Ellingham Church of England Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher sets a clear vision for the school, which is shared by all staff and governors. Leaders know the school's strengths and they identify and address any weaknesses promptly. Consequently, the school is improving well.

Relationships between staff and pupils are extremely positive. The strong Christian ethos permeates the work of the school and contributes to pupils' strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are proud of their achievements and are eager to try their best.

Behaviour is good and there are very few incidents of poor behaviour. Pupils say that they feel safe and there is a trusted adult in wh...om they can confide should they need to. Governors provide effective support and challenge.

They ensure that the school provides value for money and check leaders' effectiveness regularly. The school's development plan is detailed and identifies the correct priorities for improvement. However, impact measures are not linked precisely to the desired gains in pupils' outcomes.

Children in the early years get off to a good start in their learning. An above-average proportion of children reach a good level of development by the end of Reception, with increasing proportions exceeding this. Pupils achieve well due to effective teaching.

They make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, with the vast majority of pupils reaching the expected standard. Almost half of all pupils achieve the higher standards in reading and mathematics. This is above that found nationally.

New approaches to the teaching of writing are increasing the proportion of pupils who achieve highly. However, these approaches are not embedded consistently in all year groups. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make good progress because : additional funding to support them is used effectively.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities that supplement the curriculum. Leaders prioritise enhancing pupils' enquiry skills whenever possible. Leaders acknowledge such opportunities are inconsistent, particularly in Years 5 and 6.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. It has grown in size since the time of the last inspection and is now a primary school, catering for pupils aged three to 11 years.

Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is just above that found nationally. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is smaller than the national average.

The proportion of pupils who start or leave the school at times other than the usual transition times is higher than the national average. More than half of the staff are new to the school since the last inspection. This is the first school year where the government's floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress by the end of Year 6, will apply.