The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • governors hold leaders to account for the impact of their actions, based on school improvement plans that have clear success criteria and measurable milestones for improvement
  • leaders regularly evaluate and share school performance information with governors so they have an accurate understanding of pupils’ progress and can then hold leaders stringently to account for the outcomes of pupils leaders rigorously and robustly monitor the quality of teaching and learning so that they can give accurate feedback to teachers to improve the quality of teaching and learning
  • subject leaders play a full part in monitoring all aspects of the subjects for which they have responsibility.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • all teachers have the highest expectations and aspirations for all pupils
  • teachers share their best practice so that there is a consistent approach to teaching across key stage 2
  • teachers in key stage 2 consistently match tasks to the needs of middle- and higher-ability pupils so that they make rapid progress in reading and mathematics
  • teachers in key stage 2 regularly check pupils’ progress in reading, that they are reading books of the appropriate level and are provided with activities that develop their comprehension skills.
• Improve the quality of personal development, welfare and behaviour by deepening pupils’ understanding of British values. An external review of governance 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

• Leaders do not regularly evaluate information about pupils’ attainment and progress throughout the school year. This means that the governing body is not in a position to have the information it requires to hold leaders to account for the school’s performance.
• Priorities in the school’s improvement plans do not contain clear success criteria with appropriate timescales. Leaders and the governing body, therefore, do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, actions to improve standards are delayed.
• Senior leaders do not monitor the quality of teaching and learning as regularly or rigorously as they should. Teachers do not receive timely feedback from senior leaders that will help them to tackle weakness in their practice.
• Subject leaders do not check the quality of teaching or the progress that pupils are making frequently enough. This means that they focus too much upon the actions taken rather than evaluating how well they have helped pupils to make faster progress or raise standards.
• Although the performance of teachers is managed, leaders do not provide enough opportunities for teachers to share and evaluate their training and development with each other so that training further improves the quality of teaching and learning.
• Leaders have designed and implemented a broad and balanced curriculum that captures pupils’ interests and engages them in their learning. Effective use is made of after-school clubs, which supports pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. Nevertheless, the curriculum is not as well developed in relation to promoting pupils’ cultural development, particular in broadening their knowledge and understanding of British values.
• Leaders have been effective in promoting pupils’ enjoyment of reading by providing a more interesting selection of books for them to choose to read. Older pupils in particular say they enjoy reading and they talk enthusiastically about the stories they love. While this has helped younger children to make good progress in developing their skills in reading, the extent to which this has made a positive impact in raising standards of attainment in reading within key stage 2 is yet to be seen, especially for pupils of middle ability.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding well to help disadvantaged pupils make faster progress. For example, the school uses the expertise of an experienced teacher to work with individual pupils so that their learning needs in reading and writing can be addressed precisely. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils make good progress.
• The provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective because adults support their learning well. Funding for additional support is used to meet the needs of these pupils. Staff receive regular training and records of progress are efficiently kept.
• Leaders use the additional funding from the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium effectively. For example, the school has had recent success at the East Midlands Netball Championships and reached the Lincolnshire County Finals in dance. The funding has been used well to provide training to staff so that they can deliver high-quality after-school sport clubs. These allow pupils to stay healthy and to improve their skills in sport.
• Parents comment favourably about the school and particularly note the effective communication between home and school. Where parents have a concern, they feel that the school responds appropriately.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is not able to hold leaders stringently to account for the performance of the school because they do not receive regular information from leaders about pupils’ attainment and progress. Consequently, they are unable to evaluate effectively leaders’ actions to raise pupils’ achievement.
• Governors have not challenged senior leaders enough to speed up the rate of school improvement. School improvement plans lack the precision needed for governors to hold leaders closely to account. Consequently, actions taken by leaders have not been swift enough.
• Governors have received up-to-date safeguarding training and training on evaluating school performance information. They understand their responsibilities in managing and overseeing the school’s finances, including additional government funds.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders ensure that the school’s single central record of checks on staff, governors and visitors is kept in order and meets requirements.
• Staff and governors have a clear understanding of safeguarding. Leaders respond swiftly to concerns and record all actions taken. The school’s careful monitoring of pupils’ welfare ensures that staff review pupils’ needs continuously.
• Leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure that pupils’ welfare needs are met. Leaders are tenacious in their approach to the management of pupils’ welfare. They meet with parents and carers regularly to support the ongoing needs of pupils.
• All staff understand their role in safeguarding pupils and know the procedures for reporting any concerns. These are dealt with effectively by the headteacher.
• Pupils are knowledgeable about how to keep safe in school, online and in the local community.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching within key stage 2 is inconsistent. Teachers do not build well enough upon the pupils’ strong start in the early years and through key stage 1. Consequently, pupils make slower progress, particularly in reading and mathematics, within key stage 2.
• Not all teachers in key stage 2 provide tasks that sufficiently meet the pupils’ needs in reading and mathematics, particularly for the middle and higher attaining pupils. Consequently, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. Often, teachers set tasks that do not provide enough challenge or give pupils the opportunity to grapple with concepts and ideas. For example, in mathematics, pupils’ books show that the middle and higher attaining pupils complete tasks with few mistakes and are not challenged by the work set. Self-assessment regularly indicates that pupils find the tasks too easy.
• Not all teachers in key stage 2 match reading books to pupils’ reading ability. Often, pupils are reading books that are too easy and present minimal challenge. Teachers are not checking regularly enough that pupils’ reading books are meeting their needs.
• In key stage 2, pupils are not presented with enough opportunities to build on their comprehension skills, which hinders their progress in developing deeper and wider reading skills. Consequently, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable and their standards in reading are not high enough.
• In key stage 1, pupils are taught phonics skills well. Disadvantaged pupils and lower-attaining pupils receive good support to help them practise their reading skills. Adults effectively assist pupils in blending their sounds, to use a range of skills to understand the text and to read with fluency.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make better progress because they receive effective adult support across the school. Additional intervention groups and personalised support are in place for those already identified to be at risk of falling behind. Pupils’ books show that this help makes a difference and that pupils make improved progress form their starting points.
• Work in pupils’ books and work displayed around the school show that they make good progress in writing. Pupils have a good standard of presentation and generally show pride in their work. Where teaching is strongest, pupils are given opportunities to develop their ideas before writing.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The headteacher leads the school by example and promotes the values of love, peace and kindness through thoughtful school assemblies.
• Pupils at the school are typically polite and respectful. They know the importance of helping each other and being involved in the life of the school. Pupils eagerly shared their positive views about the school with inspectors. For example, pupils were thrilled to have their new school pets and enthusiastically told inspectors about the elected members of the guinea pig committee who regularly care for these animals.
• Pupils have a range of opportunities to develop a broad range of skills. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 support pupils in key stage 1 during playtimes. One pupil confidently stated that it helps younger pupils to develop their play and communication skills.
• The pupils value and appreciate the range of opportunities and activities on offer. For example, the pupils and staff eagerly engaged in the school’s World Book Day. A wide range of after-school clubs, including a talented and well-organised school orchestra, also complements this.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They show care and consideration to each other, to their teachers and to visitors to the school.
• Pupils stated that bullying is rare. At playtimes, pupils use their time well to play and chat together. Staff supervise them effectively on the playground and pupils know what the expectations of their behaviour are.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They know how to protect themselves when they are online because of the school’s efforts in arranging specific events to raise its importance. The school also has prominent displays throughout the school to remind pupils about online safety.
• The school is well organised and the pupils look after the school environment well. The school’s positive ethos is exemplified through the range of informative and well-presented displays, such as pupils’ writing about their favourite books, the geography of the local village and photographs of recent trips and visits.
• Attendance is improving. Leaders’ actions to tackle any absence are having a positive impact on attendance rates.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress slows in key stage 2, particularly in mathematics and for the middle and higher attaining pupils. Pupils’ current workbooks show that tasks are not sufficiently challenging to meet their needs and therefore enable pupils to make rapid progress.
• Reading progress slows in key stage 2 for pupils of middle ability in particular, because teachers do not monitor pupils’ reading regularly enough or ensure that they match pupils’ books appropriately to their needs. In 2016, the progress made by pupils in the Year 6 cohort in reading was significantly below the national average.
• The majority of children enter the Reception Year at levels of development that are typical for their age. Published information shows that the proportions of children reaching a good level of development in 2015 and 2016 were above the national averages.
• Pupils’ workbooks show that they make good progress throughout key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard is in line with national expectations at the end of key stage 1.
• The proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, reaching the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 has been above the national average for the past two years.
• Pupils’ books show that disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress in the school. This is because leaders use the additional funding to support these pupils well. In key stage 1, disadvantaged pupils reach standards in line with those of other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Published information shows that overall, the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, make good progress from their starting points.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership and management of the early years are good. Leaders have a detailed and thorough understanding of the children’s learning because of their accurate assessments. They constantly assess and evaluate children’s learning and this information is shared with staff and parents effectively. For example, leaders have recently established an online reporting system so that children’s achievements at home and school can be shared through photographs and videos.
• Staff in the early years are knowledgeable and experienced in providing a fun, engaging and interactive early years curriculum that appeals to the children’s interests. For example, children were excited to be designing their own pirate ships using the school’s computers. Children were learning about the specific vocabulary of a pirate ship and ensuring that they applied this to their drawings.
• Leaders spend the early years pupil premium funding effectively to help disadvantaged pupils begin to catch up and to make accelerated progress.
• Children’s workbooks and other evidence of their learning show a broad range of learning activities. Early years staff check their judgements of children’s achievement frequently at school cluster meetings. As a result, staff in the early years are able to plan activities in response to discussions about ways of meeting their needs.
• Children in the early years are safe because they are taught how to use class equipment correctly and learn in the environment safely. The classroom is well organised and children enjoy learning in the outside areas. Children are fluent about online safety because adults reinforce how they should use it, reminding them with an e-safety song when they use computers. Consequently, children engage with computers confidently and view their use as a positive part of their learning.
• The early years staff support parents well so that they can participate and continue with their child’s learning at home. Every week, the early years staff send home learning logs so that parents are fully informed about the curriculum themes. They provide parents with ideas so that children can further develop their learning at home. Homework is then shared using the school’s online assessment tool.
• From children’s starting points, they make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120556 Lincolnshire 10023258 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 Maintained (voluntary controlled) 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 253 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Rob Cole Marina Faulkner 01775 820467 www.cowley.lincs.sch.uk enquiries@cowley.lincs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 March 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average, as is the proportion that speaks English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. The proportion of pupils supported by an education, health and care plan is also below average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes in the school. Some lessons were observed jointly with school leaders.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders and middle leaders. The chair of the governing body and the vice-chair were also interviewed.
• Inspectors scrutinised in detail a range of pupils’ books in a variety of subjects.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of the school’s documentation, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance and its development plan, information on pupils’ attainment and progress, records of behaviour, bullying and attendance, safeguarding procedures and their use, reviews of the pupil premium and of the primary physical education and sport funding. Documents showing reviews of teaching and learning by external advisers were also looked at.
• Inspectors observed behaviour around the school, including at break and lunchtimes. They held a discussion with one group of pupils and informally spoke with others around the school. One inspector listened to pupils reading.
• The 30 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were considered. Inspectors spoke with parents before school and considered the 14 responses from parents to the Ofsted free-text service.
• Inspectors also considered 11 responses to a questionnaire for pupils and two responses to a questionnaire for staff.

Inspection team

Emma Nuttall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Tracey Ydlibi Ofsted Inspector Ann Glynne-Jones, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector