Ickworth Park Primary School

Ickworth Park Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 124678 Local Authority Suffolk Inspection number 359740 Inspection dates 11–12 November 2010 Reporting inspector Terry Elston

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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 5–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 137 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Lines Headteacher Ann Morley Date of previous school inspection 10 January 2008 School address Meadow Drive Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 5SB Telephone number 01284 735337 Fax number 01284 735997 Email address ad.ickworth.pk.p@talk21.com

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Age group 5–9 Inspection dates 11–12 November 2010 Inspection number 359740 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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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. The inspectors observed all seven teachers and visited 13 lessons. They held meetings with members of the governing body, staff and groups of pupils. They observed the school's work, and looked at the tracking of pupils' progress, curricular planning documents, examples of the ways the school promotes community cohesion, evidence of lesson observations and information from questionnaires completed by pupils, staff and 108 parents and carers. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following.  How high is attainment in mathematics, and does the teaching and curricular planning promote good progress?  What is the role of middle managers in raising standards?  How well the school does the school promote community cohesion and give pupils a deep awareness of the diverse faiths and cultures in the world?

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Information about the school

This is a smaller-than-average primary school. The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. None of the pupils speaks English as an additional language. The proportion of the pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with statements of their special educational needs, is average. The school has recently gained Healthy Schools status. The governing body manages care facilities for a very small number of pupils after school, and a private organisation runs pre-school care on the school site. This is inspected separately. The headteacher was appointed in April 2009.

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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

This is a good school held in high regard by the local community. Comments from parents and carers such as 'wonderful caring staff' and 'warm family atmosphere' are commonplace. They show their appreciation of the high quality of the care, guidance and support provided for their children. Parents and carers value the consistently good teaching that accounts for the good progress made by all groups of pupils. Pupils' achievements are outstanding. Their attainment in all subjects by Year 2 and Year 4 is high, and this has been the case for five years. Pupils say how much they enjoy school, and attendance rates are above average. Pupils have an outstanding awareness of how to stay safe, and speak very knowledgeably about the hazards of smoking, misuse of drugs and unsupervised use of the internet. Their thorough knowledge of how to live healthy lives is illustrated by the way they choose the nutritious options at lunchtime and monitor the contents of each other's lunchboxes. The

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Main findings

excellent school allotment reinforces this awareness, and pupils gain much from growing, eating and selling their produce. The school council representatives, together with members of the eco and healthy schools committees, ensure that pupils make an outstanding contribution to their community and develop as responsible citizens. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall, but their awareness of other faiths and cultures is patchy. Pupils rightly believe that the teaching is good. They appreciate the way that their teachers make learning enjoyable and, as one said, 'They give you really good help when you find things difficult.' Teachers explain new work clearly, and use assessment well to provide tasks that challenge pupils of all ability. They have developed a good curriculum that has a strong focus on basic literacy and numeracy skills while providing many opportunities for pupils to hone their creative talents. Music is a particular strength, and

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Main findings

pupils achieve very well when learning to play instruments such as the cello, viola and guitar. There is a very good range of popular clubs at lunchtime and after school to enhance the curriculum. The headteacher has helped create a very good sense of teamwork among staff and pupils that makes this a happy and successful school. The role of middle managers has been strengthened this year, and they provide staff with detailed analyses of pupils' progress. Not all subject leaders, however, evaluate teaching in their area of responsibility with the rigour necessary to accelerate pupils' progress further. The school has done well since the last inspection, and made significant improvements to the provision for information and communication technology and the impact of the governing body in driving school improvement. It is well placed to sustain this improvement. Self-evaluation systems are accurate and thorough, with all staff well aware of the school's strengths and

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Main findings

weaknesses. The improvement plan is comprehensive, and targets are both challenging

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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

and realistic. There is a good track record of rectifying weaknesses, with recent improvements in mathematics testament to the capacity of the school to raise standards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 By July 2011, enhance provision for community cohesion by: providing more opportunities for pupils to learn about the diversity of faiths and cultures in this country and further afield evaluating the impact of this provision on pupils' awareness of how other people in the world live and worship.  Enhance the impact of middle managers by: establishing a consistent approach to subject leadership throughout the school giving subject leaders more opportunities to evaluate teaching and learning in their area of responsibility.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

Progress was good in the vast majority of the lessons observed during the inspection. From the Reception class to Year 4, pupils enjoy reading and make rapid progress in their ability to work out difficult words. They use the internet confidently to research their topics and this helps them gain a deeper understanding of all subjects. They make good progress in their writing, and are rightly proud of the 'powerful words' that teachers encourage them to use in their stories. In mathematics, pupils show a quick recall of number facts, use their number skills very well to solve problems and are making rapid progress in the way they explain how they arrived at an answer. By the end of Year 4, around a quarter of the pupils are already attaining the levels expected of Year 6 pupils in both English and mathematics. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well, and make very good progress in reading. They are supported well in class,

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

and also have some good opportunities to work on their own and develop their independent learning skills. Pupils persevere very well with their work, and show a pride in their achievements. They behave well and feel free from any form of bullying and harassment. They reflect deeply on the plight of people less fortunate than themselves, and raise funds with great enthusiasm for those affected by natural disasters. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the future. Their very well-developed literacy and numeracy skills, excellent sense of teamwork and confidence with enterprises that raise funds for the school and charities mean that they are confident tackling any challenge. They have a basic awareness of different faiths gained from religious education lessons, but few show a good understanding of how other people in the world live and worship.

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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 1

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 1

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 1

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

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1

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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?

In typical lessons, teachers provide a good balance between them teaching new skills and pupils finding things out for themselves. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is a real strength. Teachers develop pupils' basic reading, writing and number skills very well in whole-class sessions, and then provide good opportunities for different groups to work at their own ability level. However, sometimes teachers lack the confidence to allow the more able pupils, in particular, to work independently and attain even higher standards. The teachers make detailed assessment of pupils' progress, and use this information well to identify those who are falling behind. They mark pupils' books diligently, with useful comments to help them improve. The school has recently developed a curriculum that links subjects together in order to make learning more fun and to enable pupils to explore topics in depth. This is working

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How effective is the provision?

well, and the current theme is a good example of how pupils use their skills in literacy, numeracy, science and creative subjects to gain a thorough grasp of a topic as complex as the Equatorial Rainforests. The school organises many visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum, but provides too few opportunities to develop their awareness of different faiths and cultures. Parents and carers appreciate the way all adults know their children so well and are prepared to 'go the extra mile' to make their children feel safe and valued. Pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable benefit from excellent care, both from the school

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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

and from outside professionals, and they flourish as a result. The high quality of the systems to support pupils entering from the pre-school settings and those moving on to the middle schools ensure that they are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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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 2

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher leads with high expectations of pupils and staff. She has quickly gained the respect of all members of the school community and is managing change at a sensible pace. The leaders are successful in providing equal opportunities for all pupils and ensuring that they feel safe from any form of harassment or racism. Leaders use assessment well to analyse the performance of different groups of pupils and make detailed analyses of the school's performance compared with others. This helps them to drive school improvement towards the ambitious targets that they set. The headteacher is supported well by other leaders who work effectively as a team. Subject leaders provide good training to staff in their areas of expertise and are beginning to check more closely on the quality of teaching and learning. These systems are at an early stage, however, and lack the rigour necessary to achieve the school's objective of

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How effective are leadership and management?

outstanding teaching and learning. The school has a good partnership with parents and carers, who are well-informed about their children's progress. They feel welcome in school and take part in school events with great enthusiasm. Other partnerships, such as those with neighbouring schools and the National Trust, benefit the school and enhance teachers' expertise. Members of the governing body visit the school often, and have a clear picture of its strengths and weaknesses. They take safeguarding seriously, and ensure all checks are made at appropriate times. Staff are vigilant, and undertake regular training to ensure pupils' well-being. The school promotes community cohesion satisfactorily, and has very good involvement in the local community. The link with a school in the United States of America provides good opportunities for pupils to learn about life there. However, there are too few opportunities

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How effective are leadership and management?

for pupils to experience contrasting schools in this country or visit different places of worship to develop their cultural awareness to the full.

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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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2

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

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children start in Reception with skills that are higher than those typical of their ages. They make good progress, so that by the end of the Reception year, the vast majority attain the goals expected of young children and many exceed them, particularly in their language, social and number skills. Very good induction procedures, positive partnerships with parents and excellent attention to children's welfare mean that children settle quickly to school routines, feel extremely safe and are ready to learn. Good teaching, with a strong emphasis on developing children's language, writing, numeracy and social skills, ensure that children achieve well. The classrooms and outside areas are full of opportunities for children to learn, and staff use them well to support all areas of learning. Children do not have enough opportunities, however, to experience different cultures. Children happily choose from the range of activities on offer. For example, they enjoyed writing about

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Early Years Foundation Stage

stories they had heard and the animals they had researched on the computer. Staff observe children's learning and development carefully, and produce detailed 'learning journeys' that incorporate a photographic record of their achievements. Children's personal, social and emotional development is very good, and the sensitive encouragement and guidance they receive helps them to become happy and independent learners. Children behave well and learn to play with and help each other. The provision is led and managed well. Staff have a clear understanding of how well the provision meets children's needs and what needs to be improved.

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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

The number of responses to the questionnaire is higher than normally found in a primary school of this size. Parents and carers' views are very positive. They are particularly appreciative of the way all staff look after their children and the progress that their children make. They feel that the teaching and learning are consistently good and that their children enjoy school. They are impressed with the leadership and management and the way leaders are able to sustain such high standards. Inspectors agree with these comments. A very small number of responses commented on the lack of information about reorganisation of classes, but inspectors found this was satisfactory.

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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 Ickworth Park 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 108 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 137 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 79 73 29 27 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 85 79 23 21 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 63 58 44 41 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 60 56 45 42 2 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 69 64 38 35 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 62 57 45 42 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 71 66 36 33 0 0 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) 53 49 47 44 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 62 57 44 41 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 49 45 53 49 2 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 52 48 52 48 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 72 67 35 32 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 80 74 28 26 0 0 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 Ickworth Park Primary School, Bury St Edmunds, IP29 5SB

Thank you for making the inspectors so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed seeing you work hard in lessons, play so happily outside in your beautiful grounds and play the viola so expertly in your music lessons. The many of you who were kind enough to speak to us showed how much you like school. You think yours is a good school, and you are right. You behave well, listen carefully to your teachers and make good progress in lessons. Because you attain high standards in reading, writing and mathematics, your achievement is excellent. You have an impressive knowledge of how to keep safe and live healthy lives. You take responsibility extremely well, and are kind to those who are upset. You have an interesting range of activities provided for you, and you enjoy the many clubs at lunchtime and after school. Your teachers make learning fun, and are good at helping you when you find things difficult. All staff at the school take excellent care of you and keep you safe.

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Inspection of Ickworth Park Primary School, Bury St Edmunds, IP29 5SB

The school makes sure your parents and carers know just how well you are working. Your headteacher and other leaders are always looking for ways to make your school even better. We have made two suggestions to help them with this. These are the improvements we want your school to make. Help you learn more about how different people in the world live and worship. Make sure that those teachers in charge of subjects check on the teaching more to help you to make even faster progress.

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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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