Ambergate Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

This is a good school. The headteacher has successfully developed a strong sense of teamwork and ambition amongst all staff. It is not yet outstanding because the achievement of boys in English does not match that of girls, and teaching is not consistently of a high enough quality to ensure that pupils make excellent progress.

Achievement is good and all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good overall progress. Staff have successfully focused on raising attainment in mathematics over the last two years. As a result, standards have risen to be well above average.

The current priority is to raise attainment in English. Good teaching of ...phonics (the sounds that letters make) is helping to improve reading skills, but the strategies for improving boys' writing have yet to have a full impact on attainment. Pupils' good progress is due to much good and some outstanding teaching.

There are, however, a few inconsistencies. Sometimes teachers miss opportunities to review and consolidate learning as lessons progress. While there are some examples of very effective marking of pupils' work, in some instances pupils are not provided with enough guidance on what they must do in order to improve, and boys are not always challenged enough to produce their very best work.

Pupils behave extremely well. They know all about how to keep themselves safe, and their parents and carers agree that they are kept very safe. Attendance is above average because pupils enjoy school and their exemplary behaviour underpins successful learning.

The curriculum strongly promotes pupils' excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The leadership of teaching and management of performance are good. Rising standards, particularly in mathematics, and successful teaching and learning demonstrate the school's good capacity to improve further.

Information about the school

This is a small primary school. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs is above average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

Although groupings are flexible, pupils are mainly taught in three mixed-age classes. The school has received a number of awards including the Basic Skills Quality Mark, National Healthy Schools Status and the Activemark award. The school provides before- and after-school clubs that are managed by the governing body.