Setting

September 2010 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 1 13 July 2011

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Mr C Lewis Headteacher Water Orton Primary School Attleboro Lane Water Orton Birmingham B46 1SB

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Orton Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 12 July 2011, for the time you gave to our phone discussion and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection. Please pass on my thanks to the pupils, staff and Chair of the Governing Body for the time they gave to meet with me.

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Orton Primary School

Since the school was last inspected, staffing has remained stable.

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Orton Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 23 September 2009, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement which are set out in the annex to this letter.

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Orton Primary School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made satisfactory progress in making improvements and satisfactory progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Orton Primary School

Since the last inspection, the school has placed a greater emphasis on improving the quality of teaching and learning. Robust systems have been introduced to keep a close eye on the progress made by different groups of pupils, particularly those at risk of not reaching their target levels. Teachers have accurate up-to-date information about how well pupils are progressing and they use this to plan lessons. Consequently, standards across the school are rising and a greater proportion of pupils are making at least satisfactory progress. Pupils in Year 2 make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, but this is not consistent across the school.

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Orton Primary School

Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage generally make good progress in most areas of learning and enter Year 1 broadly in line with the expected level for their Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH Ofsted T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Serco Direct T 0121 683 3888 September 2010 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 2 age. The latest school data indicate that a greater proportion of pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are reaching the expected levels in reading and mathematics. However, too few pupils are reaching the expected level in writing. The latest unvalidated data for the 2011 national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 indicate that a greater proportion of pupils are reaching Level 4 in reading, writing and mathematics. At the end of Year 2, the latest moderated teacher assessments indicate that standards have improved slightly at Level 2C+ in reading and mathematics. Since the school was

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Orton Primary School

last inspected, the proportion of pupils making the expected two levels’ progress between Key Stages 1 and 2 has risen and the school has exceeded its targets by 10% in mathematics and English.

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Orton Primary School

The quality of teaching is improving but is yet to have a full effect in ensuring that pupils make consistently good progress. Lessons are focused on clear learning objectives. In general, activities are suitably matched to the needs of the pupils. Teachers routinely use a range of strategies to engage and challenge pupils such as role play, partner work and tailored questioning. Relationships in lessons are positive and pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good. On occasion, the pace of learning slows when pupils spend too long working in groups or teachers miss opportunities to raise expectations regarding the amount of work to be completed. Teachers know their pupils very well and they use this information, alongside assessments, to ensure that all pupils, particularly those at risk of not achieving their targets, receive appropriate support. Support staff are effectively deployed and

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Orton Primary School

make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning and well-being. Lessons observed during the monitoring visit were judged to be satisfactory overall. Pupils’ work is regularly marked with positive comments and helpful guidance on how work could be improved. Pupils report that they particularly enjoy using success criteria to check how well they are doing.

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Orton Primary School

The headteacher’s good leadership underpins the school’s improvements and the gains secured so far. Since the last inspection, leaders and managers at all levels have grown in confidence and there is a keen sense of urgency in driving forward further improvements. The school standards team are making a positive contribution to school improvement and have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Regular monitoring and evaluation is undertaken through lesson observations, book trawls and discussions with pupils. The school development plan rightly focuses on raising standards and improving achievement. However, the plan lacks regular measurable targets and milestones that are clearly linked to raising standards and accelerating achievement.

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Orton Primary School

The satisfactory progress made by the school in addressing the issues for improvement, coupled with secure systems for monitoring and evaluation represent satisfactory progress in demonstrating a better capacity to improve further. The local authority has provided helpful support as and when requested by the school. The impact of this work has been satisfactory. During the inspection, safeguarding procedures were checked and found to meet the latest requirements. September 2010 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 3 I hope that you have found the inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

September 2010 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 4 Once the school has had 24 hours to report any factual inaccuracies , the post-inspection letter is copied as appropriate to the following:

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

 Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board  Local authority – except for academies  Contractor providing support services on behalf of the local authority - where appropriate  Diocese – for voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools  The person or body responsible for appointing foundation governors if the school has a foundation.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

The letters should also be copied electronically to: each member of the inspection team,

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

A copy with editing marked up should be forwarded to the: Lead inspector September 2010 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 5

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Raise standards at the end of Key Stage 2 by improving the quality of teaching from satisfactory to consistently good or better so that pupils make greater and more even progress as they move through the school.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Extend the very good practice used to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to other pupils who are at risk of not reaching their individual target levels.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Develop the leadership skills of staff with posts of responsibility, thus enabling the headteacher to share the monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance.

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