Lingdale Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to strengthen the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in key stage 2, so that pupils make good progress by:
  • ensuring that pupils’ assessment information is used consistently to plan activities that meet the needs of pupils and challenge them to achieve their best
  • ensuring that teachers provide accurate feedback to pupils, in line with the school’s policy, to help pupils to improve their learning
  • making sure teachers adapt activities or their approach promptly when pupils need this
  • ensuring that the school’s approach to how lessons are planned is implemented consistently well in all classes, so it is entirely clear what pupils will learn and how they will know that they have been successful.
• Continue to strengthen leadership, including governance, by:
  • ensuring that governors hold school leaders stringently to account for pupils’ outcomes
  • ensuring greater clarity for the management of the early intervention support base accommodated in school
  • securing the leadership of special educational needs so it is not reliant upon external support.
• Increase the proportion of pupils reaching and exceeding age-related expectations by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, particularly the most able and disadvantaged most able pupils, by ensuring that:
  • all teachers have high expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve and set work that challenges pupils to think hard about their learning
  • there are increasing opportunities for pupils to practise their subject-specific skills and deepen their understanding in a range of subjects. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. 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 over time have not ensured that pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching in key stage 2 remained good. Teachers across key stage 2 did not get to grips with the demands of the new curriculum quickly enough. Consequently, they did not ensure that pupils were equipped with the skills required to be successful with the raised expectations of the statutory tests at the end of the key stage. As a result, pupils’ outcomes have declined over the period since the last inspection.
• Leaders did not establish a rigorous system for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress and ensuring that teachers’ assessments in key stage 2 were accurate. This has left a long tail of underachievement, which current leaders are now tackling with urgency.
• Leaders and governors have not ensured that additional special educational needs funding has secured consistently good outcomes for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is particularly the case for pupils in key stage 2, where there was too little involvement of specialist support and advice to ensure that the personalised support for individual pupils moved them on in their learning swiftly enough. Outcomes are better for pupils in key stage 1 and early years, where teaching is securely good. External support is now firmly in place and current pupils are making increasingly better progress.
• Pupil premium funding has been used to good effect in the early years and key stage 1, to raise the achievement and enrich the learning experiences of disadvantaged pupils. It has been less effective in key stage 2, where pupils’ achievement has been more variable.
• Since September 2017, there have been significant and rapid changes to the school’s leadership. The local authority facilitated the appointment of an executive headteacher, from a local high-performing school from within the Teesside Learning Trust. This has been pivotal to the changing and improving fortunes of the school. The executive headteacher’s detailed analysis and honest evaluation of the school’s performance has ensured that all leaders are fully aware of the priorities for improvement and are tackling them with great urgency. She provides strong direction and guidance to all staff and has instilled a ‘no excuses’ culture in a very short space of time.
• Her high expectations permeate all aspects of school life. There is great vibrancy and energy within the school, which is tangible. She has halted the declining standards at key stage 2 and the speed with which she has orchestrated the rapid improvements to the quality of teaching are remarkable.
• Along with governors, they have appointed an assistant headteacher, who shares the same high expectations, determination and energy to be a force for good. Together, they make a formidable senior leadership team, who have a very clear vision for the future of the school and have provided the impetus to the wider school team to be successful.
• Subject leadership within the school has been reorganised and recently appointed staff have received intensive high-quality professional development and coaching. This has paid dividends. Subject leaders now demonstrate the skills, knowledge and expertise required to accelerate pupils’ learning and ensure that teachers are able to deliver high-quality learning experiences that meet the needs of pupils well. They have secured accurate assessment in their subjects and provide exacting advice and support to colleagues to enable pupils to move on faster in their learning.
• Although the same level of professional development has been given to the leadership of special educational needs, it remains heavily reliant on external support from the local authority advisory teacher.
• Systems to check the work of teachers are firmly established and include the wider leadership team. Their energies are focused upon securing rapid improvement in pupils’ achievement, particularly in key stage 2. All staff receive direct and precise feedback on the impact of their practice and any weakness is followed up in a timely manner. This is securing rapid improvements in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils currently in the school.
• Systems to manage the performance of staff are in place. Historically, they have not been used effectively to hold teachers to account for pupils’ achievement. Aspirational targets are in place for the forthcoming year, which are linked precisely to school improvement priorities and to specific gains in pupils’ achievement. It is too early to determine the impact of this, but leaders are already addressing any teaching that falls short of their expectations, through detailed support and coaching.
• The curriculum is now broad and balanced and is organised so that links between subjects are made whenever it is appropriate to do so. This provides pupils with a relevant and meaningful context for their learning. Leaders, rightly, focused upon securing strong teaching in English and mathematics and recognise that more work needs to be done to develop pupils’ broader subject-specific skills securely and consistently.
• Leaders have ensured that additional funding to promote physical education (PE) and sport is used to good effect. Detailed curriculum planning focuses upon developing pupils’ physical development, tactical awareness and social skills. Accurate assessment ensures that pupils in both key stages 1 and 2 are making good progress. Wider access to competition and after-school clubs has ensured that pupils have good attitudes to PE and achieve well.
• Leaders ensure that the fundamental British values of respect and tolerance are embodied within the school’s ethos. They extend the same high expectations for pupils to be respectful and responsible citizens in school to the wider community

Governance of the school

• Over time, governors have not held school leaders to account stringently enough to ensure that leaders have brought about improvements since the last inspection.
• In the past, governors have been too trusting of previous leaders and accepted reasons for the decline in pupils’ achievement. More recently, governing body minutes show increasing levels of challenge and questioning in relation to pupils’ outcomes. Improvements were not timely enough to have a more positive impact on pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 in summer 2017.
• The establishment of the ‘early inclusion support base’ at the school was completed without rigorous checks and balances being undertaken. As a result, governors are unclear of the terms of reference surrounding the base and the implications for governors’ responsibilities in relation to it.
• Despite lacking in numbers, governors now have a sound overall knowledge of the main messages coming through from pupils’ achievement. They have been energised under the guidance of the new executive headteacher. They welcome the honest and open reporting they now receive. They are excited by the future and are providing clear direction to the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have ensured that all staff are appropriately trained and are fully aware of their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Posters around the school alert all staff to signs that could potentially indicate a concern. Procedures for reporting concerns are firmly established.
• Leaders involve other agencies to ensure that pupils learn in a happy and safe place. A raft of assemblies has already been organised for pupils to help them understand how to keep safe at school, home and in the local community. Visitors from the community police, fire service and National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children enhance the school’s work. Pupils say they feel safe in school and feel there is a trusted adult in whom they can confide should they have a concern. Parents who spoke with the inspector endorse this view.
• Staff working in the early inclusion support base ensure that their systems for safeguarding children are aligned those of the main school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Too much variability exists within teaching and learning in key stage 2. Leaders have galvanised some improvement in the quality of teaching through precise coaching and effective monitoring. However, some variability still remains.
• Teachers in key stage 2 do not always spot when pupils are capable of moving on more quickly in their learning and ready to tackle activities that are more demanding. Some of the activities they plan do not allow pupils to build on their skills progressively.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that the most able and disadvantaged most-able pupils are sometimes working well within their capabilities when they could have been grappling with more challenging problems to deepen their thinking and reasoning. This is the case in both key stages.
• Teaching within key stage 1 is securely good. Teachers use assessment effectively to plan activities for pupils that are appropriately differentiated to meet the varying developmental needs of younger pupils, This is especially the case for those pupils in Year 1 who still require access to the early years curriculum. As a result, pupils make strong progress from their starting points. Pupils’ assessment information is not used consistently well in key stage 2
• The teaching of phonics is highly effective. It is organised so that pupils receive teaching that is appropriate for their stage of development. This has resulted in year-on-year improvement in the overall outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check. In 2017, the provisional outcomes indicate that they are above the national average. Teachers reinforce pupils’ phonics skills well and encourage them to apply their existing knowledge of sounds to spell unfamiliar words in other subjects.
• The teaching of reading beyond phonics is strengthening rapidly. A detailed analysis of pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 tests in 2017 showed that pupils’ skills of inference and deduction were weak. High-quality training and detailed guidance from subject leaders has ensured that these higher-order reading skills are prioritised. Observations of learning in Years 3 and 4 found pupils being encouraged to find evidence from the text that supported the statement that the character was going on holiday. Pupils were also encouraged to be ‘text detectives’ and search for the evidence. Pupils were highly engaged as their skills were carefully and skilfully developed. It remains too early to gauge fully the impact on pupils’ achievement. However, early signs indicate that pupils are displaying confidence and resilience to answer more demanding questions on increasingly difficult texts.
• Leaders’ work to improve how teachers plan units of work and individual lessons has been a clear factor in improving the teaching of writing in a short space of time. Work in pupils’ books demonstrates the progression of skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar that pupils then apply into their independent writing effectively. Pupils edit and redraft using teachers’ precise feedback. There is already a marked improvement in the standard of writing this academic year compared with that of the last academic year. Leaders know that they need time to fully embed this approach in key stage 2.
• The teaching of mathematics across the school is strengthening. Teachers now receive very clear guidance on what mathematical concepts to teach and how. In the past, teachers were overly reliant upon resources from published schemes and did not adapt them to meet the needs and abilities of pupils effectively. Leaders are rightly prioritising tackling the long tail of underachievement for pupils currently in key stage 2 and are prioritising securing pupils’ basic arithmetic skills. Although only a few weeks into the term, there is already strong evidence in pupils’ books that they are working hard and making good progress.
• Teaching assistants have benefited from appropriate training and have developed their skills in using questions to support and guide learning. Occasionally they do not spot when they need to intervene to move pupils on in their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and that there are no unsafe places in school. They believe strongly that there is a trusted adult in who they can confide should they have a concern.
• Pupils have good understanding of the various forms of bullying and older pupils are well informed about the dangers of using social media and keeping themselves safe on the internet. Leaders take a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and extend this to actions beyond the school. As a result, pupils say there is no bullying in school.
• Regular visits from the community police and fire service enable young children to have a sound understanding of people who help us. A programme of assemblies from various charitable organisations is ensuring that older pupils know where they can get help should they need it.
• Leaders take every opportunity to develop pupils’ growing awareness of those from other cultures and those with different religions and beliefs. Pupils told the inspector: ‘we don’t look at differences, because we’re all the same inside’.
• Leaders place a great emphasis on developing and supporting pupils’ emotional well-being as effectively as their academic needs. Teachers in the early years are adept at identifying any additional needs early and ensure that nurture group support is actioned swiftly to develop pupils’ social skills effectively.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school’s ethos encourages pupils to be ready, be safe and be kind. Pupils are encouraged to be tolerant of others and be empathetic and understanding of those in greater need. Much emphasis is placed upon developing citizenship and ensuring that pupils are well prepared to take their place within the local and wider community. Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Playtimes are harmonious occasions. Pupils are sociable and mix happily together.
• Older pupils embrace the opportunities they are given to be strong role models to the younger pupils. For example, the older pupils are given the opportunity to be lunch monitors to the younger children in the early years. They eat lunch together and take them onto the playground. Over the course of the year, relationships build and this contributes to the strong ‘family’ ethos that exists in the school.
• The executive headteacher sets high expectations for pupils’ excellent behaviour in class, around school and in the wider community. She takes a dim view of any misdemeanours and instils in pupils the desire to be the best they can be. One pupil told the inspector ‘Since the new headteacher has come she’s raised the expectations of how we can be and we want to meet them’.
• There is a very real sense of working together in the school and it is embodied in the school’s new behaviour management system. A whole day was devoted to developing the expectations for behaviour in and around school. All staff and pupils were fully involved in creating Lingdale’s behaviour policy, setting out agreed rules, sanctions and rewards that focus strongly upon nurturing pupils to be good citizens. This has empowered pupils, who say they are ‘working together to be the best we can be!’
• A dedicated behaviour officer monitors weekly any sanctions that may have been issued. This information is then analysed carefully to look for trends and to consider any wider implications around pupils’ well-being. From a review of the school’s behaviour records, there are very few incidents that occur and these are generally low-level.
• Attendance fell slightly in 2017 and was below the national average. At the same time, there was a rise in the proportion of pupils taking longer periods of absence. The appointment of an attendance officer, commissioned from the trust, is already having a positive impact upon pupils’ attendance. Figures for the beginning of term compared with the same period last year are showing a full percentage point increase.
• Absence of any kind is followed up immediately and poor attendance is tackled rigorously. All medical absences require doctor’s notes. A number of incentives, such as ‘beat the bell’ and several rewards for 100% attendance, are supporting improving punctuality. Weekly newsletters from the executive headteacher impress the importance of full attendance upon parents. Leaders recognise that there is still more to do to get pupils’ attendance to above average.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Although cohort sizes are relatively small, standards at the end of key stage 2 have declined since the last inspection. In summer 2017, the provisional outcomes in the Year 6 tests showed a slight improvement on 2016, when they were below the ‘floor standards’ required by government. However, they remained below the national average in reading and mathematics. Outcomes in writing were slightly stronger, but no pupils achieved the higher standard in writing or in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils’ progress through key stage 2 has been variable over time. In 2017, it was average in reading and writing and fell into the bottom 10% of schools nationally in mathematics.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is equally variable in key stage 2. It is strong in the early years and in key stage 1 where the quality of teaching and learning is good. Historically, advice and support from external agencies has not been sought consistently to inform learning support plans. That is no longer the case and a raft of interventions and support are now in place. It is too early to determine the impact of this, but support observed during the inspection was timely and effective.
• Although cohort sizes are small, there are very few pupils, particularly the most able and disadvantaged most able, who reach the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics. This is the case in both key stages. Leaders acknowledge that this is a priority for improvement. Leaders’ actions are tackling the legacy of underachievement that remains in key stage 2 effectively. Work seen in pupils’ books for pupils currently in the school compared with those from the last academic year is already showing significant improvement in reading, writing and mathematics in a short space of time. This bodes well for the future.
• Leaders have, rightly, focused on improving pupils’ outcomes in English and mathematics rapidly; this is at the expense of some other subjects. Consequently, pupils’ progress in subjects across the wider curriculum is too variable.
• Pupils’ outcomes in key stage 1 are securely good and they have been sustained over time. Standards are broadly in line with the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, and in 2017 the provisional outcomes show further improvement. Despite this, no pupils reached the higher standard in writing and mathematics in 2017.
• Standards in the phonics screening check in Year 1 have improved steadily over time. Intensive support is provided for those pupils who fall short of reaching the required standard, and by the time they are rescreened in Year 2, most pupils have caught up. There is now an ongoing programme of phonics support for pupils in key stage 2. Pupils in all key stages are encouraged to use their developing phonics skills to support their reading and writing in subjects across the curriculum. This is a strong feature of practice and is supporting pupils’ improving outcomes.
• Pupils’ outcomes in PE are good. Pupils achieve well, because of carefully targeted support and well-considered provision.
• A higher than average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged in the school. Their progress is similar to that of their peers. Any gaps that may exist between their outcomes and those of their peers is usually attributable to their additional and complex needs. Historically, additional funding has been used to pay for adult support, with varying degrees of success, rather than diminishing pupils’ wider barriers to effective learning. Leaders recognise that a detailed review of this element of the school’s spending would focus their efforts into raising pupils’ achievement and securing consistently good progress.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader is a highly skilled practitioner who has excellent pedagogical knowledge of the developmental needs of very young children. She has created a vibrant, well-designed early years unit where the very youngest and oldest children can explore and investigate together. Her uncompromising determination to immerse children in high-quality provision ensures that all children get off to the best possible start and achieve well.
• Outcomes are securely good. The majority of children enter school with skills which are below those expected for their age and stage of development. There has been year-on-year improvement in the proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of Reception. In 2016, it was above the national average. Small cohorts of children make comparisons with other year groups meaningless. In 2017, although the overall outcomes dipped, this is reflective of the higher proportion of children who had special educational needs and/or disabilities within the cohort. These children made good progress from their entry into Reception.
• Teachers and other adults provide exciting and stimulating activities that are highly engaging. For example, children in Reception were investigating a crime scene with the help of the local community police officer. Every task ignited children’s curiosity completely and immersed them in their learning successfully. Children excitedly shared their findings and gave convincing evidence in naming their suspects. Such is the quality of teaching in the Reception class that children are already making rapid gains in their learning.
• Outdoor provision is thoughtfully designed to encourage children to explore and investigate the world around them. Children were observed investigating how to slow the water coming down a series of chutes, as it was flowing too quickly. They were completely absorbed in their learning and inquisitively tried different methods and materials to help them. Adults skilfully supported their learning, enabling children to find their own solutions.
• Children’s learning journals are of high quality and provide a treasured memory of the high-quality experiences accessible to children. Teachers’ assessments accurately record children’s abilities and capture their views. Leaders acknowledge that greater contribution from parents would strengthen them further.
• Strong and trusting relationships ensure that children behave well. Adults provide strong role models for sharing and encourage careful negotiation. Adults are skilled at identifying any additional needs to ensure that no child is left behind in their learning.
• The provision for two-year-olds offers a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment where children can play, explore and learn together. Such is the quality of the provision that it is successfully diminishing the differences between disadvantaged children and others. All children who attended this provision successfully achieved a good level of development when they left Reception in summer 2017.
• Teaching is more variable in Nursery. Adults’ interactions are overly focused on ensuring that children are happy and playing safely. While this is important, it means that valuable time is lost in developing children’s wider skills and nurturing their growing curiosity about the world around them.

School details

Unique reference number 111531 Local authority Redcar and Cleveland Inspection number 10032088 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 Maintained Age range of pupils 2 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 96 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Whitehead Executive Headteacher Sara McCallum Telephone number 01287 651723 Website www.redcar-Email address office@lingdale.rac.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 November 2012 cleveland.gov.uk/LingdalePrimary

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above average.
• All pupils are of White British heritage.
• The early years consists of a Reception class, part-time Nursery class and two-year-old provision.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average. The proportion supported by an education, health and care plan is very low.
• The school is part of the East Cleveland Cooperative Trust and hosts on its behalf an early intervention support base for pupils at risk of exclusion.
• The executive headteacher is very recently appointed. Her agreed secondment from the Teesside Learning Trust began on 1 September 2017, following five awareness days in the summer term 2017. Governors have begun the process of becoming an academy and intend to formally join Teesside Learning Trust.
• In 2016, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, the minimum expected for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of key stage 2. Provisional information indicates that this likely to be repeated in 2017.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in each class. All of the observations were carried out jointly with the executive headteacher.
• A wide range of pupils’ books from both the last and this academic year, school assessment information, leaders’ evaluation of teaching and learning and a range of school documents were examined during the inspection.
• Meetings were held with the local authority’s school improvement partner, two members of the governing body (including the chair of the governing body) and subject leaders.
• The inspector held meetings with members of staff from the early intervention support base and held telephone discussions with several members of the local authority, the Director of Freebrough Academy Trust and a headteacher from the East Cleveland Cooperative Trust.
• The inspector spoke to pupils informally in class and during playtime and lunchtime. A number of pupils were heard reading from key stage 1 and key stage 2.
• The inspector scrutinised the school’s website, minutes of governing body meetings and safeguarding documents.
• There were no responses from the Ofsted online questionnaire for parents, Parent View, but several parents spoke to the inspector at the start of the school day.

Inspection team

Diane Buckle, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector