Rampton Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Make further improvements to the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics by:
  • placing greater emphasis in the mathematics curriculum on using and applying pupils’ number and calculation skills in problem-solving and investigative work
  • ensuring that work is fully challenging for the most able pupils
  • improving pupils’ quick recall of number facts.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since she joined the school just before the last inspection, the impact of the new headteacher has been impressive. All governors and those who work at the school are fully committed to providing the best for pupils and helping each pupil do his or her best. A particular strength has been in the leadership and management of teaching and learning. The quality of teaching is much improved and pupils now make much better progress in their learning than at the time of the previous inspection.
• The school reviews all aspects of its work thoroughly and the headteacher and governors know the school inside out. The school improvement plan provides a clear and effective guide to school improvement. It concentrates on appropriate aspects and is well known to staff and governors. The plan includes clear criteria to help leaders and governors evaluate the effect of actions taken. Clear timelines are also included so that all know what will be done and when. All are clear about their responsibilities for bringing the plan to fruition. The school is well placed to continue to improve in the future.
• The headteacher provides excellent guidance to staff, especially those newly appointed to the school, to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning and the use of assessment are good throughout the school. Training and checks to ensure that staff assess pupils’ work accurately are effective and the quality of assessment is good.
• Since the previous inspection, despite many staffing changes, the headteacher has done much to involve all teachers in adopting a leadership role in an aspect of the school’s work. For example, the early years leader has had a positive impact on improving provision and outcomes in the area for which she is responsible.
• The headteacher’s reports to teachers on their work are accurate and clearly identify the key strengths observed in teaching or in pupils’ books. These reports and other guidance make an important contribution to the continual improvement of teaching in the school. Some reports, however, do not sufficiently evaluate the progress of different groups of pupils in lessons.
• Regular meetings are held between the headteacher and each individual teacher to discuss the progress of each individual pupil. Those who are not quite doing their best are identified and additional support is arranged. The effect of this is then checked regularly and any learning difficulties are effectively addressed.
• The school is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all and the curriculum is effectively modified to meet pupils’ needs. Pupils enjoy the good range of extra-curricular activities provided. They appreciate the annual residential visit.
• Although the curriculum in classes is varied to meet the needs of the most able, especially in reading and writing, on occasions the most able pupils could be provided with even more challenge in order to extend them fully in mathematics.
• Pupils enjoy their regular French lessons and this helps prepare them for the next stage of their education. The arts have a prominent place in the school’s curriculum.
• The school uses pupil premium funding mainly to provide additional teaching assistant support. This has helped to reduce the difference between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally.
• Primary sports premium funding is also used well. Pupils enjoy the regular teaching provided by external sports coaches and the sports and well-being mentor.
• Additional funds to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are spent wisely and these pupils make good progress as they move through the school.
• The school’s curriculum and its ethos support pupils’ personal development and welfare well. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effectively promoted in lessons and assemblies. British values are promoted well through special themes such as the current theme of ‘remembrance’. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Many improvements have been made to the school buildings and classrooms, the grounds, the playground and general environment. The local community has been closely involved and has worked hard to bring about improvements such as the restoration of the ‘blue hut’, which has now become an attractive and useful school and community resource.
• The local authority has made an important contribution to the many improvements evident in the school’s work. Effective challenge and support for leadership and management and governance when the school was less successful than it is now provided an important kick-start for the many improvements that are now evident in the school. Governors are now very appreciative of the contribution of the local authority to the school’s improvement.

Governance of the school

• Governance is now highly effective.
• Governors audit all aspects of their work and arrange training and bring about any improvements that are necessary.
• Governors have an accurate and comprehensive view of the school. They receive high-quality reports from the headteacher on key aspects of the school’s work and are adept at checking these out for themselves first-hand. Governors now provide effective support and challenge to the headteacher.
• Individual governors bring an appropriate range of skills to the governing body. They know about the quality of teaching throughout the school and check that only effective teaching is rewarded.
• Governors are fully involved in a range of school improvement activities, especially in checking that the actions in the school improvement plan are carried out.
• Governors manage the school finances well. The headteacher and governors together effectively track the impact of the additional funding the school receives. This includes pupil premium, primary sport funding and money for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Robust systems are well established. Training is up to date and regular reviews are carried out to check that this remains the case, and this means that all staff and governors understand and follow the school’s procedures.
• Safeguarding is given high priority by leaders so that all staff create a secure and safe environment where pupils’ welfare is seen as important. Consequently, parents know that their children are kept safe in school and the pupils feel safe and secure at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching, learning and assessment throughout the school, including the early years, are now good. Staff value the high-quality guidance they receive to help them improve their skills.
• Staff know pupils very well as individuals. Relationships are consistently good. Pupils respond well to the high expectations staff hold and they concentrate well in lessons. They work hard and are keen to do their best. Pupils are especially keen to qualify for the school’s rewards that are reported each week in assembly.
• Pupils are expected to behave well in lessons and to concentrate on their work.
• Teachers give clear details to pupils of what learning is expected and how their progress will be assessed. The school has a much improved and consistent approach to marking and feedback, and many pupils are clear about what they must do to improve further. They are given time to improve and correct their work and this helps them make good progress.
• The teaching of writing is a little better than the teaching of mathematics. In writing, pupils develop and apply their writing skills in other subjects and in real-life contexts. In mathematics this is less common. In writing lessons, especially in extended writing sessions, the most able are fully extended. This is not consistently the case in mathematics.
• Reading is well taught and many pupils enjoy reading. Older pupils, especially the most able, read with fluency and confidence and some read as a hobby. Younger pupils use their knowledge of phonics to support their reading of new words and their phonics skills are improving well. Those who find reading more difficult are well supported and make good progress in their reading.
• Any pupil who is at risk of falling behind, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are given additional support in the class or in additional sessions outside the classroom in reading, writing and mathematics. Teaching assistants are effectively deployed and make a particularly valuable contribution to the learning of these groups of pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Staff know pupils and their families well. This starts with the visits by staff to the homes of children new to the early years. Communication with parents is regular and parents find this helpful. Pupils benefit from the good relationships between homes and school.
• Pupils feel safe and happy in school and act with respect for the safety of others. In its curriculum and teaching methods, the school gives appropriate emphasis to a wide range of health and safety issues, including safety on the internet. Pupils enjoy and benefit from the work of the well-being mentor who works with each class weekly and helps pupils develop a clearer understanding of the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
• Pupils trust staff and are confident that any issue that may arise will be dealt with quickly and effectively by adults. They are adamant that there is no bullying in their school and they show good understanding of the various forms that bullying can take.
• The curriculum has been reviewed to help pupils develop a better understanding of British values. Remembrance has been a key theme recently in school and many pupils show an impressive understanding of the origins and meaning of Remembrance Sunday.
• Although opportunities are somewhat limited for pupils to take particular responsibilities in school, they respond well to those that are provided.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They relate to each other well, reflect sensitively on current issues and have a clear understanding of right and wrong.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils and their parents say that behaviour in the school is consistently good and good relationships are evident throughout the school.
• Pupils understand the school’s expectations of behaviour and value the rewards they are given for good behaviour, hard work or regular attendance. Behaviour in the classroom, in assemblies, around school and in the playground is invariably good. Disruptions, even minor disruptions, to learning are rare. When they occur, they are very well dealt with by teachers and teaching assistants working in close partnership.
• Pupils are polite and helpful and the older pupils in particular act in a very mature fashion and are confident and articulate when talking to school visitors.
• Because the school has very effective procedures to promote good attendance and because pupils enjoy school, rates of attendance have been average or better over the last two years. However, attendance this school year is currently a little below average because of families taking holidays in term time. There is no persistent absence.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The school’s accurate assessment records and pupils’ books indicate that pupils make good progress from their various starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education and the world of work beyond school.
• Although statistical information must be treated with caution, given the small numbers of pupils in some year groups, there is a clear upward trend in how the school’s results compare with other schools nationally since the last inspection.
• The most able pupils are often extended well and fully challenged, especially in their writing and their reading, but not quite as much in mathematics.
• Support for pupils who are falling behind, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is of very good quality. These pupils enjoy school and make good progress throughout the school. Their needs and any problems in learning or personal development are quickly spotted and addressed.
• Pupils’ progress in reading is good. Many pupils are enthusiastic about reading. They talk excitedly and knowledgeably about their favourite authors and books and most read widely. Most pupils adhere to or exceed the school’s expectations that they should read at least three times a week at home, and the well-organised home reading programme contributes to the good progress they make. Pupils use their phonic skills well to read unfamiliar words and they show good understanding of their texts. Some pupils’ slow recall of number facts slows their calculation and problem solving in mathematics a little.
• Writing progress is also good and the teaching of writing is a particular strength of the school. Pupils use and develop their writing skills not only in English lessons but also in a range of other subjects, such as history and geography.
• The school is aware that pupils’ attainment in science is not as high as in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has a useful plan to raise the profile of science in the school this year.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the early years with a wide range of knowledge and skills, and, with such small numbers, attainment varies considerably from year to year. The school’s arrangements to settle children into school are very effective and parents say that they value the home visits during the term before their children start school. Consequently, children settle into school quickly and soon begin to make good progress. Attainment over the last two years has risen well and an above-average proportion of children now attain a good level of development due to significantly improved provision.
• Leaders continually review where improvements can be made. For example, leaders have recognised that no child has exceeded a good level of development in all areas of learning over the last two years and are giving great attention this year to helping the most able children achieve their very best.
• Reading is given high priority in the early years and well-taught daily phonics lessons help children learn to read unfamiliar words.
• Staff have a clear and detailed knowledge of the learning of each individual. Assessment is accurate and staff use this knowledge to modify tasks to help children get the best out of each activity. All groups of children, including the most able, those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children, make good progress in their learning.
• The quality of teaching provided by teachers and teaching assistants is consistently good and prepares children well for Year 1.
• The curriculum, both in the classroom and outside, is wide and interesting, not only when the children are being taught by an adult but also when working independently. Sometimes, however, a few children, often the boys, choose a limited range of activities. Few boys, for example, visit the writing area during choosing time.
• Children work and play happily alongside each other. They enjoy school and develop positive attitudes to learning. They are very proud of their work and like to show it to others. They learn to sit well and listen carefully when adults are talking to them.
• Adults work in a consistent way with the children. Safeguarding is effective and children are kept secure and safe in school, and the quality of personal care is good. Parents are fully involved in their children’s learning and the partnership between home and school is good. Parents are equally enthusiastic about provision in the early years as they are about provision in the rest of the school.

School details

Unique reference number 122671 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 10019557 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 72 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mark Thomas Louise Selden 01777 248251 www.ramptonprimary.co.uk head@rampton.notts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is much smaller than most schools. The size of year groups varies considerably and some year groups are small. For example, there are only five Year 3 pupils. Fewer pupils than is typical are from minority ethnic backgrounds. An average proportion of pupils are from families whose first language is not believed to be English but no pupils are at the early stages of learning English.
• An average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium.
• Fewer pupils than the national average have special educational needs and/or disabilities or an education, health and care plan.
• In 2015, numbers of pupils in Year 6 were too few to make a reliable judgement as to whether the government’s floor standards were met. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Most teachers have been appointed to the school since the previous inspection, and three of the five teachers in the school have been appointed since June 2016.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching and learning in all classes, including an observation carried out jointly with the headteacher. In addition, a number of shorter visits were made to see particular aspects of the school’s work, such as the teaching of reading and mathematics to small groups of pupils. A range of other school activities, including playtimes, lunchtimes and an assembly, were observed.
• Past and current work of pupils of different abilities in all year groups was scrutinised and the inspector heard some pupils reading.
• The inspector met two governors, including the chair of the governing body. He analysed documents, including plans for school improvement and reports showing the school’s view of its own performance, safeguarding documents, as well as policies and records relating to personal development, behaviour, welfare, safety and attendance. The inspector analysed information on the performance of the school in comparison with other schools nationally and the school’s records of pupils’ progress.
• Short discussions were held with 25 parents of 42 children at the beginning of the second day of the inspection. The views of the 17 parents (parents of around 25% of pupils) who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered. Also, the 17 returns from a school survey conducted in October 2016 were analysed.
• The inspector received the views of staff through discussions. He received the views of pupils through both informal and pre-arranged discussions.
• The inspector met with a representative of the local authority.

Inspection team

Roger Sadler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector