Ellingham Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • teachers plan learning that challenges all pupils to achieve the best they can, particularly the most able and the most able disadvantaged pupils
  • the proportion of pupils who achieve the higher standard improves and mirrors national expectations at the end of key stage 2
  • adults in key stage 1 consistently provide pupils with the next steps in their learning, and guidance about how to improve their work in mathematics
  • teachers plan regular opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematical skills in problem solving and in other subjects.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • senior leaders further develop the capacity of middle leadership in assessing and monitoring the progress of pupils across different subjects
  • the development of mathematics is clearly focused on the most important subject priorities and leaders regularly check on the impact of the actions they have taken to improve pupils’ outcomes
  • leaders continue to work with parents and carers to address the attendance of the minority of pupils who do not attend school regularly enough.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have worked hard to address the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Governors work closely with leaders to check on the progress of the school’s priorities and support the school effectively to ensure that they are successful.
• The headteacher has prioritised ensuring that teaching is consistently good. She and governors have tackled any underperformance of teachers with support and challenge. The headteacher has worked tirelessly in her drive to unite staff in understanding the school’s aims. Support from staff, evidenced in the Ofsted online questionnaire, is overwhelmingly positive. All staff are proud to work at the school. Staff all work towards a common goal and teaching continues to improve.
• Leaders promote a welcoming school environment where links with parents and the local community are strong. For example, the outdoor environment has been developed considerably with the support of parents and local charities. Leaders have ensured that pupils are involved in the designs of, for example, the school garden, and in writing letters to businesses asking for financial support.
• Leaders and governors have made effective use of external support and advice to improve teaching and learning and develop middle leaders, including that provided by the local authority and diocese. Leaders welcome the continued advice as they continue to improve mathematics and the leadership of other subject areas.
• Targeted professional development and effective leadership have led to the teaching of reading, writing and phonics being consistently good across the school. Sharing good practice and making effective use of good role models within the school have had an impact on the progress that pupils make in these areas of the curriculum.
• The teaching of mathematics is less well developed. Leaders have been slow to prioritise what needs to be done to improve mathematics across the school. They have not focused enough on ensuring that some staff understand the demands of the national curriculum at different ages and stages. They have not always used the good role models that exist within Ellingham to ensure that staff systematically develop pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding. As a result, the progress of mathematics is slower than in other areas of the curriculum.
• The leadership of areas of the curriculum such as science, art, history and geography is developing well. Subject leaders have a good understanding of their roles. They are beginning to develop effective systems of monitoring and checking on the impact of the actions they are taking on pupils’ outcomes. However, this process is still at an early stage.
• Leadership of SEN is good. Effective use is made of the additional funding the school receives for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to provide adult help and relevant resources. Appropriate training has been put in place to ensure that staff are equipped to manage and support the growing emotional, social and mental health needs of pupils. There are many examples of these pupils making very good progress from their starting points.
• The additional pupil premium funding is used effectively to improve the academic and personal achievement of disadvantaged pupils. The majority of pupils in this group currently in the school make good progress from their starting points, although the most able pupils are not progressing as well as they might.
• The curriculum offered to pupils is a strength of the school. It is creative, uses the school’s grounds and local community well, and enthuses pupils. Pupils say that their learning is ‘fun, exciting and fantastic’. They like the many different activities that teachers provide for them, especially the outdoor curriculum. As one pupil put it, ‘It gives us a chance to learn about nature and be in the fresh air. It isn’t like being in the classroom.’ Teachers link subjects well through a variety of topics and search out innovative ways to stimulate effective learning. As a result of the well-planned curriculum, the school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Learning in lessons helps pupils to understand the part they play in the school and the wider community. They are taught important British values, such as democracy and respect for others. For example, in one lesson seen during the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were given a variety of quotes from a range of religions. Pupils were asked to give their views on, for example, ‘An eye for an eye’ from one religion, and ‘An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind’ from another. The quality of discussion was impressive both between pupils themselves and between adults and pupils. As a consequence of such work, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governance of the school

• The governing body demonstrates a strong commitment to the school, its staff, pupils and parents. It has revisited the school’s aims and ethos to ensure that, as a governing body, governors too are ‘visible in everything we do and say’.
• Along with leaders, their ambition for the school is to provide pupils with an aspirational, creative educational experience in a caring and inviting environment. This is realised in the school’s innovative curriculum and the highly effective relationships between all adults and pupils.
• Governors are aware of their responsibilities and focus on the progress and attainment of pupils. They hold the headteacher to account effectively and undertake appraisal procedures with the support of the local authority. Leaders work closely with governors to ensure that they understand and interpret correctly the school’s assessment information. As a result, governors are able to challenge leaders appropriately, and question the insightful information that leaders provide in reports and during governing body meetings.
• Many governors regularly visit the school to meet with leaders, staff and pupils. Governors say that this helps them to ensure they understand the performance of the school, and in particular how well aspects of the school’s improvement and development plan are progressing. For example, they are gaining a clearer understanding of the growth in the numbers of pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Governors have fully supported leaders in appointing appropriately qualified staff to manage the effective and growing ‘nurture provision’.
• Governors understand the importance of monitoring the use of additional funding, such as the pupil premium and physical education (PE) and sport funding. They check, for example, that external sports coaches are increasing staff’s confidence in the delivery of good-quality PE, thus making it sustainable.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff and governors understand their responsibility for safeguarding and child protection and have undergone appropriate and regular training. All adults are vigilant and fully aware of different forms of abuse.
• A robust system is in place to enable staff to report any safeguarding concerns they may have about a pupil. ‘Care time’ in staff meetings is a regular opportunity for staff to raise any potential concerns and update others about the impact of actions taken.
• The designated safeguarding leaders are well trained and promptly follow up on any staff concerns, sharing information appropriately. They ensure that, when required, pupils and their families are referred to external support agencies promptly. Senior leaders are tenacious in pursuing what pupils and families need. Records relating to safeguarding are kept in a well-ordered and regularly maintained system.
• The headteacher and deputy headteacher know the school community exceptionally well and work very effectively with families to ensure the well-being of children whose circumstances may make them particularly vulnerable. They ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching across the school is improving as a result of effective training and support. Observations of learning, and scrutiny of pupils’ work and the school’s assessment information show that teaching is typically good. Where it has historically been less strong, senior leaders have provided effective guidance and support.
• Teachers have a secure understanding of the subjects they teach. They plan lessons that motivate and interest pupils, as seen during the inspection. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 enjoyed learning about air resistance in science by making spinners in a variety of sizes and testing them to see which fell to the floor quickest. In Years 3 and 4, pupils predicted how various materials might reflect light. They eagerly tested them using torches in the classroom’s dark stock cupboard and recorded the results.
• The majority of adults use questions well to reinforce learning and clarify misconceptions. Where questioning is most effective, it extends and deepens pupils’ understanding and knowledge by encouraging pupils to explain what they are learning. As a result, pupils make good gains in their learning.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to establish good learning and behaviour. Generally, they provide timely intervention that gives pupils helpful guidance and support. When teaching assistants encouraged pupils to think for themselves and work on their own, pupils moved on well in their learning.
• The teaching of mathematics is improving. Some historical weak teaching has meant that many pupils have gaps in their mathematical skills and knowledge. Key stage 2 pupils are quickly making up ground. However, there are still not enough opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematical skills in problem solving and across other subjects. Adults in key stage 1 do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils should be learning. They do not routinely provide next steps or challenge to move pupils on in their learning. As a result, pupils’ progress is slower than at key stage 2.
• Pupils receive effective phonics teaching, and this provides them with a secure base on which to build their wider reading and writing skills. They make good progress from their varying starting points. Pupils who read to the inspector were able to use their phonics knowledge to read unfamiliar words, helping them to read fluently. Younger pupils are beginning to use their phonics skills to support their spelling in their writing.
• Teachers encourage an enthusiasm for reading. The subject leader for English has recently introduced whole-class reading, which is having an impact on pupils’ ability to understand a variety of texts, particularly at key stage 2. Pupils say that they love to read. As one pupil said, ‘You can imagine you are right there and dream about it.’ Pupils particularly like their new library and make good use of its wide variety of books for research as well as for fun reading.
• Teachers use a variety of good-quality texts, topics of interest to pupils and digital media to motivate and inspire pupils to write across a range of topics and genres. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 were inspired to write questions that they wanted to find answers to in their topic ‘Down in the Jungle’. ‘Do jungles have seasons?’, and ‘How many teeth does a crocodile have?’ were typical. The whole-school emphasis on ecology inspired pupils to write poems based on the 10 commandments. Examples such as, ‘Thou shalt not slaughter my creatures with your sharp knives or intoxicate my air with fuel from your four-wheeled beasts,’ showed pupils’ deep understanding of the possible dangers in our world.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receive very effective, well-planned and often individual support. The leader for SEN works closely with parents and colleagues to ensure that additional support meets pupils’ needs and is carefully targeted to move them on in their learning. As a result, they make good progress socially, emotionally and academically.
• Leaders have done a lot of work to improve pupils’ presentation of their work. Teachers set high expectations across all subjects. During the inspection, scrutiny of work demonstrated the good quality of work in subjects such as science, history, geography and religious education.
• Leaders recognise that the most able pupils are not consistently challenged to achieve as well as they could across the school, and particularly in key stage 1. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. They do not consistently support pupils to make the progress in their learning of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Leaders ensure that pupils’ welfare and personal development are at the very heart of everything the school does. Pupils are taught about respect, resilience and self-confidence. During the inspection, leaders demonstrated numerous examples of the considerable progress that many individual pupils have made in this area. This is because leaders ensure that pupils and families are given the support that they need.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in school, in the community and when using the internet. For example, the school teaches pupils about road safety and each year group has the opportunity to take part in a cycling proficiency programme.
• Pupils know that bullying is, ‘when someone is not nice to you over and over again’. They know the different types of bullying and are clear that it is extremely rare at Ellingham. However, if it does occur, pupils show a mature attitude to how to deal with it. ‘I would make sure the person is ok and ask them to come and join me,’ said one pupil.
• Pupils understand the school’s values and know how these relate to their lives. They demonstrate compassion for others and show this in their relationships with other pupils. One pupil beautifully demonstrated the empathy that leaders are keen to engender; she had once felt a bit lonely and left out by her friends, but another pupil had said, ‘You can always come and find me if you feel like that again.’ Older pupils support younger pupils with their reading, while a ‘buddy’ is assigned to look after a new pupil, for which parents are extremely grateful.
• The school’s pastoral work is a strength of the school. Leaders have invested in staff who effectively manage the ‘nurture room’ and ‘nurture nook’. Pupils clearly benefit from the one-to-one or group work that is provided for them. Staff make very effective use of the school’s extensive outdoor learning environment to create a safe environment for the school’s most vulnerable pupils.
• Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and its leaders. They speak highly of the staff and the ‘fantastic atmosphere’ in the school, which is, ‘a lovely environment for my daughter to grow up in’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite and well-mannered around the school. They hold doors open for others, and greet visitors and ask how they are. During play- and lunchtimes, pupils play well together and enjoy taking part in the different activities on offer. They especially like the extensive field; as one pupil said, ‘We realise how lucky we are as some schools don’t get anything but a playground.’
• When asked, pupils said that behaviour is good most of the time and when it is not, adults deal with it, ‘100% quickly!’ pupils chorused. This was reflected in learning seen during the inspection. There were few incidents of poor behaviour recorded during the last academic year. Adults adhere to the school’s behaviour system. Pupils understand the consequences of poor behaviour and are proud to be given the ‘Busy Bee’ awards when they demonstrate good behaviour, effort or work.
• Pupils are attentive in lessons. They listen to their teachers and contribute their ideas willingly, particularly in key stage 2. On occasion, when activities do not challenge pupils effectively, they are not as focused as they could be.
• Pupils are very tolerant of any pupils who may be struggling or need support. The school’s nurture provision helps pupils who find managing their own behaviours a challenge to develop effectively. The school’s own assessments show that pupils who have accessed the nurture provision have participated more fully in class since the beginning of the year. Parents are effusive in their praise of leaders for the work that they do and the care they show for individual pupils and families. As one parent said, ‘The entire staff are, without exception, child focused, and work tirelessly to ensure the happiness, well-being and care of our children.’
• Leaders work closely with families to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. Staff follow up promptly with pupils whose attendance falls below the school’s target. Records of actions that have been taken to support parents to get their children to school are well maintained. Many pupils’ attendance has increased as a direct result. There do, however, remain a few pupils whose attendance is not good enough. Leaders are well aware and pursue this tenaciously.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The numbers of pupils in each class are often small. In Years 2 and 6, in 2017, one pupil was 7% of the overall cohort. In 2016, numbers were even smaller. In context, pupils’ published achievement is greatly affected by what can sometimes equate to one or two pupils. Leaders do not shy away from their responsibility to ensure that pupils make the best progress they can. As a result, across almost all year groups and in a wide range of subjects, current pupils make consistently strong progress considering their different starting points.
• Evidence seen in pupils’ books, in lessons, and in the information provided by the school indicates that the majority of current pupils are working at the standards expected for their age in a variety of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics.
• From their varying starting points, some often below those expected for their age, most children make good progress and achieve well in early years. The proportion of children who reach a good level of development has been above the national average for the last two years.
• In 2017, pupils’ combined attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was broadly in line with the national average, and an increase on 2016 at the expected and higher standard. Attainment in the separate areas of reading and mathematics by the 14 pupils leaving Year 6 was below the national average, but again improved from 2016. Progress for Year 6 in 2017 was in line with the national average for reading and well above average in writing. Although mathematics progress increased in 2017, it still lags behind that for reading and writing. The proportion of pupils who achieved the higher standard in reading and mathematics was below average.
• The attainment of pupils in key stage 1 in 2017 was just below average in reading. It was above average in writing and mathematics, representing an improvement from 2016.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is still below the national average. In 2017, this equated to one pupil. Progress since leaving early years for some pupils was considerable. The expectation in 2018, supported by evidence seen during the inspection, is that the proportion will be above average.
• At the end of key stage 1 in 2017, the proportion of most-able pupils who attained greater depth in each area of reading, writing and mathematics was similar to the national average. Current most-able pupils in key stage 1 are not routinely challenged to achieve their best, particularly in mathematics. The proportion of most-able pupils who achieved the higher standard in reading and mathematics in key stage 2 in 2017 was below average.
• The majority of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, are currently making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In some year groups, their progress is less rapid, particularly for the most able pupils.

Early years provision Good

• Children in early years get off to a good start because teaching is consistently good, ensuring children’s good progress from a wide range of starting points.
• Good leadership supports staff and children well. Information gathered from children’s pre-school experience is used well to plan activities and learning that address their individual needs.
• Staff regularly check on the progress that children make. Adults have established very effective relationships with parents, who speak highly of the way their children are supported from the minute they arrive at ‘big school’. As one parent said of her child, ‘Her progress has been fantastic. She is well supported and encouraged on a daily basis.’
• The learning environment is bright, welcoming and stimulating. Staff provide practical tasks that interest children and develop their understanding. For example, during the inspection, children planted a variety of vegetables at the ‘garden centre’, showing the inspector what they need to do ‘to make sure the vegetables grow.’
• Staff keep a good range of evidence that demonstrates each child’s progress across all areas of learning. The online records are well maintained and are popular with parents, who regularly share their children’s progress at home with the school. ‘She can now ride her bike without stabilisers,’ wrote one parent of her child.
• Children have fun in early years. They play well together, for example by helping each other to steer a remote-controlled car. They choose activities for themselves and spend time engrossed with threading beads, drawing quietly on a whiteboard or balancing on outdoor play equipment.
• Although some children tend to flit from one activity to another, staff are very adept at sensitively interjecting to focus their learning. Children take turns and listen well to each other when playing independently or when taking part in adult-led activities. They particularly enjoy the well-resourced outdoor area, which is used very effectively to develop fine and gross motor skills as well as early number and writing skills.
• Children respond very well to adults’ praise and encouragement, but also to adults’ probing questions. During the inspection, a group of children were working with the teacher. They came to her ‘shop’ and were given a pot of money to buy various vegetables. ‘I want to buy a carrot for 7p,’ said one little girl, who promptly counted out seven coins. The teacher asked the child to look carefully at the numbers on the coins and, after some discussion, the child realised that some coins were different. She duly counted out three pennies and two two-pence pieces.
• In this language-rich environment, children’s social development and communication skills make good gains, often from very low starting points. They are well prepared for Year 1.
• Staff are well aware of, and take seriously, their responsibility for safeguarding. Any concerns are addressed consistently well. Leaders ensure that all statutory welfare requirements are met, and that children are safe in the early years environment.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 121035 Norfolk 10046527 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 Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 103 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Charlotte Carter Charlotte Whyte 01508 518250 www.ellinghamandwoodton.co.uk head@ellingham.norfolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 May 2016

Information about this school

• This is a much smaller school than is found nationally.
• Pupils are taught in mixed-aged classes: Reception and Year 1, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities or are supported by an education, health and care plan is average.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below the national average.
• The large majority of pupils at the school are of White British heritage.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards for pupils’ achievement, which are the minimum standards expected at the end of Year 6.
• The school is federated with Woodton Primary School. The schools share the same headteacher, deputy headteacher, governing body and subject leaders.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in all classes, some of which were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• The inspector looked at pupils’ books, talked to pupils about their learning during lessons, and spoke with many pupils at lunchtime and before school. The inspector also met with a group of 10 pupils to gain their views of the school.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, a range of middle leaders, two governors (including the chair of governors), and the leaders of SEN, English and mathematics. The inspector also had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.
• The inspector looked at the school’s current assessment information and undertook a work scrutiny with the leaders of English and mathematics. Work in pupils’ English, mathematics, topic, geography, history and religious education books was scrutinised.
• A variety of documents were examined, including the school’s own evaluation of its performance, school improvement and action plans, records of monitoring of teaching and learning, staff meetings notes, and performance management information.
• Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of pupils were examined. These included the school’s single central register and the checks leaders make on adults’ suitability to work with children. Behaviour and incident logs, racist logs and child protection documentation were also examined by the inspector.
• The views of 17 members of staff who completed Ofsted’s online survey were also taken into consideration. The views of 45 parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were also considered during the inspection, as well as their views expressed in texts.

Inspection team

Ruth Brock, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector