Lillington Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that the impact of actions is measured in relation to outcomes for pupils
  • embedding and refining the systems that are in place in order to secure further improvement across the school.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes by:
  • ensuring that teachers plan activities which consistently challenge learners of all abilities to make rapid progress
  • taking further action to improve progress and attainment in reading throughout the school
  • embedding the strategies that are now in place to improve the quality of pupils’ writing.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders, including governors, have not ensured that the school has continued to provide a good quality of education since the last inspection. The quality of teaching and outcomes have not been good over time.
• As evidenced in the school improvement plan, leaders know where their strengths and weaknesses lie but, as they have not paid close enough regard to the impact of actions upon outcomes, their self-evaluation was too positive. Consequently, actions to improve the quality of teaching and raise standards have not led to rapid improvements.
• Although planned actions have not had a full impact on improving outcomes, leaders are ambitious for the school. They now have clear plans to make improvements, but these are not yet fully embedded. The quality of leadership is developing at all levels and some aspects of the school’s provision, for example the early years, are very well led.
• The management of teachers’ performance has been used effectively to secure some improvements in the quality of teaching. Staff are set targets linked to the teachers’ standards, the outcomes pupils achieve, their responsibilities in the school and their professional development. Staff value the training and support that they receive and this is now having an impact on teaching throughout the school.
• The school’s system for recording, monitoring and evaluating pupils’ progress is effective, but it is not used consistently. Some staff use it well to give a clear and accurate indication of the skills, knowledge and understanding pupils have achieved in each subject. However, leaders have not ensured that all staff use the system effectively to plan to challenge pupils of different abilities in their classes.
• Pupils study a wide range of subjects and they are given opportunities to attend a variety of extra-curricular activities and trips and visits. The curriculum promotes positive behaviour and safety, but it has not led to good outcomes over time.
• The school has a strong set of values. Equality of opportunity is promoted well and prejudiced behaviour, which is extremely rare, is challenged. Pupils are tolerant and respectful, they understand democracy and the rule of law, and they are willing to take individual responsibility.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Pupils learn about a number of different cultures in Britain and around the world, and they are taught about all the major religions. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and fundamental British values are promoted effectively.
• The primary school physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is used well to promote active lifestyles. Pupils participate in a range of sporting activities and they benefit from well-trained staff and external providers delivering lessons. For example, pupils are taught dance by a specialist teacher on a weekly basis and all pupils have at least a term’s subsidised swimming lessons. This has led to more pupils being able to swim various distances unaided and almost all becoming ‘water confident’.
• Pupil premium funding is being used more effectively than it was in the past. The progress of disadvantaged pupils is a key focus in the school and strategies are now in place to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, differences between the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and others in the school are beginning to diminish and, in some year groups, the progress of disadvantaged pupils is faster than that of their classmates. However, overall, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is still lower than that of other pupils in the school and other pupils nationally.
• Parents are supportive of the work of the school. Almost all would recommend it to another parent, and all parents who made their views known to inspectors said that they receive useful information from the school. Staff invite parents to assemblies and leaders communicate well with them through newsletters. However, the school’s website did not contain all the specified information before the inspection.

Governance of the school

• Well-attended and regular governors’ meetings cover the appropriate areas. Governors have the experience, skills, knowledge and understanding to support and challenge leaders and they do this through informed questions at meetings. Members of the governing body have attended relevant training and they have ensured that their statutory duties have been met.
• Governors are aware of the decline in standards that occurred after the last inspection and have questioned leaders about this. However, in the past, governors did not hold leaders to close enough account to ensure that outcomes improved rapidly. They also supported the view that the school continued to provide a good quality of education.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have had up-to-date training and they are clear about their roles and responsibilities. They know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil’s welfare and established procedures ensure that prompt and appropriate action takes place if required.
• Keeping children safe is a key part of the school’s culture. Pupils are taught how to stay safe and staff know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Outside agencies are used appropriately and clear and appropriate information about pupils is stored securely. Admission and attendance records are also well kept.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has not been consistently good since the last inspection. Consequently, it has not led to good progress over time.
• Where teaching is less effective, all pupils complete the same task regardless of their starting point and they do not move on to more challenging tasks quickly. The majority of pupils, including the most able, are not sufficiently challenged as planning does not take account of the different abilities of pupils.
• Expectations of pupils are not high enough in some lessons. Activities do not engage pupils in ways to develop their learning and they are given few opportunities to deepen their understanding or extend their thinking. Pupils are unclear of the next steps that they need to take to improve their work.
• The quality of feedback to pupils about their work is inconsistent. Staff follow the school’s procedures with different amounts of rigour. For example, some check that comments have been responded to and additional tasks have been completed, whereas others do not do this or give less helpful comments to help pupils improve their work.
• The quality of presentation is improving as a result of higher expectations and pupils using books with additional guidelines within them. Some staff insist that work is well presented, but others are less vigilant. Consequently, the quality of presentation is still variable.
• The school’s strategy for improving writing is having a positive impact. The quality of written work seen during the inspection is improving and pupils are now writing for more sustained periods of time. Pupils are responding positively to the writing targets that they are given and know how to achieve them.
• Pupils are now given more opportunities to read for pleasure and find things out from books and other sources of information. A range of books are available in classrooms, pupils are encouraged to read to each other, and at home, and reading assemblies take place. Many readers, including the most able, read for pleasure and weaker readers are able to use the sounds that letters represent to sound out words. However, these strategies have not yet had a significant impact on outcomes in reading.
• Where it is most effective, the teaching of mathematics challenges pupils to think deeply about the subject. Pupils are also given opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in other subjects.
• Pupils are taught a range of subjects including science, humanities, religious education, information and communication technology, French, design and technology, physical education and dance. They are also given regular opportunities to develop their skills in art and music.
• Pupils are interested and engaged in their learning and are willing to do more. Teachers and pupils enjoy positive relationships, but these are not always used to challenge the pupils to make more rapid progress.
• Adults in the classroom work well together. Teaching assistants are effectively deployed and staff take opportunities to promote equality of opportunity in their lessons.
• Teachers set homework tasks to deepen pupils’ understanding and give them opportunities to consolidate and extend their learning. Almost all parents who made their views known to inspectors believe that their child receives appropriate homework for their age, and pupils told inspectors that homework was useful.
• Though it is not always used well by all teachers, the school’s assessment system is effective and systems are in place to ensure that the assessment information is accurate. All parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire felt that they receive valuable information from the school about their child’s progress.

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 known as individuals and all parents who made their views known to inspectors believe that their child is happy in school. Pupils’ emotional well-being is supported effectively by staff.
• Healthy lifestyles are actively promoted, pupils are encouraged to eat healthily and regular exercise is promoted. For example, all key stage 2 pupils run or walk a mile every day.
• Pupils are keen to learn and their self-confidence and self-awareness are developed through opportunities to take responsibilities in the school. For example, each class has learning ambassadors, pupils show visitors around the school and older children take younger ones back to their areas after lunch.
• Bullying is rare and pupils believe that it occurs less often than it did in the past. A large majority of parents believe that the school deals effectively with bullying and pupils trust staff to help them to resolve any problems if they arise.
• This is an inclusive school. Pupils respect the views of others and they learn about other faiths and cultures. They have a better understanding of the different cultural backgrounds of people living in Britain today than pupils did at the time of the last inspection. This is the result of a range of activities, such as visits to places of worship.
• School leaders give safety in school a high priority. Restricting the amount of entry and exit points to the large school grounds has increased site security and arrangements for keeping pupils safe when they are on school grounds are thorough. Almost all parents and all staff and pupils who communicated with inspectors said that pupils were safe in school.
• Pupils are taught to stay safe through a range of age-appropriate activities. They have a secure understanding of road safety and fire safety and they know how to stay safe when using the internet. Robust systems are in place to help pupils stay safe when they use computers in school and they are also taught what to do if they encounter something inappropriate outside of school.
• School leaders are actively promoting respect, resilience and reflection. However, leaders acknowledge that these learning behaviours are not embedded, so the full impact of nurturing resilience and reflection on pupils’ personal development and progress cannot yet be seen.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They are considerate and respectful, and enjoy positive relationships with adults and other children. Pupils value the rewards and sanctions system, which they believe is used fairly in the school.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and low-level disruption to learning is very rare. Pupils usually listen very carefully to staff and their classmates, and respond quickly if they have to be reminded to concentrate fully on their studies.
• Pupils conduct themselves well in class and around the school. They are punctual and ready to learn and play considerately with each other during social times. Almost all parents who made their views known to parents believe that the school makes sure that its pupils behave well.
• There have been marked improvements in the behaviour of individuals with particular behaviour needs and the use of sanctions is declining. Permanent exclusions are extremely rare and there have been very few fixed-term exclusions recently.
• Attendance has improved since the last inspection and all groups of pupils have similar attendance rates. Staff work well with pupils, families and outside agencies to improve the attendance of individuals. Consequently, pupils with higher absence rates, including pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, have improved their attendance. Nonetheless, a few pupils still do not attend regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ outcomes have not been good since the last inspection. Published results at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 declined markedly in 2014. Although there were improvements in 2015 and 2016, inconsistencies remain across the curriculum.
• Pupils at the end of key stage 2 made slow progress in reading in 2014 and 2015. Pupils in last year’s Year 6 also made slower progress in reading than in writing and mathematics. However, current pupils are making faster progress than has taken place in the past.
• Since 2014, pupils at the end of key stage 1 have not achieved as well in writing as they have in reading and mathematics. Leaders have now taken effective action to address this and current pupils are beginning to make accelerated progress in writing across the school.
• In 2016, most pupils in Year 6 reached the expected standard in writing but school staff were unable to demonstrate that any pupils were working at greater depth in writing. Evidence seen during the inspection indicates that leaders are beginning to take effective action to address this.
• Outcomes in mathematics at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 have been broadly in line with national averages since the last inspection. A large majority of pupils in last year’s Year 6 reached the expected standard in mathematics and pupils in key stage 1 largely achieved as expected.
• Since the last inspection, the attainment of the most able pupils has been similar to that of the most able nationally. In 2016, all of the pupils with high prior attainment reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Two-thirds achieved a high standard in reading and one third of high prior attaining pupils achieved a high score in mathematics. However, none of the most able pupils were working at a greater depth in writing.
• Pupils with medium prior attainment did not made the rapid progress of which they are capable in 2016. Consequently, no medium prior attaining pupils achieved a high score in any subject last year. School leaders have identified the progress of middle ability pupils as an area for development.
• Over time, pupils from ethnic minority groups, those who speak English as a second language and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, have made similar progress from their starting points to other pupils in the school. This means that their progress has been inconsistent but it is improving.
• In 2015 the attainment of disadvantaged pupils was lower than that of others throughout the school, but all disadvantaged pupils in last year’s Year 6 made the progress expected of them in writing. Differences between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others in the school diminished slightly in 2016 and current pupils are benefiting from targeted action to improve their achievement. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are making faster progress than others in a range of subjects in Years 1 and 2, in mathematics in Year 5 and in reading in Year 6.
• Pupils have settled well into the specialist resource provision to support those with communication and interaction needs. However, it is too early to compare their achievement with that of others in the school.
• Outcomes in phonics were broadly in line with national averages in 2014 and 2015. However, they declined in 2016. Leaders are currently taking action to address this.
• Children in the early years settings make good progress from their starting points. Consequently, the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development was above the national figure in 2014 and 2015.
• Children in Reception are well prepared for Year 1 and pupils at the end of key stages 1 and 2 are socially and emotionally prepared for the next stage of their education. However, too many pupils have left Year 2 without the writing skills that they need to thrive in key stage 2 and not enough pupils have left Year 6 with the reading skills that they need to excel in secondary education.

Early years provision Good

• The school has good-quality provision throughout the early years settings.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the whole provision. This has allowed staff to take action to maintain good-quality teaching and to make further improvements. Leaders are aware that in order to improve the provision further they need to ensure that phonic knowledge is taught as part of a broad reading curriculum. They also know that they need to continue to develop strategies to improve children’s communication and language skills.
• Good communication with parents and effective transition arrangements between the different provisions ensure that staff have accurate information about the children when they start. This means that staff are able to plan learning which matches children’s needs and allows them to make progress quickly. Children settle in well to the provision for two-year-olds, the Nursery and Reception classes.
• Over time, most children have entered the school with skills below those typical for their age. They have been well taught and they have made good progress. Consequently, they are well prepared for accessing the Year 1 curriculum.
• Assessment is accurate and takes place regularly. As a result, staff know what children can do and what they need to do to develop further. A larger proportion consistently reach a good level of development than is found nationally and the achievement gap between boys and girls closed in 2016.
• The high-quality provision for two-year-olds is distinct and different. Staff are knowledgeable and skilled, so children make an excellent start to their schooling in a safe and stimulating environment. Activities are well organised to promote skills, knowledge and understanding across all areas of learning. Children’s language and communication skills are developed effectively, they are encouraged to share and their social skills are promoted. The provision is well led.
• As a result of well-planned activities, children are excited to participate and make good progress in the Nursery setting. Children are encouraged to talk and listen in an environment which nurtures their social and emotional development. They respond positively to high expectations and clear routines in the Nursery.
• Individuals and groups of children also make good progress in Reception. For example, targeted intervention allows children with low starting points to begin to catch up and children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Nonetheless, disadvantaged pupils still need to make more rapid progress to match the attainment of their classmates.
• Teaching is strong and the broad curriculum provides a range of interesting experiences that help children make progress. Staff know their children well and children find adult-directed and child-led learning stimulating and engaging. Children are given opportunities to think creatively through well-planned activities.
• Children behave well across the early years provision; they listen carefully and take turns. They are respectful of staff, property and other children and they cooperate well with each other. Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good across the early years provision.
• Parents are extremely positive about communication with the school. They feel involved in their child’s learning and have been provided with useful guidance on how to support development at home.
• Safeguarding in the early years setting is effective and statutory requirements are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 130869 Warwickshire 10020459 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 Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 2–11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 329 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Paul Gurton Derek Fance (executive headteacher) Telephone number 01926 425 114 Website Email address www.lillingtonschool.org admin@lillingtonschool.org Date of previous inspection 10–11 October 2012

Information about this school

• The school now meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language are above average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have a statement or an education, health and care plan, is below average.
• The headteacher became executive headteacher of the school and another local school, Kingsway Community Primary School, in September 2016. The deputy headteacher of Lillington Primary School became the head of school at the same time.
• The school is growing in size as a result of increasing numbers in the local area. It admits two-year-olds and opened a resource provision for pupils with communication and interaction needs in September 2016.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 15 parts of lessons. In addition, the lead inspector made short visits to most classrooms on the first day of the inspection with the executive headteacher and head of school. The lead inspector also visited the breakfast club.
• Members of the inspection team met with pupils and heard pupils read. They looked at examples of pupils’ work in their books and spoke to pupils formally and informally.
• Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the assistant headteacher and other leaders and members of staff.
• The lead inspector met with two governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke by telephone to a representative of the local authority.
• The opinions of parents were considered through 26 responses on Parent View. Inspectors also spoke to parents on the morning of the second day of the inspection.
• Various school documents were scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, information about managing teachers’ performance and staff training records. Minutes of meetings of the governing body and information about pupils’ progress, behaviour, attendance and safety were also analysed.

Inspection team

Simon Mosley, lead inspector Julie McCarthy Gill Weston Clair Harrington-Wilcox Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector