Snettisham Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching so that the most able pupils are challenged consistently in all classes and subjects by ensuring that:
  • teachers plan lessons which extend the most able pupils
  • teachers move on the most able pupils to more challenging tasks swiftly when they are ready
  • effective practice in meeting the needs of most-able pupils is identified within the school and its partner school and is shared more widely.
• Improve the proportion of pupils making accelerated progress by ensuring that:
  • leaders’ checks on teaching focus more closely on how effectively teaching is securing rapid progress
  • teachers identify with greater precision where pupils have gaps in learning and plan lessons which address these
  • leaders provide better opportunities for parents of disadvantaged pupils to work with teachers to help some of these pupils to catch up more quickly.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The school has suffered a turbulent time since the predecessor school was inspected and judged to require special measures. The school has been led by a number of temporary headteachers over the past four years. It joined a local academy trust and since September has benefited from a permanent experienced executive headteacher and deputy headteacher who also lead another local school. This has brought stability to the school. Clear systems, policies and procedures are now in place, which staff know and follow so that there is greater consistency of practice across the school.
• Leaders, governors and trustees work effectively together. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They plan effectively for improvement, drawing on their good knowledge of the school, and regularly check the impact of action taken.
• Leaders have tackled weak teaching and ensured that teaching is now good. Nevertheless, they continue to strive for further improvement. Staff know leaders’ expectations because these are made clear through staff meetings, individual performance management meetings and pupil progress meetings.
• Staff appreciate the support that is provided for them to develop professionally. All staff who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire said that they feel well supported and that they are treated fairly and with respect by leaders.
• Leaders are determined to ensure that pupils enjoy a broad and interesting curriculum. They have altered curriculum plans so that there is progression and depth in the teaching of topics across the school. They have included trips linked to the curriculum, such as to the space centre, which motivate and enthuse pupils. They have provided opportunities for pupils to work with artists and to take part in community events. Consequently, pupils say that there are lots of interesting things going on so that they want to come to school.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed well. Pupils learn about other faiths and beliefs, for example writing prayers for a Jewish prayer wall and thinking carefully about their responses for the ‘Tree of the World’. Pupils take part in projects such as the Kenyan children’s project, hold responsibilities including as school council members, and play their part as monitors. These opportunities help to develop pupils’ sense of responsibility. Pupils learn about values, including British values. For example, in one class they were challenged to consider the comment ‘if someone disrespects you, you don’t need to show them respect’. Pupils’ responses showed a good level of thought and understanding. The wide range of opportunities provided by leaders ensures that pupils are well supported in developing as well-rounded, caring individuals.
• Leaders carefully plan the use of all funding within this small school so that it is used to best effect. Funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well used to support these pupils. As a result, they make good progress relative to their starting points.
• Funding to promote participation in sports is also well used. All pupils benefit from specialist sports teaching and from participation in a range of competitions with other schools. Pupils said that there are many more opportunities for being active in school than there were in the past.
• Subject leaders are relatively new to their roles but are well supported by senior leaders. Consequently, they are able to talk knowledgeably about their subjects and the actions they have taken to secure improvements. For example, the mathematics leader has worked with staff to develop pupils’ mental calculation skills and was able to show through pupil assessments how this is having a positive impact on improving pupils’ skills and fluency with number.
• The plan for pupil premium funding clearly identifies barriers that restrict pupils’ progress but funding is not as precisely matched to some of these areas as it could be. Leaders have identified that greater engagement with learning by some parents is needed to accelerate pupils’ progress further but have not used the funding to address this.
• Leaders check teaching regularly, watching lessons and looking at pupils’ work. They provide accurate feedback about the individual strengths and weaknesses identified. They track pupils’ attainment carefully and rigorously. However, leaders do not look sufficiently closely at the progress pupils are making in each class and at the longer-term impact teaching is having on accelerating pupils’ progress. As a result, they do not identify and share the best practice that exists in the school.

Governance of the school

• Governors provide strong support and challenge for leaders.
  • Governors and trustees have clearly defined responsibilities and fulfil these well. Governors are knowledgeable about the school because they visit frequently, often visiting classes with senior leaders to see teaching and learning in practice.
  • Governors carry out their responsibilities for managing the headteacher’s performance rigorously together with members of the trust and supported by an external consultant.
  • Trustees support leaders well. For example, they provide a primary expert to support all primary schools in the trust and a director of learning who visits the school to meet with leaders and discuss in detail aspects of the school’s performance.
  • In meetings, governors look in detail at pupil assessment information and ask challenging questions of leaders where there are indications that any pupil may not be achieving well enough. Governors acknowledge that they have not ensured that they are also provided with more detailed information about the progress pupils make in each class so that they know where progress is most rapid and where it may be too slow.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have very robust and effective systems for keeping pupils safe. Recruitment checks are carried out carefully and in line with national requirements. Leaders ensure that staff training is kept up to date and that there are a number of staff with designated leader training so that there is always someone available if there are concerns about a child.
• Staff know what to look for that may indicate a child is at risk. This is shown by the concern forms which they complete. Concerns are followed up with external agencies when needed and leaders ensure that appropriate action is taken in a timely fashion.
• Pupils say that the school is a safe place and that there is always someone to talk to if they have any concerns. Parents agree that staff keep pupils safe. Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe online and know what they should and should not do online. Leaders have provided information for parents about internet safety but acknowledge that they need to do more to raise parental awareness of the risks of online technologies and how they can help keep their children safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers establish good relationships with pupils so that in each class, pupils are keen to learn and respond readily to teachers’ directions. Teachers plan lessons which pupils find interesting and which engage them in learning. For example, pupils said that the use of drama as part of English lessons made these lessons more interesting.
• Phonics is taught well and pupils quickly learn their sounds and are able to apply them to their reading and writing. For example, during the inspection, pupils in Year 1 demonstrated their good knowledge of sounds when reading to the inspector. In class, other Year 1 pupils were able to identify sounds at the beginning and ends of words with confidence. Pupils accurately blend sounds to make words.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this to plan their lessons and extend learning. For example, in the Year 5/6 class, pupils had written about gravity and the speed of falling objects. The teacher’s response clarified for one pupil the relationship between mass and gravity and demonstrated good knowledge of the subject.
• Classrooms are well organised and teachers ensure that classroom displays both celebrate high-quality work and also support learning. For example, prompts are provided to remind pupils about current learning in mathematics and English. These support learning because pupils refer to them during lessons to help them with their work.
• The teaching of writing has improved. Teachers know the standard expected for pupils in each year group and provide good opportunities for developing their writing skills in English and through other subjects. For example, pupils wrote about the River Nile and its impact on Egyptian life, developing their skills in report writing. Pupil progress books, which have samples of writing in English and across a range of subjects, show clearly the good progress pupils are making in the development of their writing skills over time.
• The teaching of mathematics is improving because teachers regularly provide opportunities for pupils to develop their mental agility with numbers. They provide varied opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge in different contexts and subjects. For example, pupils develop their understanding of graphs in science.
• Teachers in some classes provide good opportunities for pupils to develop their reasoning about mathematics. For example, some pupils in the Year 3/4/5 class explained what a Venn diagram was showing and others explained the mathematical reason for a leap year every four years. However, opportunities for pupils to develop their reasoning skills are not yet consistently provided in all classes.
• Additional adults provide good support for pupils. They work effectively with teachers so that they know what to do in all parts of lessons to promote effective learning. When working with groups and individuals, additional adults probe understanding by asking questions which move learning on.
• Teaching in subjects such as art and science is strong. Pupils develop good skills, for example in sketching, and apply these to produce high-quality work. Pupils engage in scientific experiments and from these draw conclusions about scientific concepts and principles. For example, pupils explore shadows and from this are able to explain about the earth’s rotation and its impact on shadow lengths.
• Teachers plan work to meet pupils’ different abilities and mainly cater well for the broad range of ages and abilities within each class. They provide additional support through tasks and resources for less-able pupils and often provide challenges for the most able pupils. However, sometimes the most able pupils have to complete work which is too easy for them before moving on to the challenges. In some classes and subjects, teachers do not pitch tasks with sufficient precision to enable the most able pupils to make the progress they are capable of.
• In some classes, teachers are skilled at using assessment within lessons to identify and address gaps in learning. Examples were also seen, in some pupils’ books, of teachers providing feedback to pupils in line with the school’s policy, which helps pupils to extend their learning. In these classes, pupils make rapid progress. However, this is not consistently the case and in some classes and subjects, teachers do not do enough to accelerate the progress of those pupils who have fallen behind in the past so that they catch up rapidly.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are confident and enjoy lessons. They are proud of their school. One pupil told the inspector ‘we are all one big happy family’ and another that the school is ‘just wonderful’.
• Pupils are eager to talk with adults about their learning. Most take pride in their work, presenting their work neatly. In some classes, pupils take time to review their work, and think about how they could improve it, guided by comments from their teachers. This helps them to improve their subsequent work.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They know what bullying is and is not, and say bullying is very rare at school. They know what to do if they or one of their friends is being bullied because adults talk with pupils regularly about bullying. Pupils told the inspector that they could also use the concerns box to report any problems and that an adult would deal with it.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils know right from wrong because teachers and adults talk about this regularly in assembly and in lessons. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities around the school, proudly wearing, for example, their house captain badges.
• Pupils who have specific emotional needs are well supported through carefully structured programmes which are regularly evaluated. This helps these pupils to access learning more effectively. However, leaders acknowledge that involving parents with this work would enhance its effectiveness.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in class and around the school. They are polite to adults and respond to directions promptly. Pupils are given lots of opportunities to work together in pairs and groups, and do so sensibly, listening to each other and taking turns.
• Pupils enjoy playtimes and play well together. Leaders ensure that there are plentiful toys and games to play with which engage pupils. Pupils told the inspector that occasionally pupils ‘fall out’ but it is sorted out by adults, ‘and they are always friends again the next day’.
• Pupils who have particular social and emotional difficulties are well managed so that they rarely disturb the learning of others.
• Attendance is above the national average because pupils enjoy coming to school. Leaders carefully track attendance for each pupil. Leaders work with the local attendance officer to regularly review attendance and follow up any absences rigorously, meeting with parents to discuss the reasons for absence. Leaders encourage good attendance, for example through certificates and badges issued in assemblies. Leaders acknowledge that despite this, the attendance of a small number of pupils, including some who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is too low and sometimes impacted by a combination of illness and term-time holidays which are unauthorised. Leaders are aware that they need to continue to work with parents so that they understand the consequences of absence for pupils’ progress.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes for pupils in Year 6 are improving over time. In reading and writing in 2016, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard or above was above national averages. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics was similar to that found nationally. This is because teaching has improved and is now good.
• Leaders are aware that the proportion of pupils on track to reach the expected standard or above in the current Year 6 group in reading, writing and mathematics is lower than in the previous year. This is because the cohort includes a high proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, progress for the majority of these pupils is good, as shown by the school’s assessment information and demonstrated by pupils’ work in books. Many of these pupils have made accelerated progress from their starting points.
• In Year 2 in 2016, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in reading was slightly lower than was the case nationally, above in writing and in line with national averages in mathematics. This was a significant improvement from the outcomes in 2015. Pupils currently in Year 2 are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ work and leaders’ assessments indicate that outcomes are likely to be above national averages in 2017.
• In 2016, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check was in line with that found nationally. This was a significant improvement on the outcomes for 2015. This improvement is because teaching of phonics is now much more effective. Current Year 1 pupils demonstrate a good knowledge of sounds and are able to apply these to reading and writing. Leaders are confident that 2017 outcomes will be above national averages.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. The headteacher as leader for special educational needs carefully plans for these pupils, ensuring that provision is well matched to their individual needs.
• Most pupils who are disadvantaged make good progress because good support is provided for them in class and through extra support in groups and individually. This includes the most able disadvantaged pupils. Leaders were able to talk knowledgeably about individual pupils, and how they had been supported effectively. However, a small number of disadvantaged pupils are not making the faster progress they need to reach the expected standard. This is because leaders have not targeted funding for disadvantaged pupils sufficiently towards working more effectively in partnership with parents to support learning further.
• In some classes, the most able pupils are not making as much progress as they could be because teaching does not provide sufficient challenge for these pupils.
• In other year groups, pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, some pupils have significant gaps in their learning and are not making the accelerated progress needed to reach the standard expected of them. This is because in some classes, teaching is not precisely matched to pupils’ needs.

Early years provision Good

• The newly opened classroom for Reception and Year 1 pupils provides an attractive and spacious learning environment for children in the early years. They have easy access to a well-resourced outdoor play area as well as space for different areas of learning indoors.
• Adults ensure that activities planned cover all areas of learning and are engaging and interesting for children. For example, children during the inspection were enjoying being jungle explorers outside while others threw bean bags at numbered cones, counting and adding their scores.
• Adults support children well, intervening with their play skilfully to ask questions and promote learning. For example, during the inspection a teaching assistant spotted a child playing with the balance scales and reinforced mathematical language such as lightest, heaviest and lighter than.
• Leaders have a good grasp of the strengths and areas for improvement for the provision. The early years leader has been proactive in seeking out best practice within the trust and beyond which can be adopted to improve practices in this setting.
• Learning journeys recording children’s achievements are well used. Adults can immediately check that all areas of learning are being covered through the colour coding system used. Assessments clearly identify where children have made progress and are well used by adults to plan tasks which extend learning further. Consequently, learning journeys show that children currently in early years are making good progress from their starting points.
• Communication between adults is good because effective systems are in place to ensure this. Adults meet together regularly to plan provision and the focus for each child is recorded in the classroom so that all adults can refer to this during sessions.
• Parental involvement in learning is promoted well. Parents can take home ‘wow’ bubbles to complete and return, which are then included in learning journeys. An online communication system provides parents with regular class stories about what children have been doing. Parents send back their own stories of their child’s achievements at home.
• The proportion of pupils who achieved a good level of development in 2016 improved and was similar to that found nationally. Leaders recognise that children now make good progress but that some children are capable of making accelerated progress from their starting points so that they achieve beyond the expected standard by the end of the Reception Year.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140852 Norfolk 10031334 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 Academy sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 92 Appropriate authority Chair Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Academy trust Andy Gee Nicola Darley 01485 541274 www.snettisham-primary.co.uk head@snettisham.norfolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum standards expected for pupils at the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics.

• The school is a smaller school than is found on average nationally.
• The majority of pupils are of White British background.
• The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is slightly lower than is found on average nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are supported by an education, health and care plan, or statement of special educational needs, is above average.
• Pupils are taught in four mixed aged classes: Reception and Year 1, Years 2 and 3, Years 3, 4 and 5, and Years 5 and 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed lessons in all classes. Some joint observations were carried out with senior leaders.
• The inspector looked at pupils’ books, school assessment information, leaders’ evaluation of teaching and learning and a range of school documents.
• The inspector spoke with a small number of parents, took account of 62 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and met with some pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6.
• The inspector listened to a small number of pupils read.
• The inspectors spoke with three members of the governing body, one of whom is also a trustee, with another member of the academy trust and with subject leaders.
• Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of pupils were examined, including mandatory checks made during the recruitment of new staff.

Inspection team

Maria Curry, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector