Stanway Fiveways Primary School

Stanway Fiveways Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 114764 Local Authority Essex Inspection number 357612 Inspection dates 12–13 October 2010 Reporting inspector Madeleine Gerard

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 221 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Yates Headteacher Barry Nevin Date of previous school inspection 22 November 2007 School address Winstree Road Colchester CO3 0QG Telephone number 01206 574849 Fax number 01206 766327 Email address admin@stanwayfiveways.essex.sch.uk

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Age group 4–11 Inspection dates 12–13 October 2010 Inspection number 357612 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 1234 234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The inspectors observed 18 lessons or parts of lessons, taught by eight teachers and held meetings with groups of pupils, staff and governors. They observed the school's work, and looked at work in pupils' books, tracking data showing pupils' attainment and the progress they are making, and the school's development plans. They also considered 48 responses to the questionnaire received from parents and carers. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.  How effectively does the school use tracking data and assessment information to set targets and match work to the needs of all groups of pupils?  How accurately does the school monitor the quality of its work and ensure consistency of provision through the school, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, so that all pupils learn and progress well?

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Information about the school

This is an average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average. Most of these pupils have specific learning difficulties or speech, language and communication needs. The proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language is much lower than average and very few are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is lower than average. More pupils than average join and leave the school part-way through their education. The school has achieved a number of nationally recognised awards including Healthy Schools status and the Activemark. There have been a number of staff changes over recent years.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

Stanway Fiveways Primary is a satisfactory school. Its strengths are in the care, guidance and support that the pupils' receive and in some aspects of their personal development. Children get off to a sound start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Teaching through the rest of the school, although good in a few classes, is satisfactory and enables pupils to make satisfactory gains in their learning and to reach average attainment by the end of Year 6. Good systems to track pupils' progress regularly are in place. However, teachers' planning does not always use information from assessments well enough to plan the next steps in pupils' learning. This means that pupils are not always set suitably challenging tasks to do. As a result, the pace of learning is not always as swift as it should be. In some classes pupils know their targets and some marking suggests how pupils can improve their work; in other classes, the marking does not provide pupils with sufficient

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Main findings

guidance. The school has a clear understanding of its performance as a result of accurate self- evaluation, although the impact of this evaluation is only satisfactory. Recent improvement in the accuracy and use of assessment in the Reception class is helping staff to plan further learning experiences that are closely matched to children's needs. This is having a positive impact on children's progress as their most recent outcomes show. Enhancements to the way writing is being taught and an emphasis on promoting listening and speaking skills have been rightly introduced. However, these have not been in place long enough to show their impact on raising attainment in English. Monitoring of teaching has not ensured consistent strengths. Although attainment has remained broadly average since the last inspection, improvements to the curriculum in English, explicit teaching of letters and the sounds they make (phonics), and enhancements in the Early Years Foundation Stage reflect the

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Main findings

school's satisfactory capacity for sustained improvement. Attendance has risen and is average as a result of the school's promotion of regular attendance and good punctuality. Pupils enjoy school as many parents and carers confirmed. The school's success in achieving Healthy Schools status and the Activemark reflect the pupils' positive attitudes to keeping fit and healthy. Extra-curricular sports clubs, including football, rugby and netball, are popular. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to develop bicycling proficiency skills, including 'love your bike day' and 'cycle to school day', as well as bicycle maintenance sessions. Visits from the local emergency services and advice on how to keep themselves safe when using computers support pupils' good awareness of how to keep themselves safe.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and increase rates of learning and progress by: using information from assessments to plan work that is consistently well matched to all pupils' needs using marking and target setting to ensure that all pupils have clear guidance that shows them what they need to do to improve their work.  Develop and extend the skills of leaders and managers in monitoring in order to secure improvement and consistency both in provision and in learning and progress so that teaching is consistently good and all pupils learn and progress well.  Up to 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Children join the school with skills and capabilities that are generally those expected for their age. Pupils' achievement and enjoyment in their learning is satisfactory. The reason why progress is not better than this was illustrated in a literacy lesson, when the time spent listening to the teacher left limited time for pupils to complete independent work and to review their learning. Similarly, during whole-class teaching in a mathematics lesson, the work was not matched in difficulty to the full range of pupils' learning needs. In some lessons, pupils were observed to make better progress. For example, in another literacy lesson, pupils were practising their persuasive writing skills. The teacher explained clearly what the pupils had to do and displayed examples. Pupils were engaged in the task because it successfully captured their interests. More-able pupils were appropriately challenged because they were expected to write persuasively in support of an opposite

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

point of view to the rest of the class. Additional adults worked well with groups of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to help them develop their ideas. Pupils who join the school part-way through their education are well supported so that they settle quickly. Pupils speaking English as an additional language are swiftly assessed and receive appropriately targeted support to help them make satisfactory progress. Pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities also receive extra help from adults in lessons and in withdrawal groups, but they make satisfactory gains overall because the quality of this provision is variable. More-able pupils are sometimes set work that is insufficiently challenging. This is why the proportion of pupils reaching above-average attainment at the end of Year 6 is only average. A few pupils need extra guidance in order to settle at school and in class but most are

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

polite and behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils are keen to take on responsibility within the school, for example, selling fruit and healthy snacks at breaktime. During the inspection, the Fiveways Friends hosted visitors attending the harvest festival assembly and enjoyed serving refreshments to them at breaktime. Each year, the school council leads charity fundraising. It has also chosen play equipment for pupils to use at breaktime and advocated the introduction of the school's two pet guinea pigs. Opportunities for pupils to contribute to the wider local community are more limited.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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3

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

Although additional adults are sometimes used well in lessons to contribute to pupils' learning and progress, teachers' planning does not always identify specifically what they should be doing to support learning to ensure that all pupils make swift progress. When pupils spend too long listening to the teacher, or when work is not appropriately matched to all pupils' needs the pace of learning drops and their progress slows. Mathematics and English are rightly prioritised in the curriculum. There are some links developing between subjects. For example, pupils were practising their computing skills while writing about recycling. However, opportunities are sometimes missed for pupils to use and practise new numeracy and literacy skills when learning other curriculum subjects; this hinders the rate of progress. Specialist music teaching enhances the provision. All pupils in Years 3 to 6 have opportunities to play the guitar. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 learn French.

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How effective is the provision?

Pastoral care is good. The school knows individual pupils well. Adults, including the well- being leader, play a strong role in promoting pupils' personal, social and emotional development. In particular, they provide good additional care and guidance to vulnerable pupils and their families. The lunchtime club successfully provides a safe haven for pupils who may lack confidence in the playground. The school works hard to promote regular attendance and good punctuality, although attendance is average.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The safeguarding arrangements are good because leaders and governors are watchful and procedures are rigorous. Staff have a detailed awareness of safeguarding issues, and the staff and governing body receive regular training. Quality assurance and risk assessments are good. Community cohesion is promoted soundly. Pupils have a good knowledge of themselves as part of the school and local community. Donations, for example to a local hospice, foster their awareness of others within the community. Opportunities to take part in music performances with pupils from other local schools as well as inter-school sporting events also promote strong ties within the community. However, pupils' awareness of those who live in communities other than their own in the United Kingdom and globally is more limited. The school's systems to ensure that monitoring secures sustained improvements in teaching, learning and outcomes for pupils are not always as effective as they should be.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The governing body is supportive and has a good knowledge of the school but has not always held the school sufficiently to account over pupils' attainment and their rates of learning and progress. Leaders and managers drive improvement and embed ambition soundly. The school has taken some appropriate steps resulting in some key enhancements. Nevertheless, their impact has been uneven and some inconsistencies remain. Some leaders and managers have only recently been appointed and have not had time to develop their roles in monitoring the school to secure rapid improvements. The school's work to promote equality and tackle discrimination is only satisfactory because there are shortcomings in ensuring that the needs of all pupils are consistently well met.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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3

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Transition arrangements are good and help children to settle quickly when they start in the Reception class. These include visits made by staff to local pre-school settings to meet the children before they join the school. Children work and play well together and are happy. They form positive relationships with adults and other children. Children were observed practising their literacy skills painting letters on the ground in the outside areas and sharing resources successfully together. However, the use made of the outdoor spaces to support children's learning is sometimes limited. This is because adults do not always ensure that children have opportunities to develop their skills in all areas of learning through a wide variety of engaging tasks while outside. Activities for children to choose for themselves are sometimes restricted when adult-directed tasks reduce the time available for children to develop their independence and creativity. Detailed records of

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Views of parents and carers

The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to the questionnaire confirmed that their children enjoy school. The very large majority of them are confident that the school keeps their children safe and are happy with their children's experience at the school. A very small minority expressed concern over the way the school is led and the management of behaviour. A few noted that they did not feel that their children make good progress. A small minority also felt the school could do more to take account of their suggestions and keep them informed about how well their children are doing. Inspectors found behaviour to be satisfactory. They found rates of progress, and leadership to be satisfactory, but they did find that pupils could be doing better, and more could be done to ensure pupils know what to do to improve further. Some aspects of leadership also are points for improvement.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Stanway Fiveways Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 48 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 221 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 27 56 21 44 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 27 56 19 40 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 17 35 24 50 5 10 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 13 27 26 54 7 15 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 11 23 33 69 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 17 35 25 52 5 10 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 18 38 27 56 3 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 13 27 28 58 5 10 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 14 29 28 58 5 10 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 9 19 29 60 8 17 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 8 17 31 65 6 13 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 7 15 31 65 6 13 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 17 35 28 58 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures in clude those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Stanway Fiveways Primary School, Colchester, CO3 0QG

Thank you for your friendly welcome and for helping us when we inspected your school recently. We really enjoyed our visit and particularly enjoyed hearing you singing during the harvest festival assembly. I am writing to tell you about the judgements that we reached. Stanway Fiveways Primary is a satisfactory school. You like coming to school and enjoy taking on responsibilities within the school. You have a good understanding of how to keep yourselves fit, healthy and safe. The youngest children get off to a satisfactory start in the Reception class. Although you make satisfactory progress in Years 1 to 6, many of you could do better. To make the school even better, we have asked the staff to make sure they set work for all of you that is the right level of difficulty. All of you can help by telling your teachers if the work is too easy or too difficult. When teachers mark your work, we would like them

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Inspection of Stanway Fiveways Primary School, Colchester, CO3 0QG

to give you a clear idea about what you need to do to move on to the next level. We have also asked the school to make sure that all of its work is consistently good. Finally, I would like to thank you again and wish you well in the future.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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