Westglade Primary School

Westglade Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 131006 Local Authority Nottingham Inspection number 360185 Inspection dates 15–16 February 2011 Reporting inspector Sue Hall

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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 199 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ann Priestley Headteacher Jayne Parker Date of previous school inspection 10 June 2008 School address Syke Road Top Valley, Nottingham NG5 9BG Telephone number 0115 9157515 Fax number 0115 9157517 Email address admin@westglade.nottingham.sch.uk

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Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 15–16 February 2011 Inspection number 360185 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, who observed nine teachers in a total of 15 lessons or parts of lessons. The headteacher joined the lead inspector for several lesson observations. Meetings were held with the school's leaders, members of the governing body and pupils. Inspectors observed the school's work and looked at a range of policies, planning documents, records of pupil progress, minutes of governing body meetings and data about pupils' performance. They examined documentation associated with the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. Inspectors scrutinised 22 completed questionnaires returned by parents and carers, 67 by pupils and 17 by staff. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key questions.  How well do all pupils achieve, particularly the boys and lower-attaining pupils and, especially in writing?

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Introduction

 Has pupils' behaviour a positive impact on their learning and is attendance improving?  How well do staff plan the curriculum in order to provide interesting and challenging activities for all groups of pupils especially in writing?  How effective are the school's leaders in monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision and identifying further areas for improvement?

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Information about the school

The school is a slightly smaller than average-sized primary school, situated on the edge of the City of Nottingham. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is more than double the national average. While the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is average, only a small number speak English as an additional language, their main language being Polish. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average. These additional needs are mainly emotional and behavioural difficulties and moderate learning difficulties. The school has Healthy School status and holds the Activemark, Basketball Mark and Playground Buddies award. It is a Foundation Level International 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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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 significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a notice to improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to the progress made by pupils, and in the way leaders and managers ensure that teachers accurately use data when planning learning so that the needs of all pupils are met. Steps taken by the senior leaders over the last two years, supported by the local authority, have halted the decline in attainment and established a more secure foundation for recovery. Some of the actions they have taken, such as rigorous tracking and analysis of pupils' progress are now more firmly established. However, the impact of these developments on pupils' work is not consistent throughout the school. There is evidence

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Main findings

that pupils are making better progress, but currently, it is not sufficient to reverse quickly the decline of the last few years. Consequently, pupils do not all achieve as well as they should. Most pupils say they like coming to school and enjoy art and mathematics in particular, although a few say they do not really like school. The small number of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire generally consider that their children enjoy school and they are kept informed about their child's progress. The school works hard to help pupils adopt a healthy lifestyle through lots of physical activities, including sports. Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory but attendance is low and this adversely affects pupils' progress. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are below expectations for their age. Their communication skills are particularly weak. They make good progress in

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Main findings

the Nursery and in the Reception class so they are now better prepared for Year 1 than in previous years. In Years 1 to 6, progress is variable. The main weakness is the pupils' inability to write well; standards are low, especially for the boys. However, since the staff started to work with the local authority as part of an intensifying support programme, standards have gradually improved in some year groups. Nevertheless, the progress made by boys, pupils of lower ability and their higher ability peers is still too variable and not fast enough to help them to reach the levels expected of them. The school has relatively few classroom computers, which limits the opportunities for pupils to use them as a tool to improve their writing. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and improving because staff have secure subject knowledge which most are using well to engage the pupils. However, some

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Main findings

lessons are not effective enough to accelerate progress and counter past underachievement. Consequently, over time, pupils made inadequate progress in their

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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

learning. This is because staff do not use the range of assessment information available well enough to set challenging work for different groups of pupils. While teachers praise the pupils' efforts well and explain things in detail, sometimes they spend too long doing so at the expense of pupils getting on with the task in hand. Senior leaders have a strong desire to bring about improvements although the rate of development in the past has been hampered by a rather generous view of the school's performance. However, in the last year, the school has developed stronger systems to track and monitor the progress of individuals and groups of pupils, which are resulting in better progress for the youngest and oldest ones. The senior staff, in teaching and management roles, provide consistently good or outstanding teaching and have the skills to develop their involvement in monitoring activities further. With a much sharper focus on

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

individual progress and marked improvements in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the school has satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the levels of attendance to at least the national average by: renewing the work with external agencies to find alternative approaches that will discourage parents and carers from taking their children out of school unnecessarily developing further projects that will lead to most parents participating in their children's work and realising the benefits of regular attendance.  Raise attainment and improve the rate of pupils' progress by: enabling all pupils, particularly the higher attainers and those with additional needs, to make better progress, especially in writing motivating pupils, especially the boys, to write with more enjoyment, by extending the range of resources for and use of information and communication technology.  Improve the quality of teaching and learning by: ensuring all staff make full use of the range of assessment information to provide appropriately challenging work for pupils of different abilities

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

extending the opportunities for pupils to practise their skills by limiting the amount of time they listen to information.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by: ensuring that the monitoring of the work of the school is accurate and rigorously evaluative in identifying areas for further improvement providing more effective opportunities for senior staff, and where appropriate, governors to monitor initiatives to support progress.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 4

The improvements made in the last two years for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage now enable them to enter Year 1 with better skills than the previous groups. As a result of the school's involvement in the intensifying support programme, the rate of

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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

pupil's progress across the school is increasing, although it remains too variable for all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are making better progress in Years 1 and 2 than previously. They are also making up some lost ground in Years 5 and 6, although there are too many gaps in their learning for many to reach the levels expected of them when they leave the school. Standards at the end of Year 6 remain too low, especially in English. This is because there are many weaknesses in pupils' writing skills. Progress is best in mathematics as seen in a good lesson in Year 5, where pupils worked out how much a holiday would cost given a choice of place, accommodation, means of travel and things to do. Here, because pupils were interested in the task, they worked well together to calculate the costs and decide what they thought would be the best value.

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

Pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles and many take advantage of the opportunities for sport and exercise. In discussion, and as shown by their responses to the questionnaire, most pupils say they feel safe and are able to identify how what they do impacts on others' safety. Pupils' behaviour in lessons is satisfactory and there has been a marked decrease in exclusions during the current year. Many pupils are quiet in lessons but a few make only limited effort to involve themselves in discussions and sometimes do not try as hard with their work as they might. The extent to which the pupils contribute to the school and wider community is satisfactory, for example, as playground buddies. Many pupils are eager to take on additional responsibilities. In the last year, attendance fell further below the national average including a higher number of pupils who are persistent absentees than seen in most primary schools.

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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 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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How effective is the provision?

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and improving because the intensifying support programme is tackling identified areas of weakness. Most lessons are now based on secure subject knowledge and take good account of what pupils already know and are able to do but a few are not matched well enough to what pupils need to learn next. Teachers have good relationships with pupils and offer them lots of encouragement. The school has a good number of well-qualified teaching assistants, who make a valuable contribution to working with groups of pupils, including specific programmes of support. However, in some classes, including where the teaching is predominantly good, staff talk for too long at the expense of pupils' finding things out for themselves or practising their skills. Consequently, pupils sometimes have too little time to produce more than a basic amount of work. The curriculum is satisfactory and increasingly tailored to pupils' interests

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How effective is the provision?

and individual needs. This includes through problem-solving tasks and enjoyable art activities together with strengths in imaginative themed weeks, for example, a current focus on different religions. This supports pupils' learning, personal development and progress across a range of subjects and helps them to understand more about different beliefs and cultures. In addition, the curriculum provides many enrichment activities, including those after school and a range of visits that widen the pupils' experiences and interests.

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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

The school gives a high priority to the pastoral care of the pupils. There are well established links with a wide range of external agencies, particularly to support the large number of pupils whose circumstances have made them vulnerable and their families. Staff know the children well and those in support roles, such as teaching assistants and the Family Support Worker, develop effective links with many families. However, some aspects of support, for example, monitoring and following up pupils' absence, are not as rigorous as they need to be to improve attendance.

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

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

Since the local authority identified the school as causing concern and started to work much more closely with the staff to bring about improvements, teaching has improved. This is as a result of effective peer support, continuing professional development and curriculum development initiatives. The school now has much better and more detailed systems to track the progress each pupil makes and uses this to identify where additional support is needed. This key focus on the progress made by different groups of pupils is now central to the drive for improvement and is providing a more realistic view of the school's performance. With the development of an extended leadership team, all key subject leader roles and leadership of each key stage are improving. The school has a core team of skilled staff but, until recently, they have not always had the opportunity to develop a rigorous focus on what must be improved. The governing body is very

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How effective are leadership and management?

supportive of the school, engages well with the local community and has helped to extend family learning activities, but it has not sufficiently developed its role in holding the school to account for low standards. The school has satisfactory links with parents and carers and tries to involve them in a programme of school based activities. Partnerships with other organisations are satisfactory, for example, with the adjoining Sure Start facility and other agencies, to support groups whose circumstances have made them vulnerable. The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination in a satisfactory manner including through challenging stereotypes and helping to raise pupils' ambitions. Safeguarding procedures are satisfactory and there are careful checks of those who work in school but staff do not record risk assessments in sufficient detail. The school promotes community cohesion satisfactorily although the audit of such provision has been informal.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Nevertheless, the school has links with another local school, there is enthusiastic provision to teach the pupils Spanish and staff have visited Brazil as part of a project to develop international links. While the school uses its budget well to develop the skills of the

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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

majority of support staff well and it has considerably improved the school accommodation, the value for money is inadequate because the outcomes for the pupils are inadequate.

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

These are the grades for leadership and management

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3

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

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The quality of leadership and management of this key stage is good in enabling the staff team to work effectively together to achieve their expectations for the children. The personal, social and emotional development of the children when they start school is quite mixed and some are very reliant on adults to tell them what to do. Children's physical skills in confidently using and manoeuvring trikes and wheeled toys are more developed. In all areas of their learning they make good progress. This is because teaching and learning in the two classes are closely linked together, based on good planning and delivered by staff with clear expectations of what the pupils can achieve. All staff work well together and make good use of questions to encourage the children to develop their speaking skills, although at times they do not ensure children answer in much detail. There is a good balance between child-chosen and adult-led activities. Effective use of the

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Early Years Foundation Stage

outside area makes it an interesting place to learn. Here, excellent progress is made by many in the Reception group because staff make sure that the children join in different activities that develop a range of sharing, communication and turn-taking skills.

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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

Only a small number of parents and carers responded to the inspection questionnaire. Of those who did, most indicated that their children are happy in the school, are making reasonable progress and that they are informed about this. Very few parents and carers made comments on the questionnaire and few spoke positively about what the school provides. In discussion with a few parents and carers, most were happy to 'leave it up to the school' to do what is best for their children. Any disagreements with the school are often of an individual nature and mostly related to meeting their child's particular needs and taking account of suggestions. The inspection evidence confirms that pupils' progress is inadequate. The school's information to and links with parents and carers are satisfactory but the staff have still to explore different ways to involve them more in their child's learning.

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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 Westglade 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 22 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 199 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 14 64 8 36 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 10 45 11 50 1 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 10 45 11 50 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 10 45 12 55 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 9 41 13 59 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 8 36 14 64 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 9 41 13 59 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) 7 32 13 59 1 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 8 36 12 55 2 9 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 7 32 12 55 1 5 1 5

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 3 14 16 73 2 9 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 8 36 12 55 1 5 1 5

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 8 36 13 59 1 5 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 Westglade Primary School, Nottingham, NG5 9BG

Thank you very much for making the inspectors welcome when we visited your school recently. My colleagues and I enjoyed meeting you, especially the groups we talked to who helped explain what you all do. We also liked meeting you in lessons and break-times and when we attended assembly. I enjoyed chatting to several of you at lunch and especially seeing how much the younger children learn when they are playing outdoors. Thank you also for the questionnaires that you filled in for the inspection. We think your school does a lot to help you develop healthy lifestyles and looks after you well when you are finding life a bit difficult. Your school is not providing you with a good enough education, there are a few important weaknesses that mean that some of you are not making the progress that you could. Therefore we have given your school a 'notice to improve', which means that inspectors will visit the school again to check on the progress being made.

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Inspection of Westglade Primary School, Nottingham, NG5 9BG

The headteacher, governing body and staff have agreed to work on some main areas to improve the school. These include:  helping to improve your attendance at school so that you can all make better progress in your learning  making sure that teachers use what they know about your progress to set work that is more challenging  improving the way staff and governors (these are the people who help to run the school) check how well the school is performing and identify what else needs to improve. You can also all help by encouraging your parents and carers to make sure you come to school regularly.

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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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