Edgewood Primary and Nursery School

Edgewood Primary and Nursery School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 122587 Local Authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 359277 Inspection dates 1–2 February 2011 Reporting inspector Susan Walsh

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 312 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Claire Calladine Headteacher Lynn Baker Date of previous school inspection 27 February 2008 School address Edgewood Drive Hucknall, Nottingham NG15 6HX Telephone number 0115 9561337 Fax number 0115 9561428 Email address office@edgewood.notts.sch.uk

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Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 1–2 February 2011 Inspection number 359277 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 123 4234, 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 123 4234 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. Inspectors visited 24 lessons and saw 13 teachers teach. Meetings were held with staff, governors and pupils. Inspectors observed the school's work and looked at the school's development plans, records of pupils' progress and samples of pupils' work in English and mathematics. They analysed 51 questionnaires from parents and carers, as well as questionnaires from pupils and staff. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas. These included:  the progress made by pupils in English and mathematics  the quality of support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and whether the programmes that are designed to help pupils catch up are successfully improving pupils' progress  the use of assessment to inform learning, looking particularly at the match of work

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Introduction

to pupils' needs  the action that leaders and managers are taking to raise attainment and accelerate pupils' progress.

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Information about the school

Edgewood Primary and Nursery School is larger than most primary schools. It is a joint- use school and shares its premises with a leisure centre and public library. The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly below average. However, the school does cater for a number of pupils with very complex needs, including some with forms of autism. There is no deputy headteacher. The assistant headteachers were appointed in September 2010. The school has achieved several awards, including the Gold Sports Award and the Activemark award, Gold Standard Healthy School Award, the International Schools Award, Financial Management Standard in Schools and Investors in People.

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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

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement. Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. However, pupils' progress through the rest of the school is inadequate, especially in literacy and numeracy. By the time pupils leave Year 6, attainment is low. Progress in writing is inadequate. There are weaknesses in the way pupils construct sentences and use punctuation, as well as in the accuracy of their spellings. Progress in mathematics is also inadequate and many pupils find it difficult to understand and use mathematical language. Additionally, their calculation and problem-solving skills are often weak. The extent to which pupils are

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Main findings

prepared for their future is inadequate because their basic skills are weak. Although teaching observed during the inspection was mainly satisfactory, with pockets of good teaching, inadequate outcomes indicate that teaching over time has not been satisfactory. There is not enough good teaching to improve pupils' progress and, as result, the gap between pupils' attainment and the national average is not closing quickly enough. In too many lessons, work is not adequately matched to pupils' needs and there is a lack of pace and challenge. Teachers' marking does not routinely provide pupils with sufficiently clear information about how to improve their work and academic targets are not used effectively. Moreover, there is insufficient emphasis on developing pupils' skills in literacy, numeracy and information communication technology (ICT) across the curriculum. The school is not without its strengths. It provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for

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Main findings

its pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/disabilities make relatively better progress than other pupils. This is because they are well supported in lessons by teachers and skilled teaching assistants. Pupils with particularly complex special needs are well provided for by staff who set clear boundaries and successfully simplify explanations so that pupils can take a full part in lessons. The school makes a good contribution to promoting community cohesion, is challenging racist behaviour and makes certain that pupils value other cultures and religions. Pupils are involved in a good range of interesting activities and are well informed about how to keep healthy and safe. Behaviour is satisfactory. Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities and make a good contribution to the school community. Many of the school's senior leaders, other than the headteacher, are very new to their roles and, although they are dedicated and enthusiastic, have not yet fully developed the

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Main findings

skills they need for the challenging job in hand. However, recent new appointments have

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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

resulted in a highly skilled governing body that is determined to secure school improvement. The school has introduced a more effective way of tracking the progress of its pupils. As a result, senior staff are aware that pupils are not making sufficient progress and recognise that attainment is too low. However, they have not been able to identify the causes of low attainment and slow progress because there has been insufficient monitoring of lessons and too few direct checks on the effect of teaching on the quality of pupils' work. The school has introduced a number of initiatives designed to boost pupils' progress, but the implementation of these initiatives has been patchy and their impact limited. Consequently, the school's capacity for sustained improvement is inadequate.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise levels of attainment in writing and mathematics by: improving pupils' sentence construction, punctuation and spelling, especially in Years 3 to 6 developing pupils' abilities to use and understand mathematical language, solve mathematical problems and calculate accurately ensuring that there is greater emphasis on developing pupils' skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology across the curriculum.  Ensure that there is a higher proportion of good teaching by: increasing the pace and level of challenge in lessons making certain that work set is always carefully matched to pupils' needs using marking and target setting more effectively in order to make sure that pupils know exactly how to improve their work.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by: ensuring that the monitoring of teaching and learning is regular, rigorous and involves checking the quality of pupils' work as well as formal monitoring of the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

quality of lessons developing the skills of senior leaders so that they can support the headteacher more effectively and make a better contribution to school improvement.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 4

Most children enter Year 1 with skills similar to those expected for their age. By the time they reach the end of Year 2 attainment is low and very few pupils reach the higher Level 3. By the end of Year 6, pupils have fallen even further behind and hardly any pupils attain the higher Level 5. Pupils make slow progress in writing. In many pupils' books, presentation is poor, reflecting low expectations on the part of teachers. Often, pupils have good ideas and are developing a secure vocabulary, but they struggle to record their thoughts. Their writing is frequently difficult to read because they are not able to construct sentences correctly and omit punctuation. Spelling is frequently inaccurate. The school is not reaching the minimum attainment targets set by the government for mathematics. In lessons, many pupils struggle with basic calculations and do not use mathematical language accurately. Despite these weaknesses in basic skills, most pupils persevere and

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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

try to do their best in lessons. One-to-one tuition has helped some pupils to make better progress. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress, especially when they are working in small groups with teaching assistants. For example, a small group of pupils with additional needs developed an appreciation of symmetry because they were provided with crystal-clear instructions and explanations from the teaching assistant. Most children feel safe at school, although several pupils and parents expressed concerns about inconsistencies in the way low-level misbehaviour is dealt with. During the inspection the inspectors did not observe any disorderly behaviour. Generally, there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in and around school. Pupils occasionally grow restless when teaching is not stimulating, but they are not disruptive. Overall, behaviour is satisfactory. Pupils like to keep active and many belong to clubs which combine exercise

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

and fun. The energetic school councillors play an important role in bringing about change in the school and the local community. For example, they have helped to develop the community pond. Pupils have a good awareness of other cultures, but their spiritual, moral and social development is only satisfactory. Pupils do not always have the opportunity to develop collaborative skills, and spirituality is not a strong feature across the school. Attendance has been low for several years and this, combined with low attainment, means that pupils are not adequately prepared for the next stage of their education.

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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 4

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 4

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 4

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 4

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

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4

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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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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How effective is the provision?

Teaching is consistently good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and there are examples of good teaching in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Where teaching is good, lessons are interesting and move along at a good pace. They capture pupils' interest well. However, there are too many lessons which lack these characteristics and teaching over time has not promoted adequate achievement. Some lessons are uninspiring, move along too slowly and are not challenging enough. In too many lessons, work is not carefully matched to pupils' needs. This results in more-able pupils marking time because work is too easy for them. There are also examples of where the work is too hard for some children. For instance, pupils of all abilities are regularly set the same mental arithmetic task resulting in demoralisingly low marks for those who found the test too challenging. There are occasions when books go unmarked for long periods, particularly in Key Stage 2. When

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How effective is the provision?

books are marked the marking is often inappropriately congratulatory and does not tell pupils how to improve their work. The school has been working with a partner school to improve the way targets are used. Although pupils know their individual targets for writing, these targets are rarely referred to in lessons or in teachers' marking. The curriculum provides many interesting and enriching activities but is inadequate because there is insufficient emphasis on promoting pupils' basic skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. In mathematics, too many worksheets are used and pupils have limited opportunities to investigate and solve problems. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to practise their writing skills and to use ICT. Positive aspects of the curriculum include the use of a good range of visits and visitors to ensure that pupils have ample opportunities to learn about other cultures. There is also a good variety of

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How effective is the provision?

after-school clubs and residential visits. Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on personal education which ensures that pupils are well informed about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and know about the importance of having a healthy diet and taking exercise. Pastoral care is effective in supporting pupils. Care for potentially vulnerable pupils is an established part of the school's provision and mentoring plays a useful role in providing individual support when pupils are facing personal challenges. Pupils with complex needs receive particularly good support. This is because support staff have developed their expertise through additional training. They understand pupils' needs well and manage uncharacteristic behaviours very effectively. Although the school has implemented strategies designed to improve attendance, their impact has been limited.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 4

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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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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How effective are leadership and management?

Leaders and managers are not taking effective steps to realise their ambition for the school. The school has tried several initiatives in an attempt to drive up attainment but without success. The emphasis on developing younger pupils' speaking skills has resulted in small improvements to attainment in speaking and listening at the end of Key Stage 1. A focus on improving children's writing in Key Stage 2 has had little impact because of inconsistencies in teaching writing and variations in teachers' expectations. A partnership with another local school has helped the school improve the way it monitors pupils' progress. This includes introducing meetings to discuss pupils' progress. The systems allow the school to identify the pupils with the greatest risk of underachievement and offer them additional support designed to boost their progress. However, the impact of this support is not always checked. Weaknesses in monitoring mean that the school is not

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How effective are leadership and management?

aware that initiatives have been implemented inconsistently by teachers and are not making a difference to pupils' attainment. As a consequence, leadership is inadequate. Significant recent changes have strengthened the governing body, including the appointment of an enthusiastic new Chair. Recently appointed highly skilled governors have been able to provide the school with support and challenge. Policies have been reviewed and improved. The governing body is now able to analyse data and its ability to monitor the work of the school is now good. It is asking challenging questions about why attainment and progress are not better. The school's arrangements for ensuring the safety of its pupils are satisfactory and, as a result, pupils are kept safe when they are on the school site. However, the school's record keeping in this regard is not systematic. The school is at the heart of its local community and promotes community cohesion well. It

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How effective are leadership and management?

draws members of the local community closer together and promotes mutual understanding between groups with different backgrounds. This includes working in partnerships with communities in Mexico. The school is rigorous in the way it tackles racist behaviour and ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully involved in school life. However, it has been slow to deal with wide variations in outcomes for different groups of pupils. Therefore, the effectiveness with which the school promotes equal opportunities is inadequate.

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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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4

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

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Early Years Foundation Stage

When children join the Nursery class, their skills are below those expected for their age. However, children's skills on entry have declined and were well below average in 2010. Children enter Year 1 with skills that are similar to national expectations in some areas of development, but their skills in communication, language and literacy and calculation are below those expected. However, they make good progress from their individual starting points on entering Nursery. Children make particularly good progress in developing personal and social skills because of regular routines and an insistence on high standards of behaviour. Staff are very good role models and relationships between staff and children are consistently warm and supportive. Questioning is used well to develop children's understanding and improve their vocabularies. Children are well cared for and really enjoy their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage because there are lots of interesting things

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Early Years Foundation Stage

to do. Activities based around the Chinese New Year, including Chinese music and dance, fascinated the children and resulted in a high level of engagement. Good leadership and management have enabled provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage to improve continuously since the previous inspection. There are good links with parents and carers who are understandably delighted with provision in both the Nursery and Reception classes.

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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 Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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

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Views of parents and carers

Parents and carers were keen to praise the provision in the Nursery and Reception classes and inspectors found provision there to be good. A minority expressed concern about inconsistencies in the way behaviour is managed across the school. However, the management of pupils' behaviour during the inspection was satisfactory. A few parents and carers were anxious about their children's progress and wanted more information about this; the inspection team found that pupils are not all making sufficient progress, particularly in literacy and mathematics. Recent improvements have already been made to the way parents' evenings are organised in response to parents' comments and the school is now providing more information to parents and carers so that they can help their children to learn.

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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 Edgewood Primary and Nursery 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 51 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 312 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 22 43 26 51 3 6 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 31 61 18 35 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 17 33 26 51 8 16 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 13 25 28 55 7 14 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 16 31 32 63 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 14 27 29 57 8 16 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 15 29 34 67 2 4 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) 15 29 25 49 2 4 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 19 37 25 49 4 8 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 17 33 18 35 12 24 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 9 18 31 61 8 16 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 16 31 25 49 5 10 4 8

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 18 35 25 49 7 14 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 August 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2009/10 was not representative of all sc hools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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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 Edgewood Primary and Nursery School, Nottingham, NG15 6HX

Thank you for being so friendly when my colleagues and I visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and listened very carefully to what you had to say, whether you were involved in an official meeting between the school council and inspectors or whether you spoke with us in the playground. We noticed that you have plenty of interesting things to do at school and there are lots of opportunities to keep fit and healthy. You make a good contribution to the school through belonging to the school council, acting as prefects and taking part in ECO club activities. We found that your school is currently not providing you with a satisfactory standard of education and needs extra help to improve. Inspectors will return to check that the school is improving. Although your teachers work hard and there are pockets of good teaching, there is not enough good teaching to help you all catch up. Some lessons are uninspiring

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Inspection of Edgewood Primary and Nursery School, Nottingham, NG15 6HX

because they move along too slowly. You are sometimes set work that is too hard for you. On other occasions, the work is too easy. Teachers do not always tell you how to improve your work and, as a result not all of you make the progress you are capable of. We have asked your teachers to improve this situation. Some of the leaders and managers at your school are taking additional training to help with the required improvement. The school has not done enough to check the quality of lessons and the quality of work in your books. However, everyone in your school, including the governors, is determined to make things better in the future. You can all help by coming to school regularly, always working hard in lessons and making sure that your work is neat and well-presented.

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

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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