How distinctive and effective is the school as a Church school?

2

How well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners?

1

What is the impact of collective worship on the school community?

2

How effective is the religious education?

2

How effective are the leadership and management of the school, as a church school?

2

The school meets the statutory requirement for collective acts of worship

Yes

The school meets the statutory requirement for religious education *

Yes

Kirkby-on-Bain Church of England Primary School

Wharf Lane    

Kirkby-on-Bain           

Woodhall Spa

Lincolnshire

LN10 6YW

Diocese: Lincoln

Local authority: Lincolnshire

Dates of inspection: 11 November 2008

Date of last inspection: 10, 21 and 25 June 2004

School’s unique reference number: 120623

Headteacher: Mr Peter Douglas

Inspector’s name and number: Miss Dione Yegliss NS 489

School context

Kirkby-on-Bain Church of England Primary is a smaller than average voluntary aided school with 97 pupils on roll serving the village of Kirkby-on-Bain and surrounding rural areas. Almost all the pupils are of white British heritage with only a very few in the early stages of learning to speak English. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is higher than the national average.

The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Kirkby-on-Bain as a Church of England school are good

A distinctive Christian ethos is evident on entering this friendly and caring school where all are welcomed. It is successfully led and managed by the headteacher, together with a dedicated and committed team of teachers and a supportive governing body. Pupils are happy coming to school and have positive attitudes to learning. The school has developed strong and effective links with the local church and community.

Established strengths

·         The effective leadership and management of the school by the headteacher, which is firmly rooted within a clear Christian vision.

·         The inclusive and caring atmosphere created through the high quality of relationships and a shared trust between all members of the school community.

·         The outstanding behaviour of all the pupils together with a high degree of respect and consideration shown towards others.

Focus for development

·         Ensure monitoring and evaluation systems enable the governing body, in particular the foundation governors, to further the Christian distinctiveness of the school.

·         Formalise procedures for effectively monitoring and evaluating the impact of collective worship on the school community.

The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners.

The school provides a secure and nurturing environment where all learners feel valued and special and where staff respond well to pupils’ social and emotional needs. All the children spoken to regard the school as a happy place where they are made to feel valued and are treated fairly and respectfully. They trust their teachers to care for them and feel they can go to them with any problems and they will be listened to. Behaviour is excellent. Pupils are friendly, polite and well mannered and demonstrate care and consideration towards others and each other. The school uses a successful learning strategy of ‘talking partners’, which encourages pupils to develop positive attitudes.  Effective strategies are in place to deal with any conflict or bullying issues. Established systems of ‘buddy mentoring’ and ‘path monitors’ work well to ensure that younger and more vulnerable children are supported. Pupils’ views are listened to and they have a voice through an active school council.

The indoor school environment is used very effectively to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the many excellent displays evident throughout the school celebrating children’s work and achievements. The school’s distinctive Christian status is instantly recognized on entering through prominent displays of good quality Christian symbols. Spirituality is enhanced through the provision of areas for reflection within the playground designated quiet area, together with the school’s nature reserve and reflective area. All classes use this special place for stories, listening activities and personal reflection. Parents say that their children enjoy school and that they are very pleased with their progress. They are aware of the school’s Christian status as a Church of England school and many of them feel that this is a significant factor in their children’s education.

The impact of collective worship on the school community is good.

Collective worship is highly regarded and plays a central role in school life and clearly impacts positively on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is well supported with all pupils and teaching staff attending daily acts of worship. Pupils’ views are regularly sought and the vast majority of pupils enjoy and value worship, seeing it as a special part of the school day. Pupils respond positively and behave appropriately during worship and are encouraged to contribute through leading prayers, role-play and musical accompaniment. The use of prayer within the school is good. Pupils are involved in the writing and reading of prayers both during worship and for the lunchtime Grace. All learners know and can join in with the Lord’s Prayer and the school, to further understanding, has adopted a modern version. The Christian symbols of the lighted candle and the cross are used well to support pupils’ spiritual awareness and reflection. Pupils’ achievements are celebrated at weekly good work assemblies. Older children have the opportunity to join with the wider church community through attendance every two years at the Church Schools’ Festival at Lincoln Cathedral.

Worship themes are planned for each term with a strong focus on Christian values and traditions and the Church calendar. The head teacher regularly evaluates the quality and impact of collective worship and this is discussed informally with teachers. In order to ensure that collective worship fully supports the school’s distinctive Christian ethos, more formal evaluation procedures now need to be adopted. The vicar leads and participates in collective worship both in school and in school church services. This contributes greatly to pupils’ further understanding of Christianity and the Anglican tradition within worship. The school has forged a strong and mutually supportive partnership with the local church and all pupils are taken to the church every month to celebrate collective worship. All the major Christian festivals are also celebrated in the church with many parents attending. The strong focus evident on Christian values and tradition provided through worship offers opportunities for the school to reflect, pray and celebrate together as a community.

The effectiveness of the religious education is good.

The school recognizes the importance of religious education [RE] within the whole curriculum and as such meets the national requirement of curriculum provision time for RE. The Lincolnshire Agreed Syllabus is used for planning and assessment and pupils successfully learn about Christianity together with other major world faiths and cultures. Most learners make good progress and are working above national expectations in RE for their age group. All children attend RE lessons with no withdrawals and the subject is well resourced with a knowledgeable and effective subject leader. Teachers display good subject knowledge and collaborate readily. Through effective teaching and a well thought out curriculum RE contributes positively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Comprehensive systems for planning, monitoring and evaluating the RE curriculum are firmly in place. Regular on-going assessments are recorded against levels of achievement to ensure that the existing good standards of teaching and learning are maintained.

When questioned pupils displayed a good understanding and knowledge of Christianity, the Bible and other major world faiths. Children in Years 1 and 2 were able to successfully recall and retell the story of Rama and Sita and the significance of Diwali. Lessons observed were well planned and paced providing good learning opportunities for pupils of all abilities.  

Pupils behaved very well in their RE lessons and demonstrated a positive attitude and respect for Christianity and other faiths. This was especially evident when observing the Year 3 and 4 children’s interaction with a Saudi pupil during their church visit on Worship. Good links are made between RE and collective worship when themes and topics are often used as key learning opportunities for teachers to follow up during the week.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good.

The headteacher, together with the teaching staff and governing body are united in their commitment to a clear Christian vision for the school. The school is successful in following a model of collaborative leadership with all working together effectively as a team. All staff are valued and morale is high. All are committed to the Every Child Matters Agenda and offer a good quality of education. Policy, planning and evaluation documentation are comprehensive and secure with a commitment to Christian values clearly evident. The leadership of both collective worship and RE is good with careful planning and evaluation to ensure that both areas play a central role in underpinning the school’s Christian ethos. The RE subject leader’s role in the leadership and management of the school as a church school is recognized as important. Children with special educational needs are effectively supported, both within school through rigorous monitoring and judicious use of the social and emotional aspects of learning [SEAL] programme and circle time, and also through the local authority’s Learning Support Service.

The governing body is supportive and actively involved in school life, with a number of governors visiting the school regularly and attending collective worship and church services and celebrations. They are aware of the school’s Christian tradition and the importance of its distinctiveness as a church school. The role of the governing body together with that of the foundation governors in the monitoring and evaluation of the school as a church school is a recognized area of development. The church school self-evaluation, completed collaboratively with the head and teaching staff, is presented to the governing body for their comments and input.

 Parents’ are supportive and speak appreciatively of the school’s caring and nurturing ethos. They are welcomed in school and their views are sought through regular contact. Parents and pupils are aware of the school’s Christian status and Anglican tradition and the majority of parents feel that this has a positive impact on their children’s education. The leadership and management team have ensured that pupils have a voice and the school council is actively encouraged and involved in aspects of decision-making.

The school has strong, established links and very good communication with the local church and community. It has also forged successful partnerships with other schools within the area together with outside agencies.