Lincoln Gardens Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils’ progress and attainment are maximised and more pupils are able to demonstrate a greater depth of learning by:
  • having higher expectations for all pupils’ handwriting and presentation of their work
  • providing more frequent opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their mathematical skills in problem solving and reasoning
  • more consistently extending pupils’ higher-order reading skills, including their ability to use inference and deduction.
• Further improve leadership and management by:
  • developing the skills of middle leaders to more effectively judge and influence the work of others
  • refining the planning of the use of the pupil premium funding so that governors are able to strategically influence and monitor the precise effect of its use.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, with the support of the deputy headteacher and governors, has established an ambitious and caring culture that ensures that pupils learn well. There are good systems for measuring the performance of members of staff. This effectively holds staff to account for the progress of pupils and enables them to develop their teaching.
• Leaders have taken decisive and effective action to improve the quality of teaching across the school. Leaders have increased the rigour of their tracking and monitoring of pupils’ progress. Regular and frequent reviews of progress, involving teachers, support staff and leaders, ensure that any underachievement is identified and tackled quickly.
• The new senior leadership team has established a wide range of new systems and structures that have effectively tackled previous underperformance. The roles and responsibilities of senior leaders and governors have been clarified. The leadership’s self-evaluation of the school’s overall effectiveness is accurate and demonstrates a sharper understanding of what remains to be done to improve the school. Self-evaluation and planning are used well to improve teaching and learning.
• Some subject and middle leaders are relatively new to their roles. All are keen to do their best for the pupils and know where improvements need to be made. However, their skills at judging and influencing the work of other teachers and staff across the school are underdeveloped.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and has been developed well. New emphasis has been given to support pupils in developing their reading skills. There is a good range of additional activities to broaden the curriculum. For example, during the inspection, pupils enthusiastically took part in an after-school singing club.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered effectively, with good opportunities for developing fundamental British values. For example, in an assembly, pupils were encouraged to think about respect and tolerance as well as individual liberty, by considering different people’s choices of clothes and hair colour.
• Additional funding for physical education and sport is used to provide physical education training for staff and sports coaching. Pupils have benefited from becoming more active. Pupils said that they enjoy swimming lessons and understand the importance of regular exercise.
• The pupil premium strategy, outlining how the school will use the dedicated funding for improving the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, has recently been improved. Consequently, this funding is used wisely to provide staff training, as well as a range of targeted support for these and other pupils. Although the plans are sound, some aspects are not precise and do not allow governors to fully evaluate the effect of the funding.
• The provision for pupils who have identified special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is effective. Additional funding to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, is used well to employ adults to support individual pupils’ needs and to implement individual support plans. As a consequence, these pupils are making good progress.
• Parents and carers who spoke to inspectors were largely positive about the school and value the work that staff do for the pupils.
• Leaders have engaged well with the local authority and have sought external expertise. The local authority knows the school well and has supported the new leadership team well.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. Following many changes to the composition of the governing body, governors have increased the level of support and challenge offered to school leaders. They are knowledgeable about what works well and how the school can improve. They make regular focused visits to the school to enhance their understanding.
• Governors understand the school’s recent staffing difficulties and how these have affected pupils’ previous progress. They have high aspirations of the school and its pupils.
• Although governors know about the planned use of the pupil premium funding, they have not been provided with precise information to enable them to influence the plans or check on the precise effect of each aspect of the planned spend.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Members of staff are checked for suitability before they are allowed to begin working at the school. There are strong links with external agencies.
• Leaders foster a culture where pupils feel safe and are looked after well. Parents are very positive about how well the school cares for their children.
• The curriculum includes good opportunities for pupils to learn about health and safety, including e-safety. For example, older pupils talked about the dangers of cyber bullying and the need to use the internet safely.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use their good subject knowledge well to explain clearly what pupils are to learn. They explain new ideas using the correct subject-specific vocabulary to support learning.
• Teachers manage the classroom learning environment effectively so that classrooms are calm and orderly. Lessons start promptly, routines are well established to support learning and pupils are encouraged to behave well.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to support different groups of pupils. They use questioning well to check the pupils’ understanding and to help them to think about their learning.
• Phonics and reading skills are taught effectively. Reading skills are being taught more systematically than in the past, to ensure that pupils gain a good understanding of what they are reading as well as to increase their fluency. However, there are some inconsistencies in the teaching of higher-order reading skills. Consequently, not all pupils effectively develop the skills of inference and deduction they need to demonstrate the highest standards in end of Year 6 tests.
• Mathematics is taught effectively. In lessons, pupils have access to a wide range of resources that they select and use well. For example, in a Year 1 mathematics lesson, pupils selected to use cubes and cups to help them solve multiplication problems.
• Opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematics skills to problem solving and reasoning are not consistently provided to all pupils. This limits their ability to reach the highest standards, particularly the most able pupils.
• Teachers’ expectations for the presentation of pupils’ work are variable. Some good examples of high-quality work are displayed to enhance the learning environment. However, some pupils do not establish and maintain consistently high standards of handwriting and presentation as they go through the school.

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 happy and get on well with each other because they feel safe and well cared for. They are positive about being part of the school community and are happy to approach adults to ask for help if they have any concerns.
• Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying. They said that there is hardly any bullying and that it is mostly ‘just some falling-out with friends’. They are confident that if there are any problems the adults sort them out.
• There are effective links with external agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils are cared for well. Pupils who have individual emotional needs are well supported in a very nurturing, caring environment.
• Pupils are taught to value people from all backgrounds and to accept people’s different lifestyle choices and individual liberty. For example, in an assembly, pupils responded well to the idea that a man could dress as a pantomime dame or a man could choose to wear a dress.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and friendly and enjoy coming to school. Rates of pupils’ attendance are above average, and persistent absence is below average.
• Behaviour in classes and around the school is good. In a small number of classes, some pupils sometimes come off task and do not always concentrate fully on their work. This often reflects small inconsistencies in teachers’ expectations.
• Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors and move around the school safely. Breaktimes and lunchtimes are orderly, and pupils said that this is the norm. Pupils said that rewards and sanctions are fair. Pupils cooperate well with each other in lessons and play together sensibly at playtimes and in the breakfast and after-school clubs.
• Pupils respond quickly to instructions and are well prepared for their lessons. Most pupils are proud of their work. Displays are used well to celebrate pupils’ achievements and share the school’s values.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• From starting points that are usually below typical, pupils make good progress in a range of subjects. Work in exercise books and the school’s assessment information show that pupils are making good progress from their starting points across the curriculum, including in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has increased since the last inspection and has been above average for the last two years.
• Pupils consistently achieve above-average results in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. This reflects the effective teaching of phonics in the early years and Year 1. Pupils enjoy learning to read and make good use of phonics to help them read unfamiliar words.
• Across Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress from their starting points because of effective teaching. Typically, pupils reach standards that are above average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Across key stage 2, there has been a chequered history of attainment and progress, in part reflecting staffing difficulties and inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. Inspection evidence shows that secure gains are being made and progress is being accelerated. Attainment and progress are now rising because the quality of teaching has improved. As a consequence, across the school, more pupils are on track to meet the end of key stage expectations.
• The most able pupils do well overall, although occasionally opportunities are missed to deepen their knowledge and understanding so that they can apply what they have learned and demonstrate work at greater depth.
• Attainment at the end of Year 6 in 2017 was average in mathematics and writing but was below average in reading. This represented less than expected progress for these pupils from their Year 2 starting points. The school’s records and pupils’ books show that in their last year this group of pupils made particularly strong gains in writing and mathematics and good gains in reading.
• The attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils are improving. Leaders assess their needs, and specific additional support is provided.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress. Their needs are identified correctly, and their progress is monitored and supported well.
• The small proportion of pupils who are learning English as an additional language make good progress because they are fully included in lessons and they sometimes benefit from extra help.
• In reading, where improvements have been made to the teaching of comprehension, pupils are now developing a better understanding of what they have read. They are given good opportunities to strengthen their knowledge of vocabulary. However, their skills using inference and deduction sometimes limit their ability to reach a higher than expected standard in end of key stage assessments.
• In mathematics, pupils’ sound and improving computation skills are not always applied to problem solving and reasoning, which limits their ability to secure better than expected standards. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader has worked effectively with the staff to ensure that this area continues to be a strength of the school. Together, they identified the need to develop children’s speech and language as well as early reading and writing. They have enhanced the provision and targeted support so that all children make good progress. The early years leader is correct in her evaluation that there is scope to further develop the staff’s understanding of baseline information to better tailor the activities and resources to meet pupils’ needs.
• Children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. They understand the clear routines and staff’s expectations of behaviour. Children learn effectively because activities provide the right level of challenge and interest. From starting points that are usually below what is typical, children make good gains in all areas of learning. Children are well prepared socially, emotionally and academically for joining Year 1.
• Teaching and the curriculum are successful in helping children to succeed. There is a range of activities for children to engage with, both independently and under adult direction. For example, in one activity, staff encouraged Nursery children to select other children’s name cards so they could correctly address Christmas cards. In the outdoor area, children were investigating large pieces of ice and applied paint and observed how the colours and shapes changed as the ice melted.
• There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere that supports good learning. Activities for children to undertake independently are typically well thought out and well resourced. Sometimes, opportunities are missed to model appropriate use of some of the activities that children can select to complete independently.

School details

Unique reference number 133700 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 10031980 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 487 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr John Hesketh Miss Andrea Nuttall Telephone number 01724 844430 Website Email address www.lincolngardens.net admin.lincolngardensprimary@northlincs.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 24─ 25 June 2015

Information about this school

• This is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Almost all pupils are of White British heritage, with a few from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. A small proportion are learning English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, supported through the pupil premium, is above average.
• The school has had a high number of changes in staff since the previous inspection. This includes a new headteacher appointed in September 2016 and a new deputy headteacher.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in all classes throughout the school. Several of these were visited jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school improvement plan and records of pupils’ behaviour, safety and attendance. They also scrutinised the work of current pupils.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s information on pupils’ progress and records of meetings of the governing body.
• Inspectors listened to samples of pupils read from key stages 1 and 2. Discussions were held with pupils about their reading work in school and at home.
• The inspectors met with groups of pupils. They held meetings with senior and middle leaders. A meeting was held with three members of the governing body. A meeting was also held with a representative of the local authority.
• The views of parents were obtained through informal discussions, which were held with parents of pupils on both days of the inspection. Inspectors held informal discussions with several parents and scrutinised 20 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire for parents, Parent View, and 36 responses from members of staff to the staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Amraz Ali, lead inspector Mike Smit Helen Hussey

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector