South View Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress by making sure that teachers consistently:
  • build well on what pupils already know and can do
  • extend the learning of the most able pupils
  • have high expectations of the way pupils present their work
  • make the most of pupils’ positive attitudes and motivate learning well
  • involve teaching assistants in moving learning forward in all classes.
• Raise standards by:
  • providing a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) to improve pupils’ reading and writing
  • ensuring the systematic development of pupils’ comprehension and reading skills
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to write creatively and at length
  • reinforcing what pupils learn about spelling whenever they write
  • building pupils’ number skills as they move through the school
  • providing more ways for pupils to deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • school leaders and governors evaluate more rigorously the effect of the pupil premium spending on the achievement of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, including children in the early years
  • all leaders develop skills in checking the learning of specific groups of pupils and in improving teaching
  • the curriculum enables pupils to better understand life in culturally diverse modern Britain. An external review of the use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Although current leaders, including governors, are now making improvements, significant changes to staffing slowed previous plans and prevented the school from moving forward rapidly.
• The use of the pupil premium funding has not made a significant difference for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. School leaders and governors have reallocated funds in a bid to improve the achievement of eligible pupils but they are not yet making the accelerated progress that they need to make in order to catch up.
• Not all middle and subject leaders are well informed about the learning of specific groups of pupils. They do not yet take the initiative in helping teachers to improve.
• The curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop a good understanding of those from backgrounds and cultures different to their own. Nonetheless, the curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development suitably. It is enhanced well by music and sports activities.
• The highly committed headteacher, ably supported by senior leaders, works tirelessly to improve the quality of teaching. She has high expectations, makes the best use of staff expertise and strives for staffing stability. Senior leaders create a positive whole-school ethos which enables teaching to improve.
• The headteacher sets targets for staff to work towards to help them to improve. With effective support from the local authority, she has established links with other schools. This helps staff to share best practice and to ensure that their assessments of how well pupils are doing are accurate.
• Since their appointment, senior leaders have introduced a new behaviour policy which is consistently followed by staff. It is well received and understood by pupils and encourages good behaviour to flourish. It is effective in helping those pupils who find it difficult to behave well to improve their efforts.
• Leaders’ evaluation of the curriculum is leading to improved resources and relevant training for staff. The refurbishment of the library and the provision of new books help to raise the profile of reading throughout the school. Leaders of English and mathematics are addressing any shortcomings in the curriculum.
• Leaders use additional funding received for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to provide suitable resources and extra staffing. The use of the primary physical education and sport premium has been revised. It is now used effectively to widen the range of sports on offer and to involve more pupils in inter-school competitions.

Governance of the school

• Governance is improving. Governors recognise that they have not previously been holding school leaders to account stringently enough. However, a recent review of their work and support from the local authority are enabling them to now develop their skills well.
• Governors now maintain a better overview of the pupil premium spending than previously. They check the progress that eligible pupils make and know about the level of support offered by the school. Governors are beginning to evaluate the impact of the spending on raising pupils’ achievement but there is room for further rigour in their analysis.
• Governors support school staff well and recognise the difficulties presented by staff mobility. They know about the training that staff receive and they carry out the performance management of the headteacher. They take care when appointing new staff and persevere to find the right candidates.
• The governing body receives regular reports from the headteacher and raises pertinent questions. Governors visit the school to check provision for themselves, for example to speak to school leaders and to gather pupils’ views. They are involved in setting key priorities and check how well the school is moving towards its aims.
• Governors are actively involved in checking trends in attendance figures. They know that the school’s work is reducing the persistent absence of some pupils.
• Governors take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously and carry out regular checks. They ensure that the school’s systems are fit for purpose.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are well versed in the school’s procedures to keep pupils safe because they receive frequent training. Systems to check the suitability of adults who work with pupils are thorough and policies are up to date.
• Leaders ensure that the curriculum addresses safety issues and gives pupils guidance on how to assess risk and to stay safe. They involve outside agencies to provide pupils with extra information, such as online safety, which is shared with parents. Pupils play their part as junior ‘police officers’ to help their peers with any concerns they may have.
• Leaders maintain detailed and confidential records. They follow up any concerns about child protection and involve outside agencies when appropriate. Leaders offer effective support to pupils and families to quickly address any welfare issues that may arise.
• Incidents of bullying are rare but those that do occur are recorded and dealt with. The school encourages pupils to talk about any worries they may have in order to reduce any potential issues. The new behaviour policy is having a positive effect on reducing any inappropriate behaviour.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is not consistently good enough to ensure that pupils make good progress. The tasks that teachers set do not challenge pupils to do their best and build strongly upon their previous learning. This means that some pupils do not quickly improve their skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The work that teachers give to the most able pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, is sometimes too easy and does not extend their knowledge, skills and understanding.
• The standard of presentation in pupils’ books varies because teachers do not give clear guidance on what they expect. They do not consistently apply the school’s handwriting policy.
• Although spelling is taught regularly, teachers do not insist that pupils spell accurately whenever they write. There are limited opportunities for pupils to write at length, which slows the progress they make in organising and presenting well-structured writing.
• In some cases, teachers do not stimulate a real enjoyment of learning by making the most of pupils’ willingness to learn. This sometimes leads to a lack of engagement and slower progress.
• The teaching of phonics is not consistently good enough to enable pupils in Year 1 to reach the required standards. Although children make a good start in the Reception classes, there is variation in how well teachers build upon children’s early learning and help them to use what they know in their reading and writing.
• Teaching assistants are not always fully involved in improving pupils’ learning during lessons. However, good support from leaders and recent training mean that their roles are developing well. They work effectively with pupils who need to catch up, including pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• In mathematics, although there is still some variation, teachers are now developing pupils’ reasoning and depth of understanding more fully. They are bridging any gaps in pupils’ knowledge, for example number facts, which have not been previously promoted strongly as pupils have moved through the school.
• The teaching of reading is improving. A regular and consistent approach to improving pupils’ comprehension skills is being established. For example, during the inspection, pupils in Year 4 used dictionaries to find the meanings of words and gathered information from texts. In this way, they made good progress in understanding what they read.
• Staff promote good relationships and praise pupils’ efforts. Teachers ask relevant questions and build effectively upon pupils’ answers. They encourage pupils to share their ideas with each other.
• Staff pick up any misconceptions that pupils may have and clarify any misunderstanding. They make sure that pupils know what they are learning about and what they should achieve by the end of lessons. They provide useful verbal and written feedback.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Effective pastoral care helps pupils’ social and emotional development, with a positive effect on building confidence and self-worth.
• Pupils say that they value the trust placed in them by adults to take on responsibilities around the school. They like being elected as school councillors and carrying out their duties as junior ‘police officers’. Older pupils are willing to help younger ones. Pupils say they enjoy taking part in musical performances, trips and visits, which all benefit their social development.
• Pupils say they feel safe. They talk sensibly about the different forms of bullying and say that the school helps them to deal with any concerns, including those that might arise from using technology. Pupils agree that bullying is not a problem in their school and that staff deal with any incidents that do happen.
• Pupils know about the values of respect and tolerance and how to demonstrate them. They say that it is important for everyone within the school community to get on together, regardless of differences, although their understanding of others beyond school is less well developed.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils recognise the need for rules and they understand the school’s rewards and sanctions. They say that the new behaviour systems are helping everyone to behave well.
• Most pupils listen in lessons and concentrate well. They pay attention to their peers and adults during assembly. Pupils try their best to improve and they are proud of their efforts.
• More pupils than previously are attending school regularly due to the school’s efforts. The newly introduced breakfast club and ‘walking bus’ encourage punctuality and provide a positive start to the school day.
• Pupils spoken to during the inspection talked with interest about their learning. However, teachers do not always make the most of pupils’ positive attitudes to fully motivate learning.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The good start that children make in the Reception classes is not built upon sufficiently well as pupils move through the school. Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching mean that pupils do not make consistently good progress.
• In 2016, by the end of Year 6, a below average proportion of pupils reached the standards expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. This is now being remedied and pupils’ progress is improving.
• The school’s information and work in books show that more pupils currently in Year 6 are now on track to reach the expected standards. As a result, they are better prepared for their learning in secondary school than previous Year 6 pupils.
• Over time, the performance of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds has remained behind that of their peers and other pupils nationally. Work in books and the school’s assessment information show that the progress of these pupils is now beginning to improve. In some cases, they make better progress than their classmates because of the extra help they receive but not all, including the most able, are yet making rapid progress.
• Not enough of the most able pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, reach their full potential. A below average proportion develop depth in their mathematical understanding. They do not make consistently strong progress in acquiring higher-order reading and comprehension skills and well-structured writing. Leaders now check the learning of this group of pupils more sharply in order to provide a more consistent level of challenge for them in lessons.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make variable rates of progress in line with their classmates. There are some examples of individuals making good progress, especially when they work closely with an adult.

Early years provision Good

• Good leadership and staff teamwork ensure that children make good progress. Staff frequently check how well children are doing and share information about children’s learning with parents. There are good arrangements to help children settle when they start in the Reception classes.
• Good teaching provides interesting tasks which stimulate learning well. Staff provide a suitable balance between tasks that are led by adults and those that children choose for themselves. Staff build upon children’s basic reading, writing and mathematics skills and provide tasks that are well matched to their ability.
• Children behave well and safely because they know what their teachers expect. They play their part in tidying up and follow instructions well. Children confidently decide what they will do and share resources with each other sensibly.
• Children start in the Reception classes with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress to reach levels that are above those seen nationally by the time they leave the Reception classes. This means they are well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• Although the percentage of children reaching an overall good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has been sustained at above average over time, there remain differences in performance between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their classmates.

School details

Unique reference number 120406 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 10023182 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 Community Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 395 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Judith Sumner Headteacher Joanne Tomlins Telephone number 01733 210361 Website www.southviewprimary.co.uk Email address enquiries@southview.lincs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 28–29 November 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The early years provision comprises two Reception classes which children attend full time.
• The school runs a daily breakfast club which is managed by the governing body.
• Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced significant staff and leadership changes. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher took up their posts in September 2016.
• A review of the work of the governing body was carried out in January 2017.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 18 lessons, several of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. In all, 14 members of staff were seen teaching. An inspector observed one assembly.
• Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work from all year groups. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their work during lessons and met with groups of pupils. They listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and at playtimes and lunchtimes. An inspector visited the breakfast club.
• Inspectors held meetings with governors, school leaders and staff. An inspector spoke with a consultant headteacher who has worked with the school on behalf of the local authority.
• Inspectors analysed 75 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and took account of parents’ written comments. An inspector spoke informally with some parents during the inspection.
• Inspectors analysed 13 responses to a questionnaire submitted by school staff and 54 responses to a survey for pupils.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s systems and documentation relating to safeguarding. They looked at information about pupils’ attainment and progress, and about their attendance. Inspectors looked at school improvement plans and evidence of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching.

Inspection team

Viv McTiffen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Marina Gough Ofsted inspector Heidi Malliff Ofsted Inspector Rebecca King Ofsted Inspector