Setting

Mrs K Cane Headteacher Forest Lodge Primary School Charnor Road Leicester LE3 6LH

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Lodge Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 26 October 2011, for the time you gave to our phone discussion and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection. Please convey my thanks to the Chair of the Governing Body and to your School Improvement Partner for meeting with me. A special thanks also to those pupils who I spoke to during lessons and around the school, who were very helpful indeed.

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Lodge Primary School

Since the last school inspection in April 2010 there have been some changes in staffing, both in teaching; middle and senior management teams. A key member of staff from the Early Years Foundation Stage has been placed in Key Stage 1 and other key staff have been strategically moved to strengthen each year group team. There have been no other significant changes in the school’s context.

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Lodge Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 21 April 2010, 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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Lodge Primary School

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

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Lodge Primary School

The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress is at least satisfactory. This is largely due to much improved teaching and learning, consistently good behaviour and pupils’ positive attitudes. Children start school with skills and experiences that are well below expected levels. They make good progress and, by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, most children reach the expectations for their age in four of the six areas of learning. In physical development and creative development, the vast majority exceed national expectations. This overall progress is now being sustained into Year 1, where there is good teaching to raise children’s phonic 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 Page 2 awareness and confidence in reading. However, standards in Key Stages 1 and 2

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Lodge Primary School

remain below average overall. Due to a consistent whole-school focus, this year the very large majority of pupils made the progress expected of them in writing, which was an improvement on previous years. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 were in line with the national average. There was also a slight upward shift in reading standards, although pupils still fell short of the national expected levels, as they also did in mathematics. Due to the support received in speaking, listening, reading and writing, those pupils learning English as an additional language performed in line with all other pupils. Too few pupils gained Level 3 in reading and mathematics. This was similar to the picture in Key Stage 2, where only a small proportion of pupils gained Level 5 in English and mathematics. Boys in Key Stage 2 significantly outperformed girls in mathematics.

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Lodge Primary School

Pupils agree that they enjoy their lessons more than they used to and that the advice gained from staff helps their progress. They are becoming more confident at identifying what their work must contain to ensure they reach a particular level and they regularly refer to clear individual targets. Activities which enable pupils to think for themselves and to use and apply their existing knowledge are regular features in lessons.

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Lodge Primary School

The school continues to improve and has sustained all of the good outcomes from the last inspection. Attendance is moving closer to the school’s target and to national expectations. The school is rigorous in following up non-attendance and manages this effectively. Staff have high expectations for pupils and there is a purposeful and happy atmosphere across all cohorts. Strong relationships and effective transition into new year groups ensures there is a minimum of disruption and that pupils settle quickly. This has been better managed this year from the Reception Year to Year 1. Staff are working more closely together and have an improved understanding of each other’s curriculum. Mutual sharing of ideas and planning in pairs is also proving beneficial in raising quality and consistency across the school. Pupils in Year 1 have a specially tailored curriculum which incorporates opportunities for them to choose

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Lodge Primary School

their own activities in both an indoor and outdoor learning environment. This new approach has suited those pupils who are more active learners.

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Lodge Primary School

Teaching across the school has improved and is now mostly good or better. There are clear learning objectives and regular assessment of pupils’ progress towards these within lessons. Consequently, planning is continually adapted and work is mostly well suited to the needs of the pupils and groups of pupils. Interventions are only sustained if they are judged to make a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Close working between all staff and regular volunteers ensure that group work and individual support for pupils both inside and out of the classroom is of high quality and that all pupils have equal opportunities to access the curriculum and make required levels of progress. September 2010 Page 3 This is all monitored very closely by leaders, including the governing body. Senior leaders are effective in their roles. Middle leaders and other staff share a collective responsibility for ensuring the breadth of the curriculum and the progress of pupils

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Lodge Primary School

across the school. The school has made good progress in making the necessary improvements from the last inspection aided by some radical strategic decisions, for example in the organisation of resources and improvements in the learning environment. The whole team has demonstrated commitment and have been guided by an appropriately focussed, but manageable school improvement plan, well- targeted professional development and regular feedback on performance. The school has improved strategies for setting pupils’ targets and marking pupils’ work. Assessment over time is thorough and the school is making increasingly effective use of its data.

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Lodge Primary School

The school is building its capacity for sustained improvement well because of the increased stability and strengthening of the staff, and its ability to accurately assess itself and appropriately identify priorities for action. It is making effective use of the internal expertise and sharing this widely amongst colleagues. Links are being further developed with outstanding providers and strong links are already established with other local schools, which are mutually supportive of the school’s context and journey. The school values highly the contribution that parents and carers make to their children’s progress and is not complacent in continually working towards building strong partnerships with them. The school works effectively with other key partners to enliven the curriculum and to ensure the continued safety of the most vulnerable pupils, including those transferring to other schools, those with

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Lodge Primary School

special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face the most challenging circumstances at home.

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Lodge Primary School

The school has received effective support from the local authority which continues to monitor the school closely. It has reviewed the school’s practice in teaching and the school’s analysis of the impact of interventions on pupil progress. Consultants have been involved in developing the teaching of phonics and moderating pupils’ work across the school, which has been confirmed to have been accurately assessed. It has helped to check on the school’s own quality assurance procedures and monitor the work of the governing body.

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Lodge Primary School

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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place in April 2010:

 Give teachers in Year 1 opportunity to work with practitioners in the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure learning builds more consistently from this September on pupils’ good start.

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place in April 2010:

 Ensure consistency in teachers’ feedback during and at the ends of lessons so that pupils: - have a clear understanding of what they are learning and why - know how to improve the quality of their work and make faster progress.

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place in April 2010:

 Monitor teaching more rigorously to ensure that in lessons teachers: - give pupils enough time to practise, extend and apply their skills and learning - organise and structure activities that support and challenge learning more effectively.

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