Stallingborough CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to raise pupils’ outcomes in mathematics, particularly in key stage 2, ensuring that leaders’ clear strategies for improvement are delivered consistently, so that more pupils reach expected and higher standards.
• Ensure that the most able pupils are engaged in work that is well matched to their abilities and needs across the curriculum, so that they make strong progress and a greater proportion reach higher standards.
• Make sure that children who enter early years with skills that are better than typical for their age are fully supported in making strong progress in all areas of the early years curriculum.
• Raise expectations of pupils’ presentation, particularly in subjects other than English and mathematics, so that they consistently produce work to be proud of.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• There have been significant changes in leadership and staffing since the last inspection. A delay in implementing the new national curriculum led to some underperformance at the end of key stage 2, particularly in mathematics. However, the current leadership team has had a good understanding of what has been needed to improve pupils’ outcomes overall and in mathematics. Well-researched and implemented strategies have led to positive gains in pupils’ progress.
• The headteacher and deputy headteacher lead the school with warmth and communicate clearly. As a result, there is a sense of unity in the school community and confidence in leaders’ direction. Staff morale is high.
• Well-evidenced, evaluative information gathering has given leaders an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders analyse the information in the school assessment system effectively, and check this with carefully planned monitoring of teaching and learning to inform their actions for improvement.
• Careful consideration has been given to the design of the curriculum, to ensure that all pupils have learning and experiences that are relevant to their ages. Although only a year into this new curriculum, confident subject leaders with good subject knowledge have a well-informed view of their subjects, through their regular checks on learning and discussions with pupils. This results in leaders giving clear direction for further improvement to staff. Leaders are aware that they need to give greater attention to ensuring that the most able pupils are sufficiently challenged in each subject.
• School leaders are very positive about the support and challenge they receive from the diocese, not only in terms of Christian distinctiveness, but also in terms of improving standards and the curriculum. This partnership includes opportunities for pupils to have access to visitors and experiences that further support the curriculum.
• Although the local authority now has only a small team of education personnel, they have ensured that the school has a good network of support with other schools. They have commissioned a range of consultants to validate the school’s evaluations and provide further support, such as effective mathematics training for leaders and staff.
• The relatively small proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged are well supported in making good progress in their learning. This is because leaders and staff have a good understanding of their needs and any barriers they may have to their learning. The additional funding for pupil premium pupils is used effectively to support pupils’ learning in class as well as a range of pastoral group activities.
• The special educational needs (SEN) coordinator knows the pupils who are on the SEN and/or disabilities register well. She has ensured that successful systems are in place to check the progress that pupils are making. She works with staff to check pupils have work that is well matched to their needs. Good partnerships have been created with a wide number of other professionals and agencies, providing access to further training and support for staff and, subsequently, strong provision for pupils.
• The sports leader has ensured that the increased primary school physical education and sports funding is used effectively to improve pupils’ skills. For example, an increase in swimming lessons last year meant that every Year 6 child could swim at least 25 metres by the time they left school.
• Leaders take frequent opportunities to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are given dedicated time and space to reflect on their learning and their beliefs. The school’s teaching in moral standards is apparent when speaking to the pupils and when observing their actions towards one another. Pupils are clear about the school’s expectations of behaviour. They talk confidently about how good behaviour and work are celebrated and rewarded, as well as what the consequences are of choosing not to do the right thing.

Governance of the school

• Governors, many of whom were not in post at the previous inspection, know their school well. They are given detailed information from the headteacher, make visits to the school and use external and internal data to shape their questions and challenge to school leaders. Their wide-ranging skills enable them to ask probing questions about the quality of education within the school and about safeguarding and health and safety arrangements. They ask for detailed information about pupils’ attendance, checking that good attendance is promoted and absences followed up swiftly. They know where strengths and weaknesses in teaching and pupils’ outcomes lie and work with leaders to make sure that effective strategies are put in place to secure improvement.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that policies and documentation are regularly updated to reflect current legislation and best practice. They provide timely training, reminders and updates to ensure that all staff know how to spot a concern and how to respond to it appropriately. As a result, issues are reported and responded to efficiently.
• The school works effectively with a wide number of different agencies to ensure that pupils are well supported. Records are fit for purpose and checked effectively.
• Pupils are taught how to keep safe through lessons, assemblies and practical activities. Pupils know that they have a responsibility in keeping each other safe. All pupils spoken to during the inspection had a good understanding of online safety. They knew what potential risks might be associated with the use of mobile telephones and computers. They were confident in when and how to report concerns.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Recent, significant training and development in the raised expectations of the national curriculum, particularly in mathematics, have improved the quality of teaching and learning, after some decline following the previous inspection. Strong and respectful relationships between pupils and staff provide a firm foundation for lessons. These positive relationships, along with an improved curriculum, mean pupils are eager to learn and enjoy lessons.
• Carefully researched and implemented staff training in mathematics has resulted in stronger teaching and improving pupil outcomes. Improvements in the delivery of strategies, the use of practical resources and close attention to developing pupils’ reasoning skills are clearly evidenced in pupils’ learning in the classroom and in their recorded work. Work is planned to address carefully relevant age-related objectives. Pupils of lower ability and those who have SEN and/or disabilities are well supported in catching up and keeping up. Pupils of all abilities are developing confidence in talking about their learning and in reasoning. However, the most able pupils do not consistently have work that sufficiently challenges them in deepening their learning and maintaining higher standards.
• Lively delivery of a systematic synthetic phonics programme and frequent checks on learning have resulted in pupils getting off to a great start with early reading. Leaders know that this, and the strong support parents and carers give their children with learning to read, help to unlock the door to reading for pupils. Leaders know that pupils need direction in understanding new vocabulary and comprehending the different texts they read, to deepen their reading skills. Their work in this area is effective. The high-quality class texts that are linked to pupils’ curriculum work hook pupils in and enrich their work in other subject areas. Pupils particularly welcome listening to their teachers read aloud. This results in pupils reading with intonation similar to that modelled effectively by the adults.
• Right from the beginning of their time in school, pupils are encouraged to use the skills they are developing in sounds and reading and apply them to writing. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their writing skills. Teachers and teaching assistants give clear explanations to pupils about how they can improve their work, adhering closely to the school policy. This pays off when pupils respond and apply these improvements to their next pieces of work. Strong examples of this can be seen in pupils’ work already completed this term. Pupils can demonstrate confidently how they draft, edit and improve their work. However, leaders have identified that, although there are high expectations in the content of pupils’ work, the same cannot be said for their presentation. Mistakes with letter formation and pupils’ lack of care with recorded work are not consistently followed up. Less care is taken by pupils in their topic work across the curriculum.
• Leaders’ newly implemented methods of encouraging homework that addresses a wide curriculum have been received positively by pupils and their parents. Completion of activities and the quality of work have, leaders say, improved.
• The staff team is highly responsive to the different needs and abilities of each child. They provide calm and stable support when pupils find learning or situations challenging. They ensure that they understand the needs and abilities of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged well. As a result, pupils feel secure and are successful 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 outstanding.
• All leaders and staff make sure, through a variety of strategies of support and nurture, that pupils are exceptionally well cared for and their needs very well met. Many pupils say that one of the best things about their school is the way the staff treat them. One pupil said, ‘They treat us like their own children.’ Another said: ‘Staff here always listen to both sides of the story. They also help you to understand how another person might feel and why they might have acted as they did. This really helps us’.
• Pupils say that they enjoy being able to talk to and play alongside pupils of other ages. This is apparent at playtimes and as children move around the school.
• Strong partnerships with parents and effective lines of communication ensure that, when concerns, or celebrations, occur, they can be quickly addressed. All parents spoken to during the inspection were very happy with the quality of care and education provided by the school for their children. They feel well informed about their children’s progress and events happening in school.
• Treating each other kindly is high on everyone’s agenda. ‘Spreading the happiness’ is a part of everyday life at Stallingborough. This initiative started between staff as a way of supporting and valuing each other and has now ‘spread’ to classes and individuals saying kind and thoughtful things to each other.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe from bullying, including bullying online. They say that any form of bullying is extremely rare in their school.
• Healthy lifestyles are strongly encouraged. All pupils are invited to take part each morning in the ‘Wake up and Shake up’ activity on the playground or in the hall. Many choose to take part. Physical education opportunities are plentiful for all ages, and the science curriculum teaches pupils how to make healthy eating choices.
• Pupils play an active role within their community and in charity events. For example, they have made Christmas cards and put together gifts for people locally who may spend Christmas alone. They have helped to raise money for a defibrillator for the local village.
• Opportunities for leadership responsibilities are taken enthusiastically by the pupils. During the inspection, the inspector saw two Year 5 pupils ably lead a class act of worship, a responsibility that pupils in each class rise to each week. Year 6 pupils speak eagerly about the opportunity to apply for roles such as office assistants and technical operators.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils respond positively to the warm and caring environment that the adults in school have created. Pupils are polite and treat each other kindly. Attitudes to learning in class are mostly very positive and productivity is high in lessons. Pupils’ conduct around school is excellent. They are proud to be part of the school. However, they do not always show the same pride in the presentation of their work.
• Where pupils have more challenging behavioural needs, staff work effectively together, responding calmly and supportively. The adults ensure that the learning of other pupils is not compromised and use effective strategies to ensure that pupils are settled and quickly back on task.
• Pupils’ attendance is similar to the national average. A small proportion of pupils are persistently absent from school, but leaders work effectively with their families and other agencies to secure improvement.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The proportion of pupils who achieve the phonics standard at the end of Year 1 is consistently higher than the national average. The very small number of pupils who do not reach the standard at the end of Year 1 do so by the end of Year 2.
• Pupils make good progress through key stage 1. Their attainment at the end of key stage 1 is stronger than the national picture, consistently in reading and writing, and, due to improved teaching and learning in mathematics, also in mathematics in 2018.
• The proportion of key stage 1 pupils reaching greater depth in their learning in reading, writing and mathematics is similar to the national averages.
• Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 and their progress across key stage 2 show variation. In reading, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard has risen over the last three years. Provisional 2018 results show continued improvement and are above national figures. In writing, the proportions of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards are similar to the national average. Leaders know that they need to support a greater proportion of pupils in reaching higher standards from their strong starting points on entry to school and from the end of key stage 1.
• Outcomes in mathematics at key stage 2 have been weaker than national averages since the last inspection. However, school assessment information and current pupils’ work show that the proportion of pupils working at and above age-related expectations is rising.
• The low proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and the low proportion of disadvantaged pupils make good progress across subjects.
• Leaders say, and school information demonstrates, that pupils’ outcomes in subjects other than English and mathematics have improved since the introduction of the re-designed curriculum in September 2017.

Early years provision Good

• A nurturing supportive environment, with enticing activities planned for and well delivered by the early years team, ensures that children get off to a positive start in Reception.
• At the time of the inspection, the children had only been in the setting for a week. The adults’ work to establish routines for great learning and good behaviour quickly and to engage children in purposeful learning activities was very clear to see throughout the two days of the inspection.
• The early years team knows how important it is to develop positive relationships with children and their parents quickly. Parents value the close care and attention given to each individual child. One parent said they could not believe how well the adults in the setting knew their child after only a few days.
• Children enter Reception with skills overall that are at least typical for their age. The proportion of children who reach a good level of development by the end of Reception is consistently above the national average: children are well prepared for Year 1. Leaders and the early years team place high priority on developing children’s reading, writing and mathematics skills. Children have many opportunities, indoors and outdoors, to test out their skills independently following input from staff. As a result, children make at least good progress in these areas and many exceed the early learning goals in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Reception. However, over the last few years there have been very few children who have exceeded all of the early years’ curriculum goals. Some areas, such as managing feelings and behaviour, are not given the same close attention in adults’ direction or in the planning of activities, particularly for the most able children. Therefore, the progress children make in these areas is not as strong.
• During the inspection, two of the Reception children excitedly informed the inspector that there could ‘possibly be a tiger in the school’. They explained that they had come into school that morning to discover something that looked very much like tiger footprints in their outdoor area. Early years staff, in response to the boys play the day before, had created exciting opportunities for children to explore, investigate, create and use their imaginations. Children were busy exploring the outdoor area with a magnifying glass, building a shelter to watch safely from and using books to find out more about tigers. One boy warned the inspector, ‘It says in here that tigers could eat people!’ Inside the classroom, children were reading ‘The Tiger who Came to Tea’ with one of the adults. They were setting the table, making sure that they laid a place for the tiger. The carefully planned provision and learning opportunities, the engagement shown by all the children and the laughter that was apparent throughout the session were strong examples of why a higher-than-national proportion of children consistently reach a good level of development by the end of Reception.
• Leaders have planned carefully for staffing changes that have taken place in Reception. The strong network of support in place for staff includes frequent checks on learning and assessment from the deputy headteacher. There is a shared, comprehensive view of the quality of education in the early years.
• As in key stage 1, phonics teaching is strong. Routines are swiftly established, lots of practice is encouraged and children quickly become confident at saying and writing sounds.
• Safeguarding and welfare requirements for early years are well met. Just as in all other areas of school, developing strong relationships with children and their families, and providing the very best care and nurture possible, are school priorities.

School details

Unique reference number 118017 Local authority North East Lincolnshire Inspection number 10048197 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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 128 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jennifer Carter Headteacher Melanie Castle Telephone number 01472882438 Website www.stallingborough.ne-lincs.sch.uk/ Email address office@sp.nelcmail.co.uk Date of previous inspection 18–19 March 2014

Information about this school

• Since the last inspection, there have been two changes of headteacher and significant changes in teaching staff.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The early years consists of a Reception class.
• Stallingborough CE Primary School is designated as a Church of England voluntary controlled school, within the diocese of Lincoln. Its last section 48 religious inspection took place in June 2016, when the school was graded as outstanding.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the additional pupil premium funding is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who receive support for SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• A much lower proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language than the national average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed lessons across a range of subjects in all classes. These observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• During visits to lessons, the inspector spoke with pupils and looked at their work to find out more about how well they are learning.
• Meetings were held with pupils, and the inspector talked informally with pupils around the school. The inspector listened to pupils read and talked with them about reading. Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons and around the school.
• The inspector met regularly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Meetings were also held with the early years leader, curriculum leaders, new staff, the school business manager and the lead teacher for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair, and a representative from North East Lincolnshire local authority.
• A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ evaluation of school performance, school improvement planning, minutes of meetings of the governing body and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and the quality of teaching and learning. The inspector also reviewed information relating to safeguarding and attendance.
• The inspector met with parents before school and took into account the 116 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire Parent View.

Inspection team

Kate Rowley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector