Ellistown Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Build on the rapid progress made in improving pupils’ reading skills and ensure greater consistency by:
  • ensuring that all staff apply the successful teaching strategies already introduced and that they plan enough regular opportunities for pupils to learn and consolidate new skills.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher and her staff want only the best for pupils and they work relentlessly to achieve this. Together, they have created an extremely positive culture in which teaching and behaviour can flourish and pupils can develop a love of learning. Teamwork across the school is strong, and this ensures that policies are applied consistently well across the school.
• Leadership of teaching is outstanding. Leaders monitor teachers regularly and give very clear guidance about how to improve. Training is imaginative and used extremely well to improve teaching and to help future leaders to develop their skills. Developing teachers as researchers has been a particularly effective strategy to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
• Leaders are very knowledgeable about how well pupils are doing. The progress of different groups is checked very carefully, but pupils are also seen as individuals. The very thorough checking of data on each pupil’s progress means that the school can respond very quickly to any potential dips in achievement and provide the help needed to enable them catch up.
• Middle leaders, such as teachers in charge of subjects, play a key role in school improvement. They contribute well to development planning because they are very knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses within their subjects. The leadership of the early years is also of high quality.
• Leaders diligently promote equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination well so that all pupils can flourish both socially and academically. Funding available through the pupil premium is used extremely effectively to help eligible pupils take a full part in school life. They benefit, where appropriate, from additional help from adults. The impact of this is evident in the very good achievements of these pupils, but the school places an equally strong focus on using funding to provide them with opportunities that they might not otherwise have in areas such as music, art and sport.
• The topics and subjects taught are rich and inspiring and provide pupils with many memorable experiences. There is an excellent focus on teaching basic skills in English and mathematics. The school recognises that progress in reading, while good overall, is not as strong as in other subjects. This is because not all teachers plan enough opportunities for pupils to develop new skills on a regular basis. With support from a governor, leaders have made rapid progress in transforming the way reading in which is taught. This is improving the popularity of reading among all pupils. Progress in reading is now good and improving rapidly.
• Good use is made of the extra funding available to promote physical education and sporting opportunities. High-quality specialist teaching leads to pupils making good and frequently exceptional progress. This helps also to develop other teachers’ knowledge and skills. The school has seen increased participation in a wider range of clubs and sporting activities. The school takes part in a range of competitions with other schools, with a great deal of success.
• Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. All leaders, including governors, are excellent role models in the way that they treat each other and the pupils. Diversity is celebrated. Pupils have many opportunities to learn about their own religions and faiths as well as those of others. They develop very good tolerance and respect for others and are prepared very well for life in multicultural Britain.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective and has played a key part in continued school improvement since the previous inspection. Governors are very well trained and have an excellent knowledge of all aspects of the school’s work.
• Governors make very good use of data on pupils’ attainment and progress to check the success of provision. This means that they have a very clear picture of how well the school is performing in comparison with others, as well as what still needs improving.
• Governors have a secure knowledge of the effectiveness of teaching throughout the school and receive detailed reports from the headteacher. They also carry out regular learning walks and school visits to understand how the school is being improved. Governors ensure that performance management is used to reward successful teaching and to set targets for further improvement.
• Governors ensure that all spending is sharply focused on how it will improve provision for pupils. They monitor closely additional funding for disadvantaged pupils to ensure that it is used to improve both their social and academic development. Governors ensure the school’s links with parents are very effective and that any concerns and opinions are carefully listened to and acted on.
• Governors have a good understanding of safeguarding at the school and regularly monitor the impact of the systems and procedures to ensure that all pupils are safe. They have recently carried out a full audit of safeguarding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors work diligently to ensure that safeguarding is effective. Leaders have implemented rigorous systems for monitoring and referring pupils. These systems are reviewed regularly, to ensure that the school is meeting the needs of pupils who require additional support and care.
• Appropriate written records are maintained and updated regularly. Records clearly show the various actions taken by leaders and the follow-up when referrals are made to the local authority. School leaders use these records to liaise very effectively with all necessary external agencies.
• Staff training is of high quality and routinely updates them in the most recent, up-to-date guidance, as well as local intelligence. For example, the school has recently undertaken more training with its staff on the ‘Prevent’ duty, given the subject’s high profile both nationally and regionally. Staff are very knowledgeable about these vital safeguarding matters and are making more frequent and higher-quality referrals when they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare.
• The curriculum is very thorough in teaching pupils to protect themselves, both in the community and online.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching meets most pupils’ needs well, right from the start in the Reception class. This promotes pupils’ very positive attitudes towards learning. Teachers plan work that inspires and motivates most pupils extremely well. Throughout the school, pupils talk positively about how much they enjoy lessons, especially English. For the few pupils, especially in key stage 1 writing, whose progress is not as strong, planning does not always identify accurately the next steps for their learning.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan lessons which are interesting and well suited to the needs of pupils’ different abilities. The most able are challenged well and quickly improve their skills. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are given work that is closely matched to their individual needs.
• Teachers manage behaviour extremely well and ensure that time is not wasted in lessons. Equipment and other resources, including computers, are readily available to help support pupils’ learning. For example, pupils in Year 5 were more easily able to understand the angles around them when investigating an outdoor area in mathematics.
• Across the school, pupils’ books show that writing and mathematics are taught extremely successfully, and skills improve very quickly especially in key stage 2. Reading is taught equally well now, following significant improvement in the approach to the subject which has increased the popularity of reading among all pupils. The high priority given to the teaching of phonics ensures that pupils read very confidently by the time they leave the school. Teachers expect nothing but the best from pupils. They question pupils closely about what they know and then adapt work quickly if it is too hard or too easy.
• Teaching assistants work well with teachers and make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Their support ensures that pupils identified as needing extra help, including the pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make the same good progress as their classmates.
• Parents are very positive about the quality of teaching. They support teachers well by ensuring that homework is completed on time. Homework is enjoyable and is appreciated by most pupils because they are able to choose for themselves what level of challenge they would like.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are well mannered, respectful and considerate towards each other and staff. They express themselves confidently. They hold doors open and are courteous and very proud of their achievements and the quality of their work and books.
• Pupils said that they feel very safe. Pupils said that teachers are approachable, supportive and visible. Teachers challenge and support pupils in equal measure to improve their work and provide many opportunities to develop themselves through sport, visits and residential experiences. Pupils said that the school teaches them how to stay safe online and in the community and that they have confidence in staff to support them if and when they need it.
• High-quality and intensive specialist welfare support and inclusion practices enable the most vulnerable pupils and their families to get support when they need it. The skilled and well-qualified inclusion leader and designated staff know pupils well and use this knowledge to pre-empt any problems and provide additional nurture and care when needed.
• The support and care for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities ensures that they are given the right emotional and social support, as well as academic provision. These pupils increasingly are able to become active members of their classes and around school as they develop more social skills and confidence to succeed.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ exemplary behaviour and very positive attitudes towards learning are key factors in their good and rapidly improving rates of progress in many subjects. Pupils are keen to succeed and they work very hard in lessons. They like the school a lot. As one commented, ‘I can’t wait to get to school.’ They have a thirst for knowledge exemplified by their passion for books and explaining in some detail the writing style of their favourite author.
• Pupils are proud of their work. The above-average rates of attendance show how much they enjoy school. They show great respect for each other, adults and their environment. They said that their teachers provide work which challenges them but they get help when required. They are encouraged to problem solve and find answers for themselves.
• Pupils respond extremely well to the school’s very high expectations of their behaviour and social development. They keenly take responsibility through roles on the school council, supporting younger pupils, or leading assemblies and sports clubs. This reflects the high levels of confidence and self-esteem that they have developed by the time they move to secondary school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils achieve well across the school, and attainment is above average at the end of Reception, Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils’ attainment has continued to rise since the previous inspection, and results at the end of Year 6 in 2017 were the best ever. Pupils in Year 6 are already working at similar levels.
• The school successfully promotes equality of opportunity by ensuring that all pupils do equally well. In the early years and key stage 1, phonics is taught well. Attainment in national phonics screening checks at the end of Year 1 in 2017 was broadly average. Girls and boys made the same good or better progress from the low starting points when they started school.
• The achievement of the most able pupils is good and for some it is outstanding. They are given high levels of challenge in lessons and improve skills very quickly. Many pupils in Year 6 are already working ahead of their chronological age in English and mathematics. They solve complex mathematical problems with confidence, write well and read widely.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good and excellent progress, and most reach expected standards by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. They are given high-quality support, which is well matched to their needs, ensuring that the gaps in their knowledge are closed.
• Pupils supported through additional government funding make good progress across the school. In national tests, at the end of 2016 and 2017, most disadvantaged pupils achieved well. Where progress of the most able disadvantaged pupils was identified as being below that of the non-disadvantaged pupils, especially in reading, the school reacted quickly and effectively to improve their attainment and progress. This is achieved through high-quality support both in and out of lessons that is very well focused on individual needs.
• There are very few areas of weakness across the school, but progress in reading is not as consistently strong as in other subjects. However, this is improving rapidly as a result of a concentrated effort to improve the status of reading among all pupils. There is a clear impact on the progress and attainment of reading for all pupils through the introduction of a range of reading improvement strategies. These include novel but effective activities, such as ‘reading for Ralph’, the school dog.

Early years provision

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Outstanding

• Leadership of early years is highly effective. There is a strong emphasis on developing a caring, nurturing and challenging environment. In the short time that the children have been in school this term, they have settled extremely well. Children therefore get off to an excellent start.
• Children join the Reception class with skills and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. They make excellent progress due to the high-quality teaching they receive. The proportion of children reaching the expected level of development has increased since the previous inspection. It is now well above the national average, with a large proportion of children exceeding the expected level. They are therefore well prepared for their move into Year 1.
• The early years staff all have very high expectations and show a relentless ambition to improve children’s outcomes. The teachers have an excellent understanding of children’s progress information and use this accurately to improve the provision and ensure that activities are well planned to meet the needs of each child. Consequently, teaching is highly effective and children clearly relish their school day.
• The children learn in a very stimulating and safe environment. They have plenty of equipment both inside and outside of the classroom to support their learning. They know how to judge risks and keep themselves safe while learning.
• The phonics teaching is of high quality. Children therefore achieve well in their reading and have benefited from the whole-school reading priority, which has encouraged reading in all aspects of the curriculum. They are becoming confident readers, which is preparing them exceptionally well for their future learning across the curriculum.
• Mathematics is taught extremely effectively. Children have a variety of equipment to hand and use this well to help them count up to 10, and some beyond, with no adult support.
• Children are exceptionally well behaved. They frequently ask to join activities when other children are using equipment in a polite and supportive way. Their attitude to learning, even at such an early time in the school year, is impressive. They concentrate well and for prolonged periods, and no learning time is wasted.

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School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119914 Leicestershire 10036037 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 221 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Damien Carroll Keily Stretton 01530 260301 http://www.ellistown.leics.sch.uk admin@ellistown.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 24–25 January 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Ellistown Community Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• A below-average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.
• The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those who speak English as an additional language, is much lower than the national average.
• All pupils are educated on site. The school does not use alternative provision to support any of its pupils.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes of the school. Some of these observations and learning walks were undertaken jointly with members of the senior leadership team, to look at writing, reading, the curriculum and able and disadvantaged pupil achievements. Inspectors also observed an assembly.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read in Reception and Years 1, 4, 5 and 6.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, staff and a group of pupils. Inspectors also met with the chair of the governing body and one other governor.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of pupils’ books from all subjects and age ranges, a range of documentation, including the school’s own self-evaluation, the school development plan, minutes of governors’ meetings, safeguarding records, pupil progress information, information on the management of teachers’ performance and the monitoring of teaching, and school policies and procedures.
• The 28 responses to the online survey, Parent View, were considered. The 22 responses to the staff questionnaire were also considered.

Inspection team

Philip Garnham, lead inspector Christine Lethbridge Paul Tuffin

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector