Rufford Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The determined headteacher, well-supported by the senior leadership team and the governing body, has made significant improvements in teaching and achievement across the school since the previous inspection. The quality of teaching is good and is improving. This is raising pupils' achievement further.

Pupils' achievement is good. Their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is in line with national averages. This represents good progress from pupils' starting points.

Provision in the early years is good. Imaginative and well-planned activities enable children to achieve well in a stimulating environm...ent. Systems used by senior and subject leaders to check the quality of teaching are rigorous.

Teachers know what they do well and effective training helps them to improve further. The school takes effective steps to promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. These help all pupils to develop the skills and personal qualities needed to work with others in the school and the community.

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They feel very safe at school and enjoy the many different activities that are planned for them. Pupils arrive punctually and quickly settle into their lessons.

Attendance has improved and is above average. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Sometimes, teachers do not check pupils' progress regularly enough. This means they do not always ensure that planned tasks are as challenging as they could be.

In some cases, the quality of teachers' feedback to pupils is not clear enough so that it does not lead to improvements.

Information about this school

Rufford Primary and Nursery school is larger than the average-sized primary school. There are two classes in each age group, and separate provision in the Nursery and Reception.

Reception children all attend on a full-time basis. In the Nursery, attendance is part-time. The large majority of pupils are White British, with a proportion of pupils from a range of ethnic backgrounds.

An increasing number are at an early stage of learning English in the younger age groups, but the proportion is below average. Many more pupils than seen nationally join partway through their primary school education. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.

A very small number of pupils have an education, health and care plan. The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (the additional funding allocated by the government for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals) is above average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.

The school works with Challenge Partners, the Transform Teaching Alliance and the Nottingham Learning Trust to improve teaching and raise pupils' achievement. In September 2013, the governors appointed a new deputy headteacher. In September 2014, they appointed a new assistant headteacher and a leader for lower Key Stage 2.

They have appointed two newly qualified teachers, one in November2014, the other in January 2015. The school has undergone extensive building work during the last year. There is a before school breakfast club managed by the governing body which formed part of the inspection.