Albrighton Primary School & Nursery

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 19–20 June 2012 Inspection number 380652 Albrighton Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 123410 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 380652 Inspection dates 19–20 June 2012 Lead inspector Anthony O'Malley HMI

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 244 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Cath Ratcliffe Headteacher Wendy Taylor Date of previous school inspection 4 June 2009 School address New House Lane Albrighton Wolverhampton WV7 3QS Telephone number 01902 372558 Fax number 01902 375796 Email address head.albrighton@shropshirelg.net 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 You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Anthony O'Malley Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Fifteen lessons were observed taught by nine teachers. A number of shorter visits were made to classrooms to gather evidence on particular aspects of pupils’ learning. Meetings were held with staff, members of the governing body, and pupils. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a variety of documentation, particularly that related to pupils’ progress and well-being. Samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised and a number of pupils heard reading. Inspectors analysed the responses to questionnaires that were returned by 42 parents and carers, as well as others from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

Albrighton is an average-sized primary school. It opened in 2007. Almost half of the pupils are from families living at the local Royal Air Force (RAF) base. As a result of postings for the RAF, the level of pupil mobility is higher than the national level. The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is above average.

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Information about the school

The school meets the current government floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school has won a number of awards, including the Special Educational Needs Quality Mark Silver, the Go4itGold Award and the International School Award Intermediate.

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Information about the school

There is privately managed before- and after-school childcare onsite. This provision is subject to a separate inspection. 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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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school. Strengths include aspects of the curriculum and the care the school provides for pupils whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable. However, the school is not yet good because the quality of teaching is variable and so pupils make satisfactory progress. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. The pupils start school with the skills levels and experiences expected and, throughout the school, make satisfactory progress to attain average standards at the end of Year 6.

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Key findings

 The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Over half of the teaching observed during the inspection was good or outstanding. However, there are weaknesses in practice. In a minority of lessons, the activities set are either too easy or too hard for some groups of pupils. Pupils’ books show that the helpfulness of marking is inconsistent and that a minority of teachers do not have high- enough expectations regarding pupils’ written work. Throughout the school, there is an over-use of worksheets. They, often, reduce the opportunities pupils have to write creatively and at length.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behave well and have good attitudes to learning. They feel safe in school and have a good understanding of how to stay safe.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are satisfactory. Through satisfactory performance management procedures, leaders monitor the quality of teaching and the progress of pupils. The procedures have helped to improve the progress of pupils in Key Stage 2 from inadequate to satisfactory. However, the school’s self-evaluation of its current performance is too generous and does not identify and evaluate sharply the factors preventing better achievement. Subject leaders provide annual reports summarising their work, but these do not refer to the impact of their leadership on pupils’ achievement. 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement by increasing the proportion of good and outstanding teaching by:  making sure that the activities set for pupils take into account assessment information and meet the needs of all ability groups  providing pupils with clear guidance through helpful marking so that they know how to improve their work  reducing the number of worksheets used to record work so that pupils have more opportunities to write creatively and at length  raising expectations of the punctuation, spelling, and handwriting skills pupils are capable of demonstrating in their written work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by developing the skills of leaders and managers that will enable them to:  identify, evaluate accurately and improve the aspects of provision that are preventing higher achievement  report precisely on the impact of their work on pupils’ achievement.

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Achievement of pupils

In the last two years, the achievement of pupils has improved because of improvements in the quality of teaching. The test results of pupils who were in Year 6 during the last academic year were the best the school has achieved since it opened in 2007. The large majority of parents and carers judge that their children are making good progress. Lesson observations, work scrutiny, and analysis of data show that progress is satisfactory.

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Achievement of pupils

When children start school, their skills and experiences are at expected levels. Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage, both indoors and in the imaginatively resourced outdoor area, allows them to develop appropriately their social and communication skills. For example, children worked well together making shields, masks, and snakes and playing drums in enjoyable activities focused around the theme of Africa. The activities provided good opportunities for speaking and listening and creative development. The children’s personal development and communication skills have improved over the last three years and are now broadly average when they enter Year 1.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment in reading, writing, and mathematics at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 is average. That represents satisfactory achievement, given the pupils’ starting points. The school tracks closely the progress made by different groups in the school. The strong pastoral care helps to ensure that pupils who join the school midway through a key stage settle quickly and their progress, too, is broadly average. 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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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs benefit from the school’s close links with parents and carers. The special educational needs coordinator ensures that staff understand the pupils’ individual needs and there is sufficient adult support in lessons to ensure that these pupils make the same progress as others. However, occasionally, the tasks set for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are too challenging for them to complete without constant adult support. Pupils with a statement of special educational needs make satisfactory progress towards their individual targets because the school has appropriate ambitions for their potential to learn, as well as to integrate successfully into the life of the school.

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Quality of teaching

Strengths observed in lessons included the strong subject knowledge of teachers. That enabled the most effective teachers to anticipate the aspects of a lesson that would be particularly challenging to pupils and to deliver confident explanations. In those lessons, time was used efficiently and pupils of all abilities were able to achieve their learning objectives. For example, in an outstanding information and communications technology lesson, the teacher’s subject knowledge ensured that the pupils were confident using the software. Of equal importance was the way skilful questioning prompted high-quality discussions that clarified how pupils could evaluate and improve the games they were designing. Common features of good English and mathematics lessons were the links the lessons made with earlier work and the opportunities pupils had to work collaboratively. In those lessons, the most- effective teachers developed the pupils’ social skills and their ability to work in

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Quality of teaching

groups without constant supervision by adults.

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Quality of teaching

The large majority of parents and carers judge teaching to be good. Inspection findings show that teaching is satisfactory. The weakest learning occurred when the concepts being taught were too difficult for a significant number of pupils. In those lessons, only the most-able pupils were able to follow the lesson introduction and work successfully at the task set. Evidence in pupils’ books showed that, too often, all pupils work on the same tasks. That is because teachers do not consistently use information they have about earlier learning to ensure that the activities offer appropriate challenge to pupils of all abilities. The pupils’ books highlight other weaknesses in teaching, including limited opportunities for pupils to write extended pieces of work. There is also variability between subjects in the quality of marking; it is most helpful in English, but often of limited value in mathematics and other

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Quality of teaching

Throughout the school, there are good relationships between adults and pupils. That is exemplified by the support staff who work regularly with disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Those pupils enjoy the occasions when they work in small groups and in one-to-one sessions with adults. The sessions focus on targets identified in the pupils’ individual education plans and enable them to make the same progress as other pupils. 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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Quality of teaching

While the programmes of study in subjects such as science, history, and geography are satisfactory, other aspects of teaching and the curriculum promote the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development effectively. During the inspection, the pupils enjoyed African dance and pottery workshops. There was also plenty of evidence on display showing how the school ensures that pupils’ learning includes experiences that help them find out about the world’s major faiths, their own cultural heritage, and cultures across the world.

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Quality of teaching

The teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) is enabling younger pupils to tackle their reading books confidently using their knowledge to sound out and read unfamiliar words. In Key Stage 2, pupils enjoy their daily reading sessions, but the school does not track the reading habits of older pupils outside of school.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils enjoy school and attendance is above average. Pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning help to make the school a safe and happy place. Whether working with teachers or support staff, pupils, consistently, show good attitudes to learning. They listen attentively, are keen to volunteer answers and settle to work quickly. Those findings confirm the views of parents and carers. A large majority of pupils also agrees that behaviour is good. Even though a few pupils have social and emotional difficulties, there are few instances of serious misbehaviour. Pupils say that bullying of any kind is rare and explain how the school dealt effectively to stop prejudicial name-calling and cyber-bullying. Pupils who join the school at times other than the usual tell how they were welcomed warmly and made friends quickly. Pupils are full of praise for the work of the learning mentors and these staff, also, contribute well to the school’s effective work with pupils and

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

families facing challenging circumstances. Because relationships between adults and pupils are strong, pupils are happy and confident to go to a member of staff if they have any problems. They say that staff deal with problems quickly and effectively. Staff and pupils are both clear about the school’s policies for managing behaviour.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils interviewed by inspectors spoke positively about the steps the school takes to ensure their well-being. Through a well-planned programme of support and guidance, pupils are able to demonstrate that they have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in school, deal with issues they will face as they get older and how to avoid dangerous situations in their daily lives.

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Leadership and management

The school’s leaders and managers, including the governing body, have a satisfactory understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. That enables them to target, with some success, their actions for improvement on outcomes that should be higher. For example, following the identification of slower progress in mathematics across Key Stage 2, professional development opportunities for the subject leader and, subsequently, other staff is leading to outcomes improving in this subject. Performance management is also helping to raise outcomes. Termly 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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Leadership and management

meetings with teachers focus on the progress pupils are making. At the meetings, leaders and teachers agree strategies and targets to accelerate the progress of pupils at risk of underachievement. The improving progress made by pupils in Key Stage 2 over the last two years demonstrates the school’s satisfactory capacity to improve. However, pockets of less-effective practice remain. That is because the school’s evaluation of its performance is not sufficiently rigorous to diagnose all of the aspects of practice that act as barriers to higher achievement. Written reports following activities such as lesson observations and work scrutiny give insufficient attention to the progress pupils are making and the weaker aspects of provision.

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Leadership and management

The strengths of the school’s curriculum are its wide range of after-school clubs, its promotion of sport, its Forest School, its commitment to Fair Trade, and its promotion of the performing arts. The school has a strong involvement in its local community and is a key partner in a local project to secure a lasting Olympic legacy in Shropshire. Those features of the curriculum contribute positively to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development.

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Leadership and management

The governing body ensures that school’s safeguarding policies and procedures and arrangements for child protection meet requirements. The actions the school takes to support pupils from families living at the nearby RAF base and the targeting of funding to ensure the well-being of pupils whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable are strong features of its satisfactory promotion of equality of opportunity and readiness to tackle discrimination.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data 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. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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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

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and 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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and 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.

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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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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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 Albrighton Primary School, Shropshire, WV7 3QS

Thank you very much for your warm welcome when we inspected your school. We enjoyed talking and listening to you, hearing you read and watching you at work in class. Some of the older pupils in the school completed questionnaires. They told us that you enjoy school and that the school deals with any bullying effectively.

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Inspection of Albrighton Primary School, Shropshire, WV7 3QS

This is what we have said about your school in our report.

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Inspection of Albrighton Primary School, Shropshire, WV7 3QS

 Albrighton is a satisfactory school.  Your achievement is satisfactory and you reach the standards expected by the end of Year 6.  The teaching you receive is satisfactory overall, but some lessons are good and a few are outstanding.  The way your school is led and managed and the curriculum you follow are satisfactory.  You enjoy the many interesting activities that occur throughout the school year, including Arts Week.  You behave well in school and on the playground.

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Inspection of Albrighton Primary School, Shropshire, WV7 3QS

To help you achieve well we have asked your school to:  make sure that work in lessons is not too easy or too hard for you  mark your work carefully so that the comments show you how you can improve  reduce the number of worksheets given out to you to record your work  have higher expectations of how well you can punctuate, spell, and present your work.

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Inspection of Albrighton Primary School, Shropshire, WV7 3QS

All of you can help the school improve by continuing to attend regularly and letting your teachers know if the work you are given is too easy or too difficult.

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Inspection of Albrighton Primary School, Shropshire, WV7 3QS

Anthony O’Malley Her Majesty's Inspector (on behalf of the inspection team) 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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