Setting

Miss Nicola Lenton Acting Headteacher Belvoirdale Community Primary School Scotlands Road Coalville LE67 3RD

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Primary School

Following my visit to your school with Vanessa Ward on 10 and 11 May 2011, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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Primary School

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in November 2010. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below.

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Primary School

Progress since being subject to special measures – satisfactory.

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Primary School

Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed at this time.

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Primary School

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be posted on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Interim Executive Board and the Director of Children’s Services for Leicestershire.

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Additional Inspector

Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH Ofsted T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Serco Direct T 0121 683 3888

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place in November 2010

 Raise standards and achievement, particularly in English and mathematics at Key Stages 1 and 2, and ensure that pupils’ achievement is commensurate with their capabilities.

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place in November 2010

 As a matter of some urgency, improve the quality of teaching and learning further, so that the large majority is good or better and has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement by: – using data and other pupil information more effectively to plan activities that meet the needs of all pupils, particularly for higher attainers and those who find learning difficult – ensuring teachers provide both oral and written comments to pupils that will help them to improve their work further – helping teachers to use questioning techniques more effectively to challenge pupils’ thinking and lead to accelerated pupil progress – using time more effectively in lessons to ensure a brisk pace of learning.

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place in November 2010

 Ensure that school leaders and managers at all levels in Key Stage 1 and 2 improve the school’s performance by: – rigorously monitoring and evaluating the impact of initiatives to improve pupils’ attainment, achievement and progress – taking swift and effective actions to address weaknesses.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and pupils’ workbooks. They met both with the acting and the executive headteacher, with groups of pupils, the Chair of the Interim Executive Board, a representative from the local authority and subject coordinators for English and mathematics.

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Context

Since the previous inspection, the governing body has been replaced by an Interim Executive Board and an executive headteacher has been brought in to work alongside the acting headteacher on two and a half days a week. One teacher has returned from maternity leave.

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

From lesson observations, work in pupils’ books and school data it is clear that current progress of a very large majority of pupils from all groups is now at least at the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics. In many lessons observed during this inspection, progress was good. The exception is in reading for pupils in Year 6 where progress over the previous two terms has been slower. School leaders are investigating why this could be. The new tracking systems that the school has in place have amalgamated the results for the previous two terms. This makes acceleration or otherwise in progress term-by-term in the past difficult to interpret. The system is now set up to monitor progress each term in the future. The progress of young children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Reception classes continues to be good, as identified in the previous report.

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

Equality of opportunity is improving. Pupils enjoy lessons and concentrate hard to try to do their best. Many say that mathematics is their favourite lesson and they respond to the challenge of tackling more complex computations with visible enthusiasm. There is clear evidence that interventions, especially for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are already having a measurable and positive impact on the progress these pupils make.

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

Standards attained by pupils in Year 6 are now broadly in line with those expected for their ages. However, in Year 2 standards are still below those expected. This indicates the lack of progress made in the past from the end of the Reception year: children end their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage with standards in the six areas of learning which are in line with those expected for their age.

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

The school has attained the milestone it set itself for April 2011 which was to ensure that the very large majority of pupils made at least expected progress from November 2010 and met the targets set for them by that time. However, there is no complacency and all staff and leaders are aware that there is further to go to erode the backlog of under-achievement from earlier years. Areas identified for improvement from the scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks in Key Stages 1 and 2 are the inconsistencies in the quality of handwriting and presentation of work.

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

Progress since the last section 5 inspection:

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

 Raise standards and achievement, particularly in English and mathematics at Key Stages 1 and 2, and ensure that pupils’ achievement is commensurate with their capabilities – satisfactory.

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Other relevant pupil outcomes

Pupils enjoy school. They comment particularly on subjects, such as physical education, mathematics and art. The great majority attend regularly. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe and how to keep healthy. They say that school is a pleasant place to be and that they are happy. They feel secure and well looked after in school and are particularly appreciative of the fairness of the behaviour management systems. They say: ‘If you do something wrong you get a warning and if you are good you get praised.’ Safeguarding continues to be good as identified in the previous inspection report. Pupils interact well with each other and with adults. Their behaviour is good and there has been a decline in the number of exclusions. Pupils’ contribution to the community is satisfactory. They are polite and considerate of others and keen to work for others less fortunate than themselves. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory.

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The effectiveness of provision

The quality of teaching is already showing signs of improvement. Staff are all aware of the criteria for development that the school has set. While not all of the teaching in lessons observed during inspection was satisfactory or better, in most of the lessons seen it was good. This is leading to the majority of pupils making at least satisfactory and sometimes good progress in their learning. Teachers use information from assessment well to plan lessons to meet the needs of pupils of all levels of prior attainment in most cases. However, further refinement and sharpness to this is needed to ensure that pupils are always suitably challenged. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities enables these pupils to be fully integrated into all aspects of school life. Care, guidance and support are satisfactory, as at the time of the previous inspection. The curriculum is suitably balanced. Teachers make every effort to make lessons

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The effectiveness of provision

interesting and to capture pupils’ interest. This was seen in one class where the teacher took on the role of ‘Farmer Duck’ with great success, much to the enjoyment of the class. In another, it was planned to act out the story of ‘The Good Samaritan’ to enable pupils to understand the different viewpoints of the characters. However, opportunities to use work in other subjects to maximise and reinforce the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills are sometimes missed.

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The effectiveness of provision

Teachers’ marking has improved. A new system has been put into place and written comments in books guide pupils as to what to do to further improve their work. Teachers explain the learning aims for each lesson and pupils are encouraged to assess and indicate how well they think they have done at the end of the session. This enables teachers to easily see which pupils are confident that they have understood clearly what was taught, and those who are still unsure and may need further explanation. In addition, pupils all now have ‘next steps’ for each in reading, writing and mathematics. These are displayed clearly on walls in all classes. However, in conversation a number of pupils could not remember what their next steps were although they knew where they could find them. Several pupils commented that the wording of these next steps was too long for them to remember easily.

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The effectiveness of provision

Progress since the last section 5 inspection:

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The effectiveness of provision

 As a matter of some urgency, improve the quality of teaching and learning further, so that the large majority is good or better and has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement−satisfactory.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders and managers have ensured that the messages from the previous inspection have been taken fully on board and that there is a whole-school determination to address them. A new Interim Executive Board has been set up. A recently appointed executive headteacher works alongside the acting headteacher for half of each week. Leaders have worked with each teacher to develop a specific plan for raising the quality of their teaching still further. Staff all have a positive attitude and are committed to the drive for improvement. This is demonstrated by a general willingness to accept advice and work as a whole team. Learning walls, where teachers display targets for the next step for each pupil to take in reading, writing and mathematics, are now in every classroom. Plans are in place to develop a teaching and learning strategy: improvements to the quality of teaching and learning have already been put into place, such as the revised marking system. There has

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

been a very recent reorganisation of teaching in Key Stage 1, so that pupils are taught in four smaller classes each morning. However, this has been happening for too short a time to enable any measurement of the impact on the quality of learning. Subject leaders for English and mathematics have undertaken monitoring and are using this information to develop strategies to raise standards further.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The school’s plans for improvement are appropriate and based firmly on the areas identified by the previous report. However, the timing of some parts of the plan, such as the appointment of a permanent headteacher and a deputy headteacher, are constrained by factors outside of the school’s control. Those parts which the school has been able to address, such as the revision of the systems for monitoring data on pupils’ progress, have been undertaken rigorously and are already starting to show benefits.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Monitoring and analysis is now more directly linked to actions, such as interventions to support pupils who are not making the progress expected. The promotion of equality of opportunity for all is thus being strengthened. School self-evaluation is accurate and known to all. Parents have been fully informed of all of the new moves and the reasons behind them. As well as parental representation on the Interim Executive board, there is also an established parental forum. The acting headteacher ensures that messages to parents and carers are not only sent in letter form but also placed on the school website. Older pupils speak of the improvement in behaviour and the decrease in the number of exclusions in the previous term with pride.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Progress since the last section 5 inspection:

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

 Ensure that school leaders and managers at all levels in Key Stage 1 and 2 improve the school’s performance−satisfactory.

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External support

The local authority is providing a good level of support for the school. The original plan submitted by the local authority was deemed by Ofsted to require amendments. These have now been made. The current plan outlines significant support for the three areas for improvement highlighted in the original inspection. The quality of support so far has enabled systems to be reviewed, new procedures put into place and accurate evaluations made on all aspects of the school day.

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Priorities for further improvement

No priorities for further support were identified in this inspection.

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