip Harris Paul Scragg Telephone number 01246 473398 Website Email address www.norbriggs.derbyshire.sch.uk info@norbriggs.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 29-30 June 2016

Information about this school

• Norbriggs Community Primary school is a smaller than average-sized primary school. The school uses an alternative provision (Integrated Pathways) to support pupils with complex needs.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well below average. Most pupils are of a White British background.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the use of pupil premium is much higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards for reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

The inspectors observed learning in all key stages of the school and in all classes. In total, 12 lessons, or parts of lessons, were observed. The inspectors also scrutinised many examples of pupils’ work. They visited breakfast club and heard children read. The inspection team held meetings with the senior leaders, subject leaders, representatives of the governing body and pupils. They analysed 45 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, looked at the free-text comments submitted by those parents, and spoke with parents at the beginning of the day. The inspectors also scrutinised the views of those who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff. The inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s development plan and self-evaluation, policies and records related to safeguarding, records of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s information about pupils’ outcomes and attendance, and records of meetings of the governing body.

Inspection team

Hazel Henson, lead inspector Janis Warren

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector