Somerby Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

This is a good school.

Pupils do well in all aspects of their development and enjoy being part of this small community. The excellent relationships make pupils feel safe and valued. The school is good rather than outstanding because : pupils have insufficient guidance on how to improve their work and have too few opportunities to work independently.

Pupils make good progress so that their attainment is above average by the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2. Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and benefit from working alongside older pupils. Parents and carers rightly see the good teaching as a key reason for their children's good achievements.

Pupils say how mu...ch they enjoy lessons and the way, as one commented, 'Teachers help them when they find work difficult.' Teachers are skilled at ensuring that pupils of differing ages and abilities make equally good progress. Pupils behave well because they know the rules and understand the impact of their actions on others.

The good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development shows in the way they reflect on issues such as the tragedy of war and the beauty of nature. Good leadership and management are key reasons for the school's success. The leaders share ambitious targets for improvement and know how to achieve them.

The acting headteacher's perceptive evaluation of the school's performance data has already led to raised attainment in writing. However, procedures for the evaluation of teaching and learning in the classroom lack the rigour necessary to achieve the school's aim of outstanding provision. The governing body is very supportive, but with so many new members it does not yet have the skills to fully hold the leaders to account.

Information about the school

The school is a much smaller-than-average-sized primary school, where numbers have fallen over the last three years. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with a statement of special educational needs, is average.

The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Pupils are taught in two mixed-aged classes. There has been an acting headteacher since the start of January 2012.

Many members of the governing body are recently appointed. The school meets the government's current floor standards which determine the minimum expectations for attainment and progress. It has recently gained national Healthy Schools status and the Activemark award.