Mattersey Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Raise attainment in mathematics by ensuring that the mathematics curriculum and all teachers give sufficient emphasis to:
  • developing pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills
  • using and applying mathematics in other subjects.
• Raise attainment in writing by all teachers providing more opportunities for pupils to use and apply their writing skills, including writing at length, in other subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and the head of school are determined to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning further. They have the full support of the governing body. They have ensured that all staff are united in their desire to help all pupils to do their best. The school has received good-quality support from the local authority. Leaders have established an effective collaboration with Everton Primary School. Leaders and governors are continually exploring new partnerships that will improve the viability and effectiveness of the school.
• Leaders know the school inside out and know where further improvements are needed. This means the school is well placed to continue to improve. The leadership of teaching and learning is a particularly strong aspect. The quality of teaching is now consistently good. All staff understand that it is their responsibility to ensure that each pupil does his or her personal best.
• Leaders’ regular checks on teaching and on the work in pupils’ books are helpful to staff. After lesson observations and work analyses, leaders give individual feedback to staff about their teaching. Leaders also make checks to ensure that teachers are implementing school initiatives consistently.
• The headteacher and governors are adept at ensuring that the resources of the school are used to good effect. The school’s main budget is wisely spent. Leaders constantly seek ways of obtaining better value for money. The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is also used well. It is used to extend the range of sports teaching and to improve teachers’ skills in teaching PE. Leaders also draw on other sources of external funding. They have recently established a much-improved outside area for the early years.
• Pupil premium funding and the extra funds for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities are now being spent to much better effect. Both these groups of pupils make good progress throughout the school.
• The curriculum is suitably modified to support the learning of the most able pupils. In Year 6, for example, the most able pupils are often given more demanding work. This challenges them and helps them to enjoy lessons and make good progress.
• The curriculum and teaching have been adapted well to match the learning needs of different groups of pupils. For example, they have been effectively modified to meet the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• The curriculum for writing has been improved, but pupils do not write enough at length in English. Opportunities to develop their writing skills in other subjects are also limited.
• The reading curriculum is good. The teaching of phonics in the early years and key stage 1 is a strength. The school has a good home reading programme.
• The mathematics curriculum for calculation is effective. It gives too little emphasis to problem solving and investigation. Pupils in Year 6 enjoy and benefit from the online individual mathematics tuition available weekly this year.
• The curriculum to support pupils’ personal development is a strength. Pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key part of the school’s provision. British values are well promoted.
• The school has worked effectively over the last two years to improve the involvement of parents in their children’s learning. Parents appreciate these improvements and said that communication between the school and home is good. They said that they are helped to support their children’s learning. Parents are confident that the school is well led and managed.

Governance of the school

• Since the previous inspection, the governing body has set the school and its governance on a new and much-improved track. The local authority has provided support for this change.
• The governing body now contains a suitable range of well-experienced and capable governors. They are acting with great determination to play a full and proper role in checking and supporting the school’s improvements.
• Governors now have a comprehensive view of the strengths of the school and where further improvements are needed. This means that they are well placed to help the school to continue to improve.
• The governing body has organised itself and governors’ training well. Specialist governors focus on key areas such as safeguarding and the early years. Governors visit lessons and provide perceptive and useful reports to the governing body. Reports from the headteacher are much improved. Both these sources of information help governors to know the school well.
• The governing body is now aware of the quality of teaching throughout the school. It has set up systems to ensure that teachers are only rewarded when their teaching and the pupils’ learning are both good.
• Governors are now much better placed to evaluate how spending decisions are helping improve pupils’ achievements. They keep careful track of the school’s spending from the pupil premium and the primary PE and sport premium, for example.
• The governing body is strongly involved in reviewing the future of the school. It is considering new partnerships so that the school is well placed to provide education for the local community into the future.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding is given high priority by leaders. All staff create a secure and safe environment where pupils’ welfare is seen as important by everyone in the school. Consequently, parents know that their children are kept safe at school and pupils feel safe and secure.
• Procedures for reporting concerns are well established. Staff training is up to date and regular reviews are carried out to check that all staff and governors understand and follow the school’s procedures. Leaders regularly check safeguarding arrangements and staff at Everton Primary School also make an external check that safeguarding fully meets requirements.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching and learning and the use of assessment have improved significantly since the previous inspection. Teaching and learning are now consistently good. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils should achieve.
• Staff manage pupils’ behaviour well and relationships are good. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy school. Teachers expect pupils to work much harder, and pupils respond well to these higher expectations.
• Teachers and teaching assistants take good account of the needs of each pupil in the mixed-age classes. Learning is often individualised and staff are skilful at meeting the needs of pupils of all abilities and ages.
• All staff have been working this year to improve the quality and range of questions they ask pupils in lessons. Teachers’ and teaching assistants’ questions help pupils to overcome difficulties and deepen their understanding.
• One of the most important changes since the previous inspection has been the way that teaching assistants are trained and deployed. Teaching assistants now play a more significant role in supporting pupils’ learning. They have a particularly strong effect on learning in the early years, in Years 3 and 4 and on the learning of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• The teaching of reading is much improved. By the end of Year 2, all pupils are successful in the national phonics screening check. These improved skills provide pupils with a stronger base for higher standards in reading and spelling in later years. The most able readers show real enthusiasm for reading and read frequently. The home reading programme is well organised. Many parents make an important contribution to the good progress their children make in their reading.
• The teaching of mathematics and writing has also improved and is now good. Leaders recognise that continuing improvement is needed in these subjects to ensure that high-quality teaching makes up for a legacy of underachievement, especially in mathematics.
• For some time, the teaching of number and place value has been much stronger than the teaching of reasoning and problem solving. Leaders have recognised the need to address this and some improvements in teaching problem solving have been made.
• In writing, teachers focus on shorter pieces of text and do not ask pupils to write at length in English or in other subjects. This limits pupils’ writing skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and enjoy school. They speak very positively about school life and say that they would recommend it to anyone. They talk of the good family atmosphere of the school.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school and say also that there is no bullying in their school. They show good respect for the safety of others.
• They are very well informed about e-safety and confidently list the main rules that help to keep them safe on the internet.
• Pupils, especially the older ones, enjoy taking responsibility for running events such as the recent Halloween disco. They help to organise charity events. Many examples were seen of older pupils looking after younger children throughout the school day.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils were very clear that the good behaviour evident during the inspection is typical for their school. They work and play in a calm and caring environment. Parents know that the pupils behave well at school.
• Pupils are well mannered and polite to adults and visitors.
• Attendance improved last year to above the national average. This year’s running average is not as strong because of the persistent absence of a few pupils. Staff are aware of this and are seeking parents’ support to reduce this level of persistent absence. The school has effective procedures to support regular attendance.
• All pupils are clear about what behaviour is expected of them. They know the rewards they receive for good behaviour and the sanctions used if they step out of line. They see these as fair and know that staff are on their side.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make good progress throughout the school from their different starting points. Attainment varies considerably from year to year because of the small numbers in each year group. Pupils are now making faster progress than previously. This year, a good proportion of pupils in Year 6 are on track to exceed the standards expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are well prepared, both socially and academically, for the next stage of their education.
• Pupils make particularly good progress in their reading, which is given high priority in the curriculum. Many pupils enjoy reading and see reading as one of their favourite pastimes.
• Scores in the national phonics screening check have improved. All pupils leave Year 2 with expected phonics skills. Pupils use these skills well in their reading when tackling unfamiliar words.
• Pupils’ progress in mathematics has improved, but is still slower than their progress in reading. The school’s very effective teaching of calculation is helping improve mathematics skills. Problem solving and reasoning still remain weaker aspects.
• Pupils’ presentation of writing has improved. Their spelling and punctuation are better. Skills in extended writing are not as strong.
• The most able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress. The much-improved quality of teaching means that these pupils make faster progress from their differing starting points.

Early years provision Good

• Good leadership has secured significant improvement to early years provision since the previous inspection.
• Good-quality teaching means that children make good progress from their starting points during the Reception Year. By the end of the year, their attainment remains below average, however.
• Adults carefully assess the learning needs of each child. They use these assessments to provide individualised teaching that meets their needs well. As a result, children make good progress. Adults plan interesting work using the good-quality indoor area and the newly developed outside facilities. Leaders plan to improve support for language development in the new outside areas.
• The early years curriculum places strong emphasis on developing reading skills. This includes phonics skills, which are taught well. This means that children make a good start to their reading.
• Staff give children’s safety high priority and regularly check that the provision is safe. Standards of welfare and care are high.
• Partnership with parents has improved a great deal since the previous inspection. Many parents commented on how well staff help them to support their children’s learning at home.
• Children behave sensibly and safely, but occasionally they do not take turns to answer questions when adults do not sufficiently clarify what is expected of them.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority 122655 Nottinghamshire Inspection number 10036065 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 35 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Chris Bailey Paul Higginbottom Telephone number 01777 817265 Website Email address www.mattersey.notts.sch.uk office28@mattersey.notts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3 November 2015

Information about this school

• The school is much smaller than most primary schools.
• The school meets the requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• A below-average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. No pupil is known to speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above the national average for primary schools. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school has entered a close collaboration with Everton Primary School, a neighbouring school. Both schools share a headteacher.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching and learning in both classes, including joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, he carried out shorter visits to classrooms to see particular aspects of the school’s work, such as the teaching of reading or internet-based individual tuition in mathematics in Year 6.
• A range of other school activities, including playtimes and lunchtimes, was observed.
• The inspector scrutinised past and current work of pupils of different abilities in all year groups. He also heard pupils reading.
• A meeting was held with the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. A meeting was held with a representative of the local authority. Pre-arranged and informal discussions were held with members of staff and pupils.
• The inspector analysed documents, including the school’s plans for improvement and reports showing the school’s view of its own performance. The school’s website was evaluated. Safeguarding documents were reviewed. Policies and records relating to pupils’ personal development, behaviour, welfare, safety and attendance were inspected.
• Information on the performance of the school in comparison with other schools nationally was analysed. The school’s own records of pupils’ attainment and progress were also considered.
• There were too few responses to enable consideration of Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. The inspector spoke with parents of 25 of the 35 pupils on roll at the start of the school day, and the text replies submitted by parents for the inspection were also taken into account.

Inspection team

Roger Sadler, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector