Ellison Boulters School
Encyclopedia
Ellison Boulters Church of England Primary School is situated in Scothern
, Lincolnshire
, on Sudbrooke Road. It has around 260 pupils, and accepts them mainly from the village of Scothern
and the neighbouring villages of Langworth
and Sudbrooke
. In recent years, however, pupils have been accepted from some distance outside this three-village catchment area for which it was built, as a result of which a place at the school for local children is no longer guaranteed.
There was considerable controversy over the siting of the new school in the mid-1980s, the villages of Scothern and Sudbrooke each claiming to be the most appropriate place for the school. After months of disagreement, lobbying and legal challenges, a crucial vote of Lincolnshire County Councillors in March 1986 settled the issue and it was decided to go ahead with the original proposals for the Scothern site.
in Welton
and those in Nettleham
have improved their performance in the official Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) league tables, Ellison Boulters has fallen back in its relative performance. After the departure of the highly focussed and successful founding heads referred to above and since the arrival of the current head Jenny Wheeldon, the school's position in the performance tables and its results have fallen dramatically. Its aggregate score in the 2006 DCSF tables (see external links below) had fallen to below that of around 25 (50 in 2007) other primary schools in the county, and its value added score put it in the bottom quarter. Results have continued to deteriorate between 2004 and 2007, as shown by the table below, and whilst schools in Lincolnshire have improved their aggregate performance each year, Ellison Boulters School has achieved a lower outcome in each successive year.
Until the change of policy introduced by the current head, almost all children moved from Ellison Boulters to the comprehensive William Farr School
at age 11. The policy now is to encourage children to take the 11+ with a view to Grammar School entrance, normally Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle
, though the 2009 league tables show that William Farr School
still achieves better A-level results.
Aggregate across the three core subjects: pupils achieving expected level or above
2004 300 (Lincolnshire 239)
2005 288 (Lincolnshire 243)
2006 280 (Lincolnshire 242)
2007 270 (Lincolnshire 246)
Aggregate of test percentages for Level 5
Aggregate across the three core subjects: pupils achieving above the expected level
2004 227 (Lincolnshire 102)
2005 167 (Lincolnshire 104)
2006 163 (Lincolnshire 112)
2007 145 (Lincolnshire 113)
"Consequently, in some lessons, the work does not closely meet the needs of all learners, especially the most able. This explains why progress is generally good, rather than outstanding"
Two areas of improvement were also noted:
"Raise standards in writing by ensuring that pupils are able to use different styles of writing which are appropriate to the purpose.
Build up the use of assessment data to improve further the progress that pupils make."
Scothern
Scothern is a small village in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England, situated north east of Lincoln, with approximately 1,000 inhabitants. Although neighbouring villages such as Sudbrooke, Dunholme, Nettleham and Welton have all been substantially redeveloped over recent years, with the addition...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, on Sudbrooke Road. It has around 260 pupils, and accepts them mainly from the village of Scothern
Scothern
Scothern is a small village in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England, situated north east of Lincoln, with approximately 1,000 inhabitants. Although neighbouring villages such as Sudbrooke, Dunholme, Nettleham and Welton have all been substantially redeveloped over recent years, with the addition...
and the neighbouring villages of Langworth
Langworth
Langworth is a small village in Lincolnshire about 7 miles north-east of Lincoln in the United Kingdom.The central spine of the village is the A158 Lincoln - Skegness road, on which are two public houses, a village store/post office and two garages. Langworth railway station, on the Grimsby–Lincoln...
and Sudbrooke
Sudbrooke
Sudbrooke is a small village in Lincolnshire, located approximately six miles north-east of Lincoln in England.Sudbrooke lies just off the A158 Lincoln - Skegness road, and although the original heart of the village near the church has existed for centuries, the main development as a commuter...
. In recent years, however, pupils have been accepted from some distance outside this three-village catchment area for which it was built, as a result of which a place at the school for local children is no longer guaranteed.
History
The school was built in 1988/89 (although the site had been earmarked for this purpose for many years) and opened in September 1989. The old Scothern and Langworth schools were closed by Lincolnshire County Council in July 1989 (two years after Scothern School's 150th anniversary) and the pupils transferred to the new school on Sudbrooke Road.There was considerable controversy over the siting of the new school in the mid-1980s, the villages of Scothern and Sudbrooke each claiming to be the most appropriate place for the school. After months of disagreement, lobbying and legal challenges, a crucial vote of Lincolnshire County Councillors in March 1986 settled the issue and it was decided to go ahead with the original proposals for the Scothern site.
The formative years
The new combined school was fortunate in having an exceptional head teacher, Len Clarke, when it opened in 1989. He had been the head teacher at the old Scothern School for many years prior to its closure, and responsible for creating a first-rate team of teachers, with a reputation second to none in the area. He went on, together with deputy head John Dewis and an excellent teaching team, to create the extraordinarily firm foundations on which the new school was built. When Len Clarke retired, the school attracted another remarkable head teacher, Andy Craven. He continued the work started by the school's first head and between them they quickly established Ellison Boulters as the highest ranked primary school in Lincolnshire (and one of the most highly ranked schools in the UK) in the Department for Education and Skills performance tables.Recent history
In recent years, however, whilst other local schools such as William Farr SchoolWilliam Farr School
William Farr Church of England Comprehensive School, generallyknown as William Farr School or just William Farr , is a Church of England comprehensive school in Dunholme, though the postal address places the school in Welton, five miles north-east of Lincoln...
in Welton
Welton
Welton may refer to:England*Welton, Cumbria*Welton, East Riding of Yorkshire*Welton, Lincolnshire**Once the centre of Welton Rural District*Welton, Northamptonshire*Welton, Somerset*Welton le Marsh in Lincolnshire*Welton le Wold in Lincolnshire...
and those in Nettleham
Nettleham
Nettleham is a large village and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:It is located four miles north-east of the city of Lincoln between the A46 and A158, and has a total resident population of 6,514....
have improved their performance in the official Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) league tables, Ellison Boulters has fallen back in its relative performance. After the departure of the highly focussed and successful founding heads referred to above and since the arrival of the current head Jenny Wheeldon, the school's position in the performance tables and its results have fallen dramatically. Its aggregate score in the 2006 DCSF tables (see external links below) had fallen to below that of around 25 (50 in 2007) other primary schools in the county, and its value added score put it in the bottom quarter. Results have continued to deteriorate between 2004 and 2007, as shown by the table below, and whilst schools in Lincolnshire have improved their aggregate performance each year, Ellison Boulters School has achieved a lower outcome in each successive year.
Until the change of policy introduced by the current head, almost all children moved from Ellison Boulters to the comprehensive William Farr School
William Farr School
William Farr Church of England Comprehensive School, generallyknown as William Farr School or just William Farr , is a Church of England comprehensive school in Dunholme, though the postal address places the school in Welton, five miles north-east of Lincoln...
at age 11. The policy now is to encourage children to take the 11+ with a view to Grammar School entrance, normally Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, is a selective, co-educational, foundation status Grammar School and Sixth Form College in the market town of Horncastle, Lincolnshire. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth's gained joint specialist status for science and mathematics inpartnership with Banovallum...
, though the 2009 league tables show that William Farr School
William Farr School
William Farr Church of England Comprehensive School, generallyknown as William Farr School or just William Farr , is a Church of England comprehensive school in Dunholme, though the postal address places the school in Welton, five miles north-east of Lincoln...
still achieves better A-level results.
Year on year comparisons
Aggregate of test percentages for Level 4 and aboveAggregate across the three core subjects: pupils achieving expected level or above
2004 300 (Lincolnshire 239)
2005 288 (Lincolnshire 243)
2006 280 (Lincolnshire 242)
2007 270 (Lincolnshire 246)
Aggregate of test percentages for Level 5
Aggregate across the three core subjects: pupils achieving above the expected level
2004 227 (Lincolnshire 102)
2005 167 (Lincolnshire 104)
2006 163 (Lincolnshire 112)
2007 145 (Lincolnshire 113)
Ofsted inspection reports
Although the 2001 Ofsted inspection report rated the school as "excellent" (commenting in its summary: "This is an excellent school that has many areas of strength and no significant weaknesses in any aspect of its work"), by the time of the 2006 Ofsted inspection (see external links below) the overall effectiveness of the school had become only "Grade 2 (Good)", and the report commented:"Consequently, in some lessons, the work does not closely meet the needs of all learners, especially the most able. This explains why progress is generally good, rather than outstanding"
Two areas of improvement were also noted:
"Raise standards in writing by ensuring that pupils are able to use different styles of writing which are appropriate to the purpose.
Build up the use of assessment data to improve further the progress that pupils make."