John Randall Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 20–21 September 2011 Inspection number 380654 John Randall Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 123445 Local Authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 380654 Inspection dates 20–21 September 2011 Reporting inspector Andrew Stafford

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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 168 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rae Pope Headteacher Helen Middleton Date of previous school inspection 3 June 2009 School address Queen Street Telford TF7 4DS Telephone number 01952 388390 Fax number 01952 388390 Email address a2176@telford.gov.uk 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, wor k-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

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 . 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 information 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’.

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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. The inspectors visited 15 lessons taught by 10 teachers and teaching assistants. They held meetings with groups of pupils, members of the governing body, parents and carers, and staff. They observed the school's work, and looked at documentation relating to attainment and the assessment of pupils' progress, school policies, the school's self- evaluation report, minutes of governing body meetings and the provision for safeguarding. They also looked at samples of pupils' work and the school development plan. They analysed 37 questionnaires returned by parents and carers and the responses from pupils and staff.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 Do pupils achieve as well as they should in reading, writing and mathematics as they progress through the school?  Does teaching consistently challenge the capability and needs of all pupils?  How effective are the actions taken by school leaders to improve provision and track pupils’ progress?

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Information about the school

John Randall Primary is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above the national average. A larger than average proportion of pupils join and leave the school other than at the normal times. The school provides a Nursery for children aged three years, prior to them transferring to the Reception class. There has been some disruption to staffing in the last two years, but this is now more stable. The school has recently gained a number of awards, including the Eco School’s Bronze award and National Healthy Schools status. The governing body manages a breakfast club. 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

John Randall Primary is a satisfactory school. Most parents and carers, pupils and staff say they are proud to be part of the school. They recognise that it is a well-led, improving school that provides an outstanding quality of pastoral care. Questionnaires returned by parents and carers included comments like, ‘school feels like a family’, ‘the headteacher and other staff make it feel warm and welcoming’, ‘my kids love it’, ‘relationships between parents and teachers are fantastic’, showing how highly they regard the school.

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Main findings

The senior leaders are ambitious for the school. They have been successful in raising attainment in Key Stage 2 and have improved the quality of teaching and learning. Rigorous monitoring and honest self-evaluation mean that leaders have an accurate picture of what the school is doing well and a clear plan is in place to tackle the improvements that are needed in the future. The improvements to date demonstrate that the school has good capacity to sustain further improvement.

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Main findings

The inclusive and caring environment nurtures pupils’ personal and social skills well, leading them to develop a secure sense of right and wrong. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They have well-rounded attitudes to living healthy lifestyles and how to behave well. Pupils enjoy much of what the school has to offer. They make a good contribution to the school and to the wider community. Opportunities to learn alongside pupils in the local secondary schools help pupils to develop empathy and respect for others. They understand that there are others who face extreme challenges in their lives and regularly raise money for a range of good causes.

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Main findings

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and improving rapidly. The development of systems to track how well pupils are doing, and actions taken to improve the quality of teaching and learning, are having a positive impact on their attainment and progress. Last year, over half the pupils made better than expected progress and overall attainment in English and mathematics rose at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. However, attainment in writing and mathematics is not always in line with national age-related expectations across the whole school. Some examples of teachers’ marking, and comments in pupils’ writing and mathematics books are helpful in leading pupils to know the next steps in their learning, but this is not fully consistent across different classes.

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Main findings

While there is an increasing proportion of good teaching, it is not yet strong enough 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

throughout the school to accelerate the learning and progress of all pupils. This is partly because good practice, such as that seen in a Year 6 lesson, where the pace of learning was rapid and sustained, is not shared widely in efforts to raise standards. Sometimes, in teachers’ bids to make activities interesting and relevant, the focus on what pupils are meant to learn is blurred by too much emphasis on the activity itself. Questioning is not always used well enough to challenge pupils to recall and apply what they have learnt or to help them understand whether they have been successful. Data from the most recent assessments are used well to organise pupils into groups for literacy and mathematics lessons. However, planning does not always pay sufficient attention to the range of abilities that exist within the groups and some pupils are not challenged sufficiently.

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Main findings

Up to 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the proportion of good teaching in reading, writing and mathematics so that pupils make good progress by ensuring that teachers consistently:  match activities closely to the learning needs of pupils of all abilities  keep lessons focused on what pupils are meant to learn rather than the activity they are doing  use questioning to encourage pupils to recall and apply their learning, and to help them understand what they are doing well and how they could improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Implement plans to ensure that at least 80% of pupils achieve nationally expected levels or above in writing and mathematics by:  sharing existing good practice amongst the staff  improving further the assessment of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Most children start school with skills below those expected for their age and often with very limited language. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning because they respond well to teacher’s own enthusiasm in lessons and the good relationships they develop with their classes. Pupils are generally interested in their tasks, listen attentively during whole-class sessions, work well independently and behave well. This was seen in a Year 5 lesson when pupils responded enthusiastically to using similes in their poems. Overall, evidence from lessons seen during the inspection, monitoring over time and data show that the progress pupils make is improving rapidly and, over the last year, over half the pupils in Year 6 made good progress. An improvement in test results has closed the gap between the school’s performance and national averages. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected level was just above the national average in 2011. Pupils who join the school at other than the

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

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 3

usual times reach the expected level for their age. This is because the school provides extra support for them that is effective in helping them to learn. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress because rigorous tracking identifies them early and they get the additional support they need.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils willingly take on responsibilities and are keen to give their views on how the school could improve. They are involved in sporting activities, enjoy singing at a nearby residential home and have worked with the parish council in improving the local environment. They particularly enjoyed taking part in the school production of ‘Bugsy Malone’ as well as their work with ‘Partners and Communities Together’ to improve the quality of life in their neighbourhood. Pupils develop the basic skills they need and are satisfactorily prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils’ attainment 1 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress The extent to which pupils feel safe 2 Pupils’ behaviour 2 The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 2 The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1 The extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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How effective is the provision?

Teachers generally succeed in making learning interesting. They use information and communication technology well to support their whole-class teaching. This was seen when teachers used the interactive white-boards to display challenging multiplication tasks for Year 6 and when Year 2 were taught to use software to sort objects according to criteria. Techniques such as paired talk are used to involve all pupils actively in lessons. At times, teachers focus more on the activity pupils are doing rather than on the learning it supports. Over the last year, the school has focused on developing pupils’ understanding of how well they are doing and what the next steps are in learning. In lessons, teachers tell pupils what they will be learning and

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How effective is the provision?

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

emphasise links with previous lessons. However, questioning is not always probing enough to find out what pupils understand and to help them improve.

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How effective is the provision?

Over the last year, the school has consulted more widely about the topics pupils would like to study as a way of raising their achievement and this has improved the curriculum. Pupils are taught specific skills, supported by visits to appropriate venues, which they then have to apply in extended writing sessions. This is having a positive impact on closing the gap between reading and writing across the school and improving the number of pupils who are on track to achieve the national average by the end of Year 6. The school provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their creativity in art and make meaningful links between subjects. It is too early to see the impact of recent improvements on attainment across the full age range, but feedback from pupils and staff show it is boosting pupils’ enjoyment of school.

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How effective is the provision?

The school’s care, guidance and support are outstanding. For example, practical programmes, provided as part of the work of the learning mentor, successfully raise the self-esteem and achievement of boys. The school provides excellent support to pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable, who encounter particular challenges which can be barriers to their learning and well-being. The school works extremely well with families facing difficulties to produce positive outcomes. The vigilance of staff, and particularly the headteacher, has ensured that the school can identify pupils who may be falling behind their targets and offer timely additional support. Excellent care and support were observed at the well-attended breakfast club that encourages good attendance and prepares pupils well for the rest of the school day’s learning.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision The quality of teaching Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 1

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher brings energy, enthusiasm and high expectations of staff and pupils. She works effectively with her strong senior team and has raised the profile of subject leaders. In particular, she has rigorously tackled some weaknesses in teaching to ensure that there is no inadequate teaching and more of it is good. Staff are fully consulted over plans for improvement so that they are clear about what needs to be done. Professional development, focused on key goals and performance management, ensures that staff know exactly what their role is. As one teacher commented, ‘We are proud to be swept along as part of the tide for improvement in our school’. Over recent years senior leaders have successfully managed the staffing 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?

difficulties through imaginative deployment of teachers. Governance is satisfactory. The governing body has recruited widely to bring it up to full strength and its members bring the right mix of skills and experience. There is a growing core of governors who are developing their skills to ensure they are able to provide an increased level of support and challenge for senior leaders.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The school promotes equality well. It considers carefully how well different groups of pupils are doing and knows which may need additional support. Gaps in achievement are closing, and the needs of the school’s most vulnerable pupils are met extremely well. The promotion of community cohesion is good. Events such as the local ‘Living in Harmony’, and the many global links and studies like ‘All Around the World’ celebrate the rich diversity within the local community and beyond. This explains why pupils develop a good understanding of each other’s heritage and why the school is such a cohesive and harmonious place. Senior leaders communicate regularly with parents and carers, through discussions and newsletters, to ensure there is sufficient dialogue to share their vision for improvement. As a result, parents and carers demonstrate overwhelming support for the school’s work.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Safeguarding procedures are robust and are reviewed regularly. Pupils feel safe in school, as do their parents and carers, and know that their views are taken into account. Pupils appreciate that the school has good procedures to help them to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, it assesses and addresses any risks pupils may encounter on the many outside school visits and has ensured that pupils fully understand internet safety. Road safety, hazards linked with fire and open stretches of water, are topics dealt with in the curriculum by community police officers and members of the fire service.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met The effectiveness of the school’s engagement with parents and carers 2 The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 2 The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children get off to a satisfactory start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Over the time they are in the Nursery and Reception Years, children make satisfactory progress, and their skills are a little below average in reading and writing when they move to Year 1. Staff training is closely linked to ensuring the well-being of the children and improving the quality of learning and development. For example, staff have had specific training to develop the use of the outdoors areas and how to achieve a balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities. All of these newly acquired skills are being implemented, but it is too soon for the impact to be evident in children’s consistent outcomes in literacy and personal development.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Satisfactory leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage ensures staff are well- qualified. There is a strong focus on children’s well-being and ensuring a safe environment for their learning and development. Staff make a priority of including all children and their families. Close links with new families are leading to a better understanding of how parents and carers can support their children as they start school. Parents and carers are made to feel welcome when they arrive and are encouraged to stay and discuss their child’s achievements to help staff build up a full picture of their learning needs. As a result, children settle quickly. They form good relationships with the adults who support them, particularly their group leader. Throughout the day, children are offered stimulating play opportunities across all areas of learning both in the bright, airy inside area and in the well-fenced, soft-

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Early Years Foundation Stage

surfaced outdoor area. Children particularly enjoy the opportunities they have to learn and play in the well-developed areas that have bridges and fixed toys among the trees.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who returned the questionnaire said that overall they were happy with their children’s experience at John Randall Primary. Parents and carers confirm that their children enjoy school, that their children are safe and are helped to have a healthy lifestyle. Almost all parents and carers believe that teaching is good and that their child is making sufficient progress. The inspection found that these aspects are improving but are not yet consistently good. A very small minority felt that behaviour is not managed effectively. A similar very small proportion of parents and carers felt that the school does not take notice 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

of parental concerns about unacceptable behaviour. Inspectors found that behaviour is good, both in and outside the classroom, as a result of staff’s adherence to the behaviour policy.

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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 John Randall 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 37 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 168 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % My child enjoys school 30 81 7 19 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 30 81 5 14 0 0 0 0 The school informs me about my child’s progress 23 62 14 38 0 0 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 25 68 12 32 0 0 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 29 78 6 16 2 5 0 0 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 23 62 12 32 2 5 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 28 76 7 19 2 5 0 0 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) 25 68 10 27 2 5 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school meets my child’s particular needs 25 68 10 27 2 5 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 25 68 10 27 0 0 0 0 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 24 65 11 30 2 5 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 27 73 10 27 0 0 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 27 73 10 27 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statemen t. 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. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. 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

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5

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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 2010 to 08 April 2011 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 2010/11 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.  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 John Randall Primary School, Telford, TF7 4DS

It was lovely to meet you when we came to your school. Thank you very much to all of you who spoke to us in lessons, around the school and in the special meetings we had. We know that the school takes your views seriously and so do we. We have judged that your school is satisfactory. It is definitely improving and some things it does are good. These are some of the things that we found out.

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Inspection of John Randall Primary School, Telford, TF7 4DS

 The headteacher and the other staff lead the school well. They know what it does well and what could be better.  All the adults in the school care for you very well and make sure that you are safe.  You have many opportunities to exercise and this helps you to have good awareness of how to be healthy.  You really enjoy putting on the school’s plays and contributing to making your neighbourhood a better place to live.  You enjoy learning and work hard because lessons are interesting.  You behave well in class and around school.

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Inspection of John Randall Primary School, Telford, TF7 4DS

We discussed with your headteacher and her staff the most important things they need to do to make your school even better.

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Inspection of John Randall Primary School, Telford, TF7 4DS

 We have asked them to improve the proportion of good teaching so that most of you make good progress.  We have also asked them to make sure that most of you reach the nationally expected level for your age in writing and mathematics.

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Inspection of John Randall Primary School, Telford, TF7 4DS

All of you can help by reading your teachers’ comments in your books, and asking them if there is anything you do not understand.

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Inspection of John Randall Primary School, Telford, TF7 4DS

Andrew Stafford Lead inspector procedures set 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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