Winterton Church of England Infants' School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership, management and governance by:
  • monitoring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that teachers receive regular documented feedback on what they are doing well and where they need to improve
  • ensuring that action plans are more precise, outline what actions will be taken, have clear timescales and include measurable targets linked to outcomes, so that senior leaders and governors can monitor their effectiveness
  • reviewing the way in which reading, writing and mathematics are delivered across the school, taking into account how young children learn and allowing teachers to have ownership of what they are teaching
  • continuing to review the curriculum, ensuring that links between subjects enable teachers to plan work at greater depth across the range of subjects
  • increasing the number of extra-curricular clubs on offer, to provide more opportunities for pupils to follow their interests
  • developing stronger partnerships with other schools to support moderation and raise expectations of what pupils in key stage 1 are capable of.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • securing assessment information in key stage 1 so that leaders check the accuracy of the information submitted through observations, work scrutinies, talking to pupils and moderation with other schools
  • ensuring that all teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, and lessons are planned so that pupils have enough time to complete given tasks
  • planning work that matches the ability of all pupils, extending learning for the most able and supporting pupils who are struggling to catch up
  • improving standards of handwriting and presentation in all subjects, ensuring that pupils write with a grip that helps them control the quality of writing. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how effectively this aspect of leadership can be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since the last inspection, the quality of teaching in key stage 1 has declined. At the same time, standards and provision in the early years have continued to improve, resulting in a school of two distinct halves.
• The new headteacher, who was the previous deputy headteacher and early years leader, was appointed from September 2016 and demonstrates a strong capacity to move the school forward.
• Following significant disruption to staffing at senior leadership level during the autumn term, the headteacher returned to her post in January 2017. At the same time, the new deputy headteacher and the returning English leader also took up their positions. All senior leaders are very new to leadership and have not had time to evaluate the impact of the many new initiatives implemented during this term. Governors and the local authority have worked closely together to secure a part-time interim headteacher who supported the school during the autumn term.
• Leaders have prioritised key stage 1 as the focus for their improvement work. They have begun to secure assessment information and improve standards in writing and mathematics. Leaders have taken effective action to tackle inadequate teaching. Action plans correctly identify key areas for improvement. However, plans are not detailed enough to enable governors to check their effectiveness. They do not provide measurable targets or clear timescales. Leaders need to document their planned work so that they can measure success over time and regularly share this with governors.
• The monitoring of teaching and learning is still in its early stages. The local authority has supported leaders to carry out formal monitoring across the school. Previous monitoring work has been too infrequent and too informal. Teachers have received verbal feedback, but leaders have not documented the support and guidance. There is little evidence to show how teachers can improve their work or recognise their strengths. As a result, leaders are not able to hold teachers fully accountable for their work or prove that monitoring has led to improved practice and outcomes.
• Leaders have reviewed current assessment arrangements and introduced more guidance for teachers to help them improve the accuracy of their judgements. Teachers welcome the much-needed changes, which provide them with a clearer measure to support ongoing assessment. Leaders are beginning to use prior assessment information to help them track progress over time.
• The ethos across the school is positive. Staff demonstrate strong loyalty to the new leadership team, recognising the need for the many changes that have been introduced to help improve outcomes for pupils. Regular performance management reviews rely too heavily on assessment information to improve outcomes for pupils. More rigour is needed to check the accuracy of the information.
• Plans have been implemented to improve the current curriculum provision. Leaders are planning a full curriculum review in the summer term because they recognise that they are not making best use of cross-curricular links between subjects. Subjects are taught in isolation and, with the exception of science, there has been little monitoring over time. There are few extra-curricular activities on offer to pupils both after school and during the lunch hour.
• Leaders use the extra funding to support disadvantaged pupils well. Individual support and small group work focuses on both the academic and emotional well-being of identified pupils. In 2016, all disadvantaged pupils in Year 1 reached the expected standard in phonics. However current progress information shows that rates of progress in other subjects in Year 1 are below those seen in other year groups. Outcomes at the end of key stage 1 in 2016 showed improvements to attainment and progress from previous years. Outcomes were in line with other pupils nationally.
• Funding to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities has not being used with enough precision to ensure that they are making good progress from their starting points over time. The new leader for these pupils is now working with teachers to ensure that provision is improved. These pupils have recently started to make better progress.
• Additional funding to support the development of physical education (PE) and sport is used effectively. Teachers receive a range of professional development opportunities to strengthen their own knowledge and skills. Training for lunchtime staff has resulted in more games and activities on offer over the lunchtime break. Pupils say that they enjoy PE and can talk about how to keep fit and healthy.

Governance of the school

• The chair of governors visits the school regularly, providing emotional and practical support. Along with other governors, she acted quickly to strengthen the senior leadership of the school during the autumn term. She continues to ensure that leaders receive the support they need to bring about improvements needed.
• Although governors are knowledgeable about the information they receive each year on progress and attainment, they have not challenged the decline in standards over time. They are unaware of the inconsistencies in the current assessment information because they have not had the information presented in a meaningful format.
• Governors are not able to hold current leaders fully to account because school development plans are too general. Timescales and measurable outcomes are not clear enough so that governors can check on the impact of improvements.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Records on the recruitment of staff and the checks carried out are thorough and robust. Staff receive updated information regularly. New leaders have prioritised safeguarding and have taken effective action to ensure that all systems are up to date and fully in place.
• Safeguarding records show that leaders act quickly and appropriately when referring pupils to other agencies. Leaders attend meetings, contribute reports and chase up where they feel action is too slow. As a result, pupils are safe and well cared for.
• Appropriate risk assessments ensure the safety of pupils. Leaders have recently reviewed and strengthened the Nursery handover policy to ensure that children are safe during the busy morning period.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Recently implemented changes to the way in which teachers in key stage 1 assess how pupils are progressing towards the expected standards are providing more rigour and accuracy. However, over time, inconsistencies between classes have not been addressed and there have been few checks to ensure that the information is accurate. Leaders have plans to ensure that more rigour and challenge is in place.
• Teaching is variable across classes and within year groups in key stage 1. Teachers are not using their professional judgement to adapt their lessons to meet the needs of all pupils. For example, when teachers follow a prescribed plan, they do not deviate from it, even when pupils find the work too challenging or too easy. This hinders the progress pupils make during lessons and over time.
• In some writing lessons, teachers spent too long explaining and talking to pupils about what they were going to do. Pupils said that they find much of the work during the morning session boring. This is because they spend too long listening and do not have opportunities to practise and apply their skills. Workbooks show that some pupils hardly ever complete work because teachers do not allocate enough time for writing.
• Handwriting and presentation skills are not effective enough across the school. Many pupils have developed poor pencil grip and do not know how to improve the presentation of their work. Pupils do not apply the skills learned from handwriting lessons to their writing across the curriculum. In the early years, high standards of writing work on display demonstrate high expectations for children of all abilities.
• Work in mathematics books shows that pupils receive many opportunities to practise their skills. Year 2 books show that pupils regularly use and apply their knowledge through problem-solving activities. Most-able pupils enjoy the challenge provided through well-matched work. Pupils who are struggling to catch up and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are sometimes not as involved in their learning because they find the work too hard.
• The teaching of phonics is a strength of the school. Younger pupils can blend sounds and decode simple words. Older pupils apply their skills to unknown words and are confident readers. Teachers and teaching assistants demonstrate strong subject knowledge and understanding. Pupils apply their phonic knowledge to their writing. As a result, spelling work is of a high standard across the school.
• Reading records show that pupils read regularly at home and at school. Most-able pupils can answer simple questions about their books, but struggle with more challenging questions. Teachers are using their new assessment grids to pinpoint where gaps are in reading skills. It is too early to see if this is having an impact on developing understanding. Parents say that they would like more information about how to help their children at home.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Leaders have created a warm and nurturing ethos across the school. Pupils are well cared for and feel safe and confident in their learning environment. High staffing ratios enable pupils to form strong bonds with the adults they work with.
• Pupils show positive attitudes to learning. They listen well and apply themselves quickly to the tasks they are given. They work well in groups, giving support and encouragement to each other when appropriate.
• Pupils learn about a range of other faiths and celebrate similarities and differences between themselves and others. Displays highlight work on British values at an age-appropriate level. The strong church ethos is evident through displays around the school.
• Regular school council meetings provide pupils with opportunities to put forward their ideas and suggestions. Pupils were enthusiastic about the current work they were undertaking in designing a card to be given to families to celebrate special family occasions.
• Parents recognise that their children are well cared for and talk about occasions when staff have gone out of their way to provide extra support when needed. Parents are confident that pupils are safe and happy in school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The recently implemented behaviour system is already having a positive impact, further reducing the number of behaviour incidents. Pupils understand the consequences of their actions and are keen to be recognised for persistent good behaviour. As a result, pupils behave well and disruption is rare.
• Pupils are polite and well mannered. They demonstrate consistently high standards of behaviour around school and in lessons. They enjoy most of their lessons, and in lessons where teaching is engaging they want to achieve well.
• Historically, attendance has been above that seen nationally; current information shows that this is still the case. Leaders monitor the attendance of different groups of pupils and take effective action to support families who are struggling. Rates of attendance between disadvantaged pupils and others are similar.
• Pupils say that bullying does sometimes happen, but they know what to do and teachers act quickly when they are informed.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress across key stage 1 has declined over time, but leaders are taking steps to address this. Standards are now in line with, or just below, the national average. Although current assessment information shows that a significant number of pupils are working at or exceeding the expected standard in writing, work seen in books does not give the same positive picture. Work seen in mathematics books aligns more closely with the assessment information recorded.
• Current progress in all subjects shows that there are significant inconsistencies between parallel classes in Year 1. The way in which leaders analyse the progress that pupils are making does not draw on the wide range of information available to check the accuracy and therefore provide challenge.
• Pupils who leave early years with a good level of development continue to make strong progress across key stage 1. Work in books, and the school’s own tracking, shows that pupils who did not reach the expected standard at the end of early years are not catching up quickly enough throughout Year 1.
• The new leader for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities currently supports teachers to ensure that pupils receive appropriate provision. Individual plans show that pupils are making progress towards their targets. New whole-school assessment measures provide a more appropriate method of tracking progress for pupils who are working below age-related expectations.
• Work in pupils’ writing books shows a mixed picture of progress over time. Progress is stronger for the most able pupils. This is because they can write more quickly in the time allocated and teachers have higher expectations. For pupils who are working below the expected standard, teachers’ expectations are too low and pupils have limited opportunities to write.
• Disadvantaged pupils are supported well in their learning and most make good progress from their starting points.
• The teaching of phonics is a strength of the school. Outcomes are above those seen nationally and all disadvantaged pupils reached the expected standard in 2016.

Early years provision Good

• The new early years leader has received coaching and training from the headteacher to enable her to carry out her role to a high standard. The appointment of an early years specialist to the post of deputy headteacher provides additional leadership capacity. Leadership of the early years is good because leaders have a strong understanding of how young children learn and they have high expectations.
• Outcomes at the end of the early years have continued to rise over time. Leaders use ongoing assessment information and observations to plan activities to meet the needs of all children, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children of all abilities make at least good progress over time. This is because teachers know their children well and know what they need to do to meet expectations across all areas of learning. A high proportion of children exceed expectations in writing, reading and number at the end of the early years.
• Progress is well documented through workbooks and learning journals. Writing skills are developing well. Many children are writing in sentences, with well-formed letters and age-appropriate spellings. Teachers capture learning through a range of photographs and observations, linking their observations closely to assessments. This provides a clear picture of how learning is progressing and allows teachers to identify any gaps, which they address through their planning. Children who are most able have a wider range of documented evidence than those who are still at the earlier stages of learning.
• The learning environment is well planned and resourced. The continuous curriculum builds on children’s interests and provides a range of opportunities for children to practise new and existing skills. Children playing in the shop took turns as shopkeeper, giving change and counting out coins. Adults skilfully intervened when appropriate to extend learning, by asking questions or extending vocabulary. As a result, children demonstrated secure number knowledge and used a wider range of vocabulary in their independent play.
• The outdoor learning environment provides a wide range of opportunities for children to explore and investigate. For example, Nursery children were heavily engaged in a large water-play activity, concentrating and taking turns. Other children were planting potatoes or digging the soil ready for planting. Adults captured the imagination of the children they worked with, keeping their interest for long periods of time and ensuring that they were fully engaged in the activities. Children working independently cooperated well with each other, demonstrating good social and emotional development.
• Relationships are positive and children are happy, well cared for and enthusiastic about their work. Recently reviewed health and safety policies have further strengthened routines to ensure the safety of all children. Staffing ratios allow adults time to talk to pupils and extend their play. Parents know that their children are safe, well looked after and making good progress.

School details

Unique reference number 118020 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 10023916 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 Infant School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3 to 7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 228 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Angela Dunkerley Headteacher Rachel Lewis Telephone number 01724 732386 Website www.wintertoninfants.co.uk Email address admin.wintertoninfants@northlincs.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 October 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is slightly smaller than other primary schools nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below that seen nationally.
• The percentage of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with an education, health and care plan, is lower than the national average.
• The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.
• The new headteacher took up her post in September 2016, having previously been the early years leader and deputy headteacher at the school. No other senior leadership posts were filled at that time.
• In October 2016, governors appointed a temporary interim headteacher to cover the unavoidable absence of the headteacher. A new part-time leader for special needs took up her position. The newly appointed deputy headteacher began working two days per week to offer further support.
• In January 2017, the deputy headteacher took up her position and the English leader returned from maternity leave. The headteacher returned to work on a part-time phased return to lead her new team.
• There are currently three temporary members of staff in post and one newly qualified teacher.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited all classes across the school to observe teaching and learning. The headteacher observed, alongside the inspectors, throughout the inspection.
• The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books and looked at information about their progress and attainment.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, middle leaders, the whole staff, the chair of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils and heard a range of pupils read.
• All safeguarding information was scrutinised, including the single central register, staff files and policies. Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils during lunchtime, breaks and around school.
• Inspectors looked at a range of school improvement documentation, including the school development plan, action plans and individual plans for pupils who have special educational needs and/or statements.
• Inspectors spoke to a small number of parents and considered the 27 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. No responses were recorded for the pupil or staff online questionnaires.

Inspection team

Janet Lunn, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector Susan Twaits Ofsted Inspector Andrew Soutar Ofsted Inspector