Langley Primary School

Langley Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 103978 Local Authority Sandwell Inspection number 363339 Inspection dates 15–16 February 2011 Reporting inspector Ian Jones

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills (HMCI) the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 366 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Linda Brettell Headteacher Tony James Date of previous school inspection 28 September 2009 School address Titford Road Oldbury B69 4QB Telephone number 0121 552 1744 Fax number 0121 552 2300 Email address tony.james@langley-pri.sandwell.sch.uk

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Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 15–16 February 2011 Inspection number 363339 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 at no notice by two additional inspectors. Fourteen lessons were observed and 14 teachers seen. Discussions were held with parents and carers, groups of pupils, staff and members of the governing body. The inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at documentation including pupils' attainment and progress data and the school's development planning. All documentation relating to safeguarding children was scrutinised. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:  Do pupils' progress well enough in reading, writing and mathematics?  What opportunities do children have to acquire literacy and numeracy skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage?  How well do pupils attend school?  What is the capacity of the leadership and management to provide sustained improvement?

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Information about the school

Langley is a large urban primary school. Most pupils are White British but there are above- average proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups. A higher-than-average percentage of pupils are in the early stages of learning English. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is above the national average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average; these are mainly pupils with moderate learning difficulties or behavioural, social and emotional difficulties. The school has achieved the Eco Schools Bronze Award and Platinum National Healthy Schools status. A breakfast club run by the school operates each day. The school was placed in special measures in September 2009 and has had three monitoring inspections. A new headteacher and deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2009. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

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 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. The school has made good improvement since it was placed in special measures and now demonstrates good overall effectiveness. This is due to the determination and clear vision of the headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher and with good additional support from the local authority. Together, they have worked effectively to raise pupils' attainment and improve their rate of progress. Parents and carers talk enthusiastically about how much the school has improved and how much their children enjoy coming to school; this is also reflected in improved attendance, which is now average. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have successfully encouraged other leaders and managers in the school to improve their work. The governing body supports the school well and provides a good level of challenge.

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Main findings

The senior leadership team have successfully brought about improvements in many areas, including developing the capacity of middle leaders. Together with rigorous self-evaluation procedures, these successful developments demonstrate a good capacity to sustain further improvement. There are robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate pupils' achievement. The information generated is ensuring improvement across a range of subjects. For example, in reading and writing, the rate of progress has improved strongly, and progress in mathematics is also good. The monitoring information is used effectively to support those pupils in danger of falling behind. A range of interventions is used effectively to help less-able pupils close the gaps in their learning. The outcomes of improvements in leadership and management include better teaching and assessment, which have improved steadily and securely to a good level. These factors

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Main findings

have led to improved outcomes for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Following a steady improvement in the rate of progress, attainment is now average overall. There is a clear upward pattern of improvement because of the good progress all groups of pupils are making. However, there is further scope to increase the rate of progress of more-able pupils. The pupils' behaviour in classrooms, around the school and on the playground is good. Attendance has improved consistently and is now average. This improvement is due to the strong relationships that exist with parents and carers and the effective actions taken to support attendance. Care, guidance and support are good, resulting in good outcomes in personal development. The pupils say they feel safe in the school and all safeguarding procedures and processes are robust and fully in place. The pupils know how to live a

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Main findings

healthy lifestyle, and enjoy the many opportunities to play a full part in school life. Pupils enjoy opportunities to take responsibility within the school and the local community, but opportunities to develop understanding of diverse cultures within the United Kingdom and 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

globally are limited. The strong focus on developing basic skills means that the pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the work provided for more-able pupils challenges them to make consistently good progress.  Strengthen community cohesion by providing opportunities for pupils to understand and engage with other communities within a national context and beyond.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils' attainment at the end of Year 6 has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is now average. This represents good progress from their starting points, as attainment on entry to the school is below national expectations. It is clear from the school's current data and evidence seen both in lessons and in the pupils' work that attainment is continuing to improve. The school has worked effectively to ensure that assessment data are accurate and pupils' work is moderated against national criteria to ensure this. Work in books and school data confirm that all groups of pupils are making good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those from minority ethnic groups, are rapidly and securely closing gaps in their knowledge and understanding. The pupils have a clear understanding of what level they

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

are working at and use personal targets to help them move to the next stage in their learning. They enjoy regular opportunities to assess their own and each other's work and this helps them to appreciate what they need to do next in order to improve. The pupils' behaviour in lessons is good. This improvement is due to a consistent approach to behaviour management by all adults at the school, coupled with a more interesting and stimulating curriculum. Pupils say they enjoy lessons and have a growing confidence in their ability to learn well because they are clear about exactly what is expected of them. Relationships are positive among pupils, who say that there is no bullying in the school. Their improved basic skills mean that pupils feel well prepared for the move to the next stage of their education. There is an active school council and some pupils act as play leaders to ensure that everyone has someone to play with happily at

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

lunchtime. Increasingly, pupils have the confidence to be independent of adult support and initiate their own projects. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have a strong understanding of the difference between right and wrong and get on well together, demonstrating trust and respect. Because of this, behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy a good range of opportunities to participate in music and other artistic activities. 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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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

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

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

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

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 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?

One of the strongest improvements the school has made is in the quality of teaching and assessment. This is consistently good and sometimes outstanding. Learning is carefully planned to take account of the pupils' needs. Focused learning objectives are consistently applied in lessons and teachers explain these well, so that all groups of pupils know what they are learning about and why. Teaching assistants are effectively deployed to support groups of pupils. All assistants are clear about what they are expected to do and how to support the pupils; they are fully involved in planning and are fully familiar with pupils' individual needs. Marking is particularly effective in English, where pupils are given regular opportunities to reflect on their progress and assess their own performance. Teaching uses assessment criteria increasingly well and, as a result, teachers have a clear idea of what the levels are at which the pupils are working. This means that tasks are

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How effective is the provision?

usually well matched to the pupils' ability levels. The improvement in the teachers' understanding of assessment has strongly supported improvements in the pupils' attainment and progress. The school has worked successfully to ensure that the curriculum builds on pupils' previous learning and prepares them for the next stages of their education. A particular strength is the strong emphasis on promoting writing skills, and this has a positive impact in pupils' learning across the curriculum. Arrangements to set pupils in groups of similar ability have contributed well to pupils' accelerated progress in literacy and numeracy. 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?

Pupils especially enjoy the 'Irresistible Learning' lessons, when they learn a broad range of skills through a themed approach. For example, pupils enthusiastically acted as secret agents in investigating the possibility of ghosts inhabiting castles and stately homes. Children in Reception enjoyed the archaeological dig to discover dinosaur bones in their classroom. A good range of sporting and other activities, visits and visitors extend the curriculum. Systems to care for pupils and ensure their safety have improved significantly since the last inspection and are now good. The breakfast club is well attended and enjoyed by pupils. Parents, carers and pupils have high levels of confidence that everyone will be well looked after and the inspection findings endorse their view. Pupils' needs are well known, and they receive high quality, individual support.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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How effective is the provision?

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective is the provision?

The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships

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How effective is the provision?

The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

School leaders have successfully taken action to enhance provision and so raise attainment. They have successfully set high expectations of colleagues who reflect similarly high expectations of pupils. Thanks to the strong leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, middle leaders now have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in ensuring that the rate of progress is raised across all subjects. As a result, they have contributed well to the good progress made by all groups of pupils. This improvement demonstrates that the school promotes equal opportunity and tackles discrimination well. Regular meetings to analyse pupils' performance, individually and by groups, and informed by detailed assessment information, effectively hold teaching to account. The governing body has grown in effectiveness and now provides good challenge by questioning and contributing to strategic decisions. Reports of governors' visits to the

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How effective are leadership and management?

school are concise and discussed fully at governing body meetings, after which appropriate and agreed action is taken. Safeguarding policies and procedures are regularly reviewed, and records carefully maintained. The school has effective partnerships with a range of local authority services and these have contributed well to the progress made. The impact of the learning mentor is significant in improving attendance and working with families as the need arises. Community cohesion is promoted satisfactorily, and the school has identified how it will improve this aspect by providing further opportunities to experience other cultures by developing partnerships with other schools in the United Kingdom and beyond. 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?

These are the grades for leadership and management

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement

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How effective are leadership and management?

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

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 3

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money 2

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children make good progress the Early Years Foundation Stage across all the areas of learning, a significant improvement since the last inspection. Attainment on entry to Year 1 is now broadly average. Children form good relationships with adults and with other children from a range of different backgrounds. They make choices about their learning with confidence and work well together. Good behaviour helps to keep them safe. The learning environment offers a wide range of stimulating activities with areas carefully dedicated to specific aspects of learning, for example, discovery or reading. There is good emphasis on supporting children's skills in mark-making and writing, although senior leaders acknowledge that there is further work to be done to promote this aspect. Adults assess children's progress regularly and the resulting information is used well to target learning. Children are integrated well and receive effective support and assistance.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Provision has benefited from the good advice of the local authority consultant. The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led and managed.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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

Parental questionnaires are not normally distributed for monitoring inspections conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005, unless inspectors have specific reasons to request that the school does so. The parents and carers interviewed were very positive about improvements the school has made. All felt that attainment had improved and that their children are making good progress. They expressed confidence in the way the school looks after their children.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Parental questionnaires are not normally distributed for inspections conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005, unless inspectors have specific reasons to request that the school does so.

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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 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. 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 Langley Primary School, Oldbury B69 4QB

Thank you very much for the warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school recently and for talking to us about it. You told us how much your school has improved. We think it is continuing to do well and is now a good school. We see how much better you are doing in English and mathematics. We also see that your behaviour has improved and that you work well with your teachers. You enjoy learning, and we see how much better you are at coming to school. All the staff are doing a good job at bringing about improvements to your school and in keeping you focused on improving your work. We were impressed with your writing and enjoyed reading your 'Spoocs' journals. There are still some things we think your school needs to do improve. It should make sure that those of you who learn quickly are always challenged to make even better progress. It should give you more opportunities to learn about people's lives in other communities in

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Inspection of Langley Primary School, Oldbury B69 4QB

the United Kingdom and around the world. You can help by attending regularly and always doing your best in school.

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Inspection of Langley Primary School, Oldbury B69 4QB

Ian Jones Lead Inspector out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: 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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