Lyndon Green Junior School

Age group 7–11 Inspection date(s) 17–18 October 2011 Inspection number 376855 Lyndon Green Junior School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 103228 Local Authority Birmingham Inspection number 376855 Inspection dates 17–18 October 2011 Reporting inspector Bogusia Matusiak-Varley

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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 Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 368 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Phillips Headteacher Gerrard Rothwell Date of previous school inspection 6 March 2007 School address Wensley Road Sheldon Birmingham B26 1LU Telephone number 0121 675 2983 Fax number 0121 675 2565 Email address grothwell@lyndongreen-jun.bham.sch.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, 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

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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. They observed 18 lessons taught by 15 teachers and held meetings with groups of pupils, staff, parents and carers and the Chair of the Governing Body. They observed the school’s work, and looked at teachers’ plans, assessments of pupils’ work, exercise books, records of pupils’ attendance, standards and progress as well as the school development plan, records on checks of teaching and documents relating to the safeguarding of pupils. They also analysed 15 questionnaires completed by staff, 99 by pupils and 82 from parents and carers.

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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

 The achievement of different groups with specific reference to more-capable pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Pupils’ progress in writing.  The use of pupil assessment in teaching.  How well the school promotes community cohesion at a global level.

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Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage with a small minority being of Indian and Bangladeshi origin. The number of pupils learning English as an additional language is below average. The school has a 10 place unit for pupils with cognition and learning difficulties. Higher than average numbers of pupils have statements of special educational needs; their needs are largely associated with speech and language difficulties. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The school has achieved the Healthy Schools Award, Green Flag Eco Award and Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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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

The school provides a good quality of education for its pupils. It has several outstanding features and it is rapidly improving pupils’ achievement. Pupils are exceptionally proud of their school and enjoy every minute of their time as evidenced by their high attendance. Attainment is high in reading, above average in mathematics and average but improving in writing. By the time pupils leave school they are well prepared for their next stages in education. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those in the unit and pupils learning English as an additional language make good progress and have full access to the curriculum.

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Main findings

Pupils’ progress in writing, while improving, is slower than in reading and mathematics. This is because there are inconsistencies in the way that teachers use information from assessment to plan next steps; and more-capable pupils, on occasions are not sufficiently challenged. There are also missed opportunities in guided reading to develop pupils’ writing. The school has recognised this as an area for development through its good systems of self-evaluation.

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Main findings

Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. Their behaviour is exemplary both in and around the school and they genuinely care about one another’s welfare. No child is left behind in this school because all staff are very vigilant in ensuring that pupils are exceptionally well looked after. One of the school’s mottos, ‘Together everyone achieves more’ is visible in all aspects of school life. Team work is excellent due to the outstanding relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils actively engage in sustainability issues and have excellent knowledge of recycling and gardening. Pupils have outstanding knowledge of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. They have expert knowledge of keeping safe because of the school’s exemplary safeguarding procedures and care, guidance and support.

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Main findings

Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding; the headteacher has a passion for involving everyone in supporting pupils’ achievement. His open door policy and his constant quest to give pupils the best start in life have won the hearts and minds of the whole school community. Parents and carers are highly appreciative of the fact that they are made to feel so welcome in school. ‘No problem is too big for the staff here, there is always time made available for us.’ said a number of delighted parents. Parents and carers are kept regularly informed of their children’s progress, any sticking points are quickly ironed out and parents and carers say that teachers keep them updated with progress made.

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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 curriculum is under review, it is well thought out and enhanced by excellent outdoor learning opportunities through Forest Schools. Consistently good teaching contributes to the good progress made by pupils. Teachers’ marking is particularly informative in helping pupils get over some of their ‘sticking points’. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good with strengths in moral and social development. Community cohesion is satisfactory; while pupils have strong links with their immediate community, they do not yet have sufficient knowledge about children’s lives in global communities.

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

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and senior staff have introduced many systems for both improving the quality of teaching and learning and subsequent pupils’ achievement. Governance is good. The governing body fulfil their statutory duties. They are fully involved in the school’s accurate self-evaluation and receive regular information from subject leaders on pupils’ rates of progress. The school has good capacity to improve as demonstrated by the high percentage of good teaching seen, pupils’ excellent achievement in reading, improvement in curriculum design, especially the outdoor environment, and the excellent systems implemented for safeguarding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress in writing especially that of more-capable pupils by  ensuring that information from teachers’ assessments are rigorously used to plan the next steps in writing  providing more opportunities for pupils to write about what they have read in guided reading sessions.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide more opportunities for pupils to learn about life in different countries to broaden their awareness of global communities.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Attainment on entry to the school is broadly average. By the time that pupils leave school they have made good progress overall with outstanding progress made in reading where attainment is high. In mathematics, pupils achieve well particularly in problem solving and interpreting data, the strong emphasis placed on mental mathematics has been highly beneficial. In writing, while progress is good, it is inconsistent especially for the more-capable pupils who could be pushed more in developing their writing skills. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the few learning English as an additional language achieve well because of well targeted support. Pupils from the unit make good progress in relation to their individual education plans.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The school is successfully narrowing the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment by introducing excellent outdoor learning opportunities and using boy friendly reading

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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

topics such as the importance of recycling in Year 6. Pupils enjoy learning; their excellent behaviour and keenness to learn contribute to their success. They show good levels of concentration in independent work and apply themselves diligently. For example, in a Year 6 in guided reading session, while the teacher focused on working with one group the rest of the class got on with their set tasks without any fuss. Pupils know that they come to school to learn and they value the hard work that teachers put in to make lessons interesting. In an excellent literacy lesson in Year 5, pupils gasped in amazement when watching a video clip of Superman saving a burning plane and could not wait to write about the experience.

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

Pupils have excellent relationships with their teacher; in their learning they hang onto their teachers’ every word and want to please them. All pupils are clear about the benefits of teachers’ good marking and know what they need to do in order to improve. There are good opportunities for team work and the use of talking partners contributes to pupils developing economic well being as they learn how to solve problems co-operatively. Pupils in Year 6 achieve well in national tests because, throughout the school, pupils are taught how to read questions carefully and can therefore apply these skills to test situations. There was a dip in standards in 2010, due to a low attaining cohort; the school has worked hard to successfully counteract this result.

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

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils know right from wrong but their knowledge of communities beyond their own is only satisfactory. Pupils’ attendance is high and they say that school is a fun place to be because learning is interesting. ‘The best thing about this school is that we are helped to learn and we have great fun doing it.’ said one pupil speaking for many. Pupils have excellent knowledge of healthy life styles, parents and carers are particularly pleased with the good provision made for sport. Pupils know what constitutes a healthy diet and good personal, social, health and economic education has enabled them to identify and manage their emotions with confidence. Pupils’ knowledge of being safe is exemplary. They remind one another of health and safety rules around the school. Pupils contribute well to their immediate community by making harvest parcels for the elderly and fund raising for Acorns Charity.

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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

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

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The extent to which pupils feel safe 1

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly averag2e; and 4 is low1

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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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contribute to their future economic well-being

Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1

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How effective is the provision?

Teaching is rigorous, exacting and fun. Year group leaders provide excellent role models for their colleagues and the strong blend of expertise contributes to effective teams. Teaching assistants make significant contributions to learning and support the success of all pupils but especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teaching in the unit is good, with precise guidance given to pupils on what they need to do in order to improve. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and give clear explanations of what is expected of all pupils. Good use is made of information and communication technology in all lessons. Assessment of pupils’ prior learning is generally used well when planning lessons, however, there are some inconsistencies in the use of this data across the school and in the challenge for more capable-pupils in writing. This is an area for development recognised by the

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How effective is the provision?

school in their development plan. Pupils say that they really enjoy all lessons because they are given help if they find learning difficult either from the teacher or support staff.

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How effective is the provision?

The good curriculum provides opportunities for learning in and outdoors. A wide range of trips, visits from theatre groups, photographers and poets as well as a good variety of after-school-clubs, fuel pupils’ desire to learn. The curriculum is being reviewed to provide even more time to follow up on pupils’ interest levels. When discussing learning in history, one pupil said, ‘We have great opportunities to be Roman soldiers. Learning at Lunt fort was really exciting.’

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How effective is the provision?

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Staff do everything they possibly can to build pupils’ self esteem. Pupils say that they can go to any of their staff for help and discuss any aspect of learning or any problems they might have. Bullying does not exist in this school because of the excellent vigilance of teachers both in lessons and around the school.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher has won the hearts and minds of the school community. He is relentless in his ambition to secure even higher standards and equip teachers with good continuous professional development so that they deliver consistently good or better teaching. Staff welcome performance management because they want to be as effective as possible. They particularly value the excellent training they receive on safeguarding which contributes to creating an exceptionally safe environment. The governing body are involved in undertaking regular checks of health and safety and have very good knowledge of all statutory requirements ensuring that these are implemented and subsequently keep all pupils safe. They receive regular updates from senior staff both on pupils’ academic progress and their safety and well being. Monitoring of teaching and learning is good. The headteacher’s regular reviews on pupils’ progress are very useful as staff are able to discuss what has worked well in

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How effective are leadership and management?

raising standards. Equality of opportunity is good and underpins all aspects of school life; the school has succeeded in closing the learning gaps for all groups and discrimination is not tolerated. The school is a harmonious community. The promotion of community cohesion is satisfactory overall and the school is aware that more needs to be done to develop global links. Partnerships are good and staff work well with schools in their cluster. Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. Parents and carers say that staff know their children exceptionally well and teachers regularly give them advice on how to best help their children’s learning. A wide variety of workshops are held for parents and carers to enable them to understand the curriculum. The school provides good value for money because it deploys its resources well.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management

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driving improvement

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

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

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Views of parents and carers

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Just under a quarter of parents completed the questionnaire which is quite a low return rate. However, the views of parents and carers are sought on a regular basis by the headteacher who provides frequent opportunities for them to voice their concerns through his open door policy. Those interviewed were exceptionally positive about the school. The inspection team could find no evidence to support the concerns of a very small minority of parents and carers about pupils’ behaviour and the pupils’ progress although they did find that more-capable pupils could be making better progress in writing, an area which the school has already identified in the school development plan.

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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 Lyndon Green Junior 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 82 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 368 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 55 67 26 32 1 1 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 53 65 25 30 2 2 0 0 The school informs me about my child’s progress 41 50 35 43 4 5 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 42 51 33 40 6 7 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 51 62 29 35 1 1 0 0 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 50 61 27 33 3 4 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 47 57 32 39 1 1 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) 44 54 32 39 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child’s particular needs 39 48 38 46 4 5 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 35 43 35 43 6 7 0 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 36 44 37 45 4 5 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 41 50 38 46 1 1 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 47 57 33 40 1 1 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. 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 Lyndon Green Junior School, Birmingham, B26 1LU

Thank you for making us feel so welcome in your school. You are right in telling us how good your school is. You say you enjoy coming to school because learning is fun and you are helped to make rapid progress because teachers work in partnership with your parents and carers. Attendance is fantastic, well done. Please thank your parents for completing the questionnaires, they really helped us in carrying out our inspection. Here are some of our findings.

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Inspection of Lyndon Green Junior School, Birmingham, B26 1LU

 You achieve well particularly in reading where attainment is high. Attainment is above average in mathematics and you do well in solving mathematical problems.  You are exceptionally well behaved, courteous and polite and you are excellent ambassadors for your school.  You look after one another very well and you are very kind to one another in lessons.  You have excellent knowledge of how to stay safe and you know a lot about safety rules in the Forest School.  Teaching in your school is good and you have excellent relationships with your teachers.  You have excellent knowledge of healthy eating and you make healthy choices in the canteen.  Your school is well run by a very dedicated headteacher and a professional team of teachers.  Your governors do a good job and look after your safety exceptionally well.

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Inspection of Lyndon Green Junior School, Birmingham, B26 1LU

We have asked your headteacher and teachers to help you with the following.  Ensure that those of you who find learning easy have even greater challenges set in writing and more opportunities to write in guided reading.  Teach you more things about life in other countries.

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Inspection of Lyndon Green Junior School, Birmingham, B26 1LU

You can help by telling your teachers when work is too easy for you, asking them to give you more opportunities to write and tell you more about children’s lives in other countries.

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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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