Carlton Colville Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

This outstanding school has maintained and built on the strengths recognised at its last inspection.

This has been the case even through its change of status from a First to a primary school, and as it has begun the move to its new site. The excellent leadership demonstrated by the headteacher, and the vision shared by all staff and the governing body which permeates throughout the school, has been a major factor in the school's success. Consistently exceptionally high standards, based on an outstanding and imaginative curriculum and very strong teaching and learning, are helping prepare the pupils very well for the next stage in their education.

Having managed this through the recent signifi...cant changes to the school is a clear indication that the school has an outstanding capacity to maintain the positive aspects of its work and build on them even further as its full primary status is consolidated. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently high. The exceptionally high standards the pupils previously achieved, from their broadly typical attainment on entry to the school, at the end of Year 2 and Year 4 are being built on through Years 5 and 6.

Assessment data from the school's tracking shows that Year 6 pupils are on track to achieve high standards at the end of the year. In mathematics, which was a weaker subject in the past, the school has worked hard and successfully to raise standards and a good number of the current Year 6 pupils are already working at the higher levels. This has been achieved through staff training, rigorous tracking of pupils and some special mathematics themed activities involving parents and carers.

The exceptional learning and progress is the result of outstanding teaching over time. The school has had to expand as it has changed status and this has meant new staff with a range of different experiences joining the team. This process has been exceptionally well managed by the senior staff but, even so, a few minor inconsistencies remain.

These are evident, for example, in the way work is matched to all pupils' abilities and in the feedback given to them so that they know what their next steps in learning should be. Pupils' learning is helped by their outstanding behaviour and above average attendance. They have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe.

This is supported by the school's excellent procedures for safeguarding and by the parents and carers, with all of those responding to the inspection questionnaire agreeing that the school keeps their children safe. The school's vision that 'what we learn with pleasure we never forget' is evident throughout the way the school is run. Through a very significant time of change, the leadership has been robust in maintaining high expectations of everybody involved and the success of this is evident as all adults say they are proud to be a member of staff at the school.

Excellent links with parents and carers, and with many different external agencies, support the outstanding curriculum and the high quality care, guidance and support provided for all pupils. Interventions are successful, whether supporting those who find learning more difficult or those who find learning easy and need further challenge. The governing body has an excellent and accurate picture of the school's strengths and future developments, and they have ensured the success of the school has been maintained even through the difficulties of temporarily working on two sites.

The outdoor learning provision, especially for the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, is currently underdeveloped, although this is due to be addressed as the move to the new school evolves.

Information about the school

This is a larger than average-sized primary school. It became an all-through primary school at the start of the term in which the inspection was held and is temporarily occupying two sites.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The vast majority of the pupils are White British. There is a very small proportion of pupils from other ethnic backgrounds, very few of whom speak English as an additional language.

The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with a statement of special educational needs entitling them to extra support, is below average. Their main learning needs are speech, language and communication. The school has Healthy Schools status, an Activemark award and a Football Association Charter Mark.