LAMPS Results, Reports & Awards

Exceptional Hat-Trick Thanks to Assistants

Extract from an article by William Stewart, published in the Times Educational Supplement (TES) on 19th October 2007. See also the Ofsted list of Outstanding Providers 2006/07.

"There's always something happening here," one pupil told inspectors. Perhaps that is the key to Lindal & Marton Primary School's success.

This week, the Cumbrian primary was listed as outstanding in the chief inspector's annual report. It joins a select few schools with a hat-trick of such accolades.

But pupils probably had other things on their mind. On Monday a class was taken to Kendal to see a stage adaptation of Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo's First World War novel. And yesterday the whole school was driven 70 miles to a sports centre in Bolton for gymnastics, basketball, rugby and climbing.

"We offer a lot of things beyond the core curriculum here which help to inspire and stimulate the children," said David Barlow, the head. He arrived in 1995 when the school needed a lot of work to turn it round. By 1998 he had succeeded, winning his first outstanding Ofsted verdict, which the school repeated in 2003 and in June this year. Teacher continuity and a pioneering approach to support staff have made big contributions, he said.

The innovative use of support staff has become commonplace in schools in England since the workforce agreement was signed in 2003. But Mr Barlow in 2000 already had four teaching assistants. He believes the school has also been helped by mixed-age classes. "It means the youngsters have a model of good behaviour to follow from the older pupils in the school," he said.

2007 Key Stage 2 SATS Results

Our Year 6 children have achieved excellent KS2 SATS. All have achieved 100% at Level 4+ for Maths and English, and a fantastic 100% at Level 5 for Science. A breakdown of results is as follows:

All children and staff have worked very hard to achieve these results.

OUTSTANDING! - Ofsted 2007

LAMPS was inspected by Ofsted in June 2007. The school was graded as OUTSTANDING, which is as good as it gets in Ofsted terms. The report is positive in the extreme and reflects on the quality of teaching and learning, the width of provision in the school, and the overall ethos.

At the post-inspection briefing, the inspector specifically remarked on the many positive comments submitted to him in the parental questionnaires. The following comment was typical of those made by parents, "We feel privileged that both our children have had such a solid and enjoyable experience throughout their primary years".

The following are quotes from the Ofsted report:

"Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and their behaviour is exemplary"

"The breadth and quality of the curriculum is a major strength of the school and inspires learning"

"Standards are significantly above average and the pupils' achievement by the end of Year 6 is outstanding"

"The headteacher provides clear and calm leadership which enthuses and unites all the staff"

Download the full 2007 Ofsted report from the LAMPS Downloads page.

Recycling Rewards for Schools 2006/07

LAMPS was one of the top performing schools in Cumbria in the 2006/07 Recycling Rewards for Schools campaign. Children collected pledges from friends and family, promising that household waste would be recycled using Council facilities. Children received rewards such as bookmarks, pencil cases, and notebooks made from recycled materials, depending on the number of pledges that they collected.

Mr Barlow, Mrs Smith, and three LAMPS pupils attended a lunch and awards ceremony at Rheged on 10th May 2007, where the school was presented with a guitar as a reward for its achievement. Joseph Richards from LAMPS Year 6 won an underwater camera as the prize for collecting the most pledges in the school.

Investors in People Accreditation 2007

LAMPS has achieved the Investors in People (IIP) Standard following several years of staff training and effort, confirmed after an extensive assessment in January 2007. This is a national standard that sets out a level of good practice for the training and development of people, and is a key element of the Government's Skills Strategy. Research shows that IIP in schools leads to more effective employee development and better use of resources.

The assessor states in his report, "The school has maintained enviable outcomes over a period of years and these achievements have been recognised locally and nationally. All are clear that the learning and development undertaken by all staff has been fundamental in these achievements. The enthusiasm for learning and development is clearly apparent in all and learning outcomes and experiences are shared amongst the whole team."

A few highlights from the report are:

"The school enjoys very strong links with a local playgroup... [this] combines to the strong feel of the whole community school"

"Learning and development [of staff] above and beyond the norm has resulted in a highly skilled team"

"The school is also popular with student teachers due to its reputation and one student remarked, "I am very lucky to be here"."

"Culturally, the school is a place where people feel highly valued"

The report concludes with the statement, "Whilst there is an awareness of the good results, all were clear in the need not to become complacent and the team are constantly striving to become even better."

2006 Primary School Achievement & Attainment Tables

The DfES Primary School Achievement & Attainment Tables published on 7th December 2006 once again show LAMPS in the top set of primary schools in England. LAMPS was one of only 6 schools in Cumbria to achieve 100% at Level 4+ in all subjects, and one of only 209 schools in England to achieve top marks out of a total of 13,500 primary schools. Lindal's average points score is 31.1 out of a maximum of 33, which is also excellent. This reflects the high percentage of pupils achieving Level 5. See article below on 2005 League tables for an explanation of this score.

2006 Key Stage 2 SATS Results

Our Year 6 children have achieved excellent  KS2 SATS results this year. For the fourth year running, all Year 6 children have achieved 100% at Level 4+ in all subjects. A breakdown of results is as follows:

These results are once again very high and are reflective of the hard work put in by both children and staff.

School Profile 2004/05

This is the first Online School profile to be published, in line with Government policy, replacing the Governors' Reports issued in previous years. The profile summarises activities, achievements, policies, improvement initiatives, and community relations during the academic year 2004/05.

The profile includes an evaluation of progress made by pupils between the ages of 7 and 11, in which LAMPS performance is shown as "broadly average". It is the view of the LAMPS Headteacher and the Governors that this is a statistical nonsense. Most children at LAMPS exceed expectations by achieving Level 3 in KS1 at age 7, and would need to achieve Level 6 in KS2 at age 11 so that the school can be shown to add value. However, the highest result one can achieve at KS2 is Level 5. Therefore, although LAMPS 2005 KS2 results were exceptional, it is IMPOSSIBLE for the school to demonstrate by this method that it adds value.

Healthy School Re-accreditation

LAMPS is one of the first 16 primary and secondary schools in Cumbria to be re-accredited as a Healthy School. This recognises an effective whole-school approach to a range of health-related activities covering personal health, Social & Health Education (PSHE), healthy eating, physical activity, and emotional health & wellbeing.

Three pupils from LAMPS (Dominic Burns, Scott Garnett and Erin Tubman) made a presentation to an audience of over 100 people, and received the award on behalf of the school, at a ceremony in Rheged Discovery Centre in Penrith on 5th July 2006. Find out more on the national Wired for Health website.

Full Marks again for LAMPS in 2005 Primary School League Tables

Once again, Lindal and Marton Primary School has done exceptionally well in the DfES Primary School League Tables. The tables, published on 2nd December 2005, show that for the third year running all eligible children at the school attained Level 4 or above in English, Maths and Science. The percentage of pupils obtaining Level 5 is exceptional, ranking LAMPS equal twelfth out of all primary schools in England against this measure according to tables published in The Telegraph on 2nd December 2005.

An analysis published in The Independent on 2nd December 2005 ranked Lindal and Marton 9th in the UK based on an average points score of 32 out of a maximum possible of 33. Under this system each school is awarded 15 points for every pupil reaching level 2 and below, 21 points for level 3, 27 points for level 4, and 33 points for level 5. The total number of points is then divided by the total number of exam entries to achieve the average points score.

2005 Key Stage 2 SATS Results

Our Year 6 children have achieved exceptional KS2 SATS results this year. All Year 6 children have achieved 100% at Level 4+ in all subjects. A breakdown of results is as follows: