Rushall Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 3–4 July 2012 Inspection number 377029 Rushall Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 104196 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 377029 Inspection dates 3–4 July 2012 Lead inspector Mary Davis

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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 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Labrum Headteacher Kate Bargh Date of previous school inspection 18 June 2008 School address Pelsall Lane Walsall WS4 1NQ Telephone number 01922 682300 Fax number 01922 682300 Email address kbargh@rushall.walsall.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 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

Paul Delbridge-Smith Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors observed 16 lessons and 10 teachers, spending eight hours in classrooms. They held meetings with groups of pupils, members of the governing body and staff, and spoke to parents and carers. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at: policies; development planning; data related to the tracking of pupils’ progress; senior leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning; safeguarding documents; pupils’ work; and 88 questionnaires from parents and carers, together with those from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

Rushall Primary School is an average-sized primary school. The great majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below the national average and the proportion who speak English as an additional language is low, with none at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average and overall, almost a third of pupils are identified as being disabled or having special educational needs. An above-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils entering or leaving the school at other than the usual times is above average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The school has an Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) for communication needs, catering for children with autism and speech and language needs. The current headteacher took up post in January 2012. 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

 Rushall Primary is an outstanding school. Pupils thrive as a result of the excellent provision. The resourced provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is a model of exemplary practice. The effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is also outstanding.  Achievement is outstanding. Pupils make rapid progress from their starting points. By Year 6, attainment is above the national average in English and mathematics. Pupils show great enthusiasm and a high degree of independence in their learning.  The quality of teaching is outstanding. Teachers have extremely high expectations of what their pupils can achieve and provide appropriate challenge and support to meet the wide range of pupils’ individual needs. The marking of pupils’ work is exemplary. Very occasionally, teachers do not provide challenging enough questions in class to extend pupils’ thinking fully.  Behaviour and safety are outstanding. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning

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Key findings

and show a mature understanding of pupils with behaviour difficulties and seek to help and include them. They are kind, polite and welcoming, and confident. They have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe, and are confident that the school will ensure their safety at all times. Attendance has risen dramatically and is now above average.  Leadership and management at all levels are outstanding. All staff and governors display a united determination to ensure the well-being of all pupils and to promote their achievement. The high quality of teaching is ensured through rigorous monitoring and support and robust management of performance. Progress tracking is meticulous and target setting thorough, although targets for the highest attaining pupils are not always challenging enough. The outstanding curriculum provides memorable and innovative experiences to inspire learning and promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and

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Key findings

cultural development extremely well. 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?

 Accelerate rates of progress and promote pupils’ independence further, by:  sharing existing outstanding practice to ensure that teaching consistently extends pupils’ thinking through challenging questioning  setting increasingly challenging targets, particularly for the highest achievers.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Nursery with levels of skill and understanding that are typically below expectations for their age, particularly in communication and language skills. They make rapid progress, particularly in reading, and by the end of the Reception Year almost all children reach expected levels, having well-established learning skills; they are able to listen well, to cooperate with others and to talk confidently about their learning. Attainment in reading by the end of Year 2 is above average. Attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6 has risen over the last three years and is now above average with gifted pupils attaining beyond the expectations for their age group in reading and mathematics. This is particularly significant because of the school’s high proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, many of whom have considerable learning or emotional

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Achievement of pupils

needs. This group of pupils is so expertly supported individually, both in the resource unit and in mainstream classes, that most make excellent progress and achieve their potential. The highest attaining pupils in Year 3 are already working at the attainment levels expected by the end of the key stage in writing, demonstrating that rapid progress is taking place across the school. They were observed independently writing ‘thank you’ letters, using the appropriate layout and were able to write fluently and with neat handwriting.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils are very keen to learn and show a high level of independence because they know how to improve their work, having a secure understanding of their individual targets and how to reach them. Almost all parents and carers rightly expressed the view that their children make good progress and enjoy their learning. Pupils say that they learn a lot in lessons all of the time and they were keen to tell inspectors how much they enjoy the experiences provided for them and that ‘teachers help you do the best that you can so that we all “sky rocket”.’ This is exemplified by the school’s Olympic festival that not only enabled them to extend their personal and social skills, but engaged pupils in a wide range of learning activities. For example, in one lesson observed, pupils enjoyed finding out about famous Olympians and how they were inspired to compete. As this activity was presented as a press conference, there was

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Achievement of pupils

a buzz of excitement as some pupils took on the role of the athletes while others interviewed them or used tablets to record and make notes, showing understanding of the difference between ‘open’ and ‘closed’ questioning. This highly purposeful and relevant activity is typical of those provided across the school and results in 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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Achievement of pupils

developing confident speaking and listening skills.

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Quality of teaching

The majority of teaching observed during the inspection was outstanding and leaders have ensured that there is a high degree of consistent practice across the school. Almost all parents and carers and pupils expressed the view that teaching is good.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers provide exciting, relevant and memorable tasks to inspire learning and to promote pupils’ well-being. Teachers work hard to ensure that resources are well prepared and imaginative, with close attention to detail to make experiences realistic. This fires up pupils’ imagination, providing real-life experiences to inspire their writing. The strong teamwork evident between teachers and additional adults in classrooms is a real strength of the provision. Teaching assistants share in the modelling of tasks and use questioning skilfully to challenge and support. Warm relationships are evident throughout the school and teachers know their pupils well, planning meticulously to meet the wide variety of pupils’ individual needs in order to fully promote their learning. Pupils say how much they enjoy the fun activities provided. For example, in a mathematics lesson, pupils made fast progress as they competed in team tasks, estimating and recording the time each activity took. The

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Quality of teaching

highest attaining pupils devised activities independently, setting their own challenges and evaluating their success. Very occasionally teachers miss opportunities to extend fully pupils’ thinking through challenging questioning.

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Quality of teaching

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are exceptionally well included and provided for in lessons. The outstanding teaching in the resource unit encourages, cares for and stimulates each pupil according to their needs through personalised timetables and learning strategies, for example, the use of ‘Lego’ therapy. As a result, they are able to thrive, both academically and socially.

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Quality of teaching

The marking of pupils’ work is exemplary, with teachers providing clear information about why the pupils have done well and what they can do to improve. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to reflect and respond to this advice, creating a continuous dialogue that takes learning forward.

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Quality of teaching

Reading is taught systematically across the school and teachers take every opportunity to promote reading. Pupils told inspectors how much they value the box of reading books provided in every classroom in response to their own request for new books. Teachers provide frequent opportunities for pupils to work in teams, reflect on their own learning and issues that face them and to form their own views, promoting their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The behaviour and safety of pupils over time are outstanding. Although a small minority of parents and carers expressed the view that lessons are sometimes disrupted, pupils show a mature understanding that this disruption is not caused by 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

bad behaviour, but by autistic behaviour, for which they show considerable empathy. They express their confidence that adults will manage this well and systematically. They all understand what is expected of them in terms of responsible behaviour and rise to these high expectations. One pupil told inspectors, ‘We all have an occasional “blip”, but usually behaviour is outstanding.’ Another commented that they could be trusted to work independently. Pupils also expressed their confidence that the school will keep them safe and have a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including from cyber-bullying. They understand different forms of bullying and say that this seldom occurs, but that there is always an adult nearby who will help them if they are troubled. This view is also shared by their parents and carers who believe that the school keeps their children very safe. Pupils show a high level of care for

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

each other from the Nursery upwards. Older pupils run a club in the gazebo where they read stories to younger ones.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils value the fact that they have a real voice in the running of the school and that their ideas and requests will be followed up. Attendance rates, previously below average, have improved dramatically over the current academic year for all pupils as a result of the support provided, and are now above average.

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Leadership and management

The inspirational headteacher and her deputy work as an extremely effective team and have established a highly inclusive school ethos which ensures that all pupils are cared for and provided with outstanding support according to their individual needs, that all have equal opportunity and that there is no discrimination. This is further demonstrated by the fact that all pupils and adults use Makaton sign language routinely when appropriate and leaders have ensured that visual signals are used throughout the school in the management of behaviour. All staff share leaders’ vision and ambition for the school and are keen to improve their own practice, seeking advice and support in order to do so. Middle leaders are well focused in driving improvement in their areas of responsibility and have received external support to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation practice. They identify training needs, provide support and share good practice. They and the senior leadership rigorously

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Leadership and management

manage performance and ensure that the quality of teaching continues to improve.

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Leadership and management

The school is recognised for its expert behaviour management and is a beacon of excellence for its provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. As a result, the school is increasingly asked to take on pupils with complex needs. The school welcomes, supports and cares for these pupils, not only while they are at school, but seeks to secure appropriate provision once they leave, to ensure their future progress and well-being. Parents and carers are well engaged in the life of the school and express their gratitude for the school’s care.

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Leadership and management

Governors are highly visible in school and ensure the safety and well-being of both pupils and staff. They are extremely knowledgeable about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching, and provide very effective support and challenge for the school’s leaders. Safeguarding procedures meet the government’s current requirements. 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

During the inspection, the whole school celebrated the Olympics with its own festival, organised by Year 3, to which 41 local schools contributed, each representing a different country. The variety of activities related to this theme, from the organisation of events, including writing letters of invitation to handling a budget and communicating with visitors, is typical of the regular provision of memorable and inspiring opportunities. These enable pupils to develop and apply skills in a range of real-life learning experiences, promoting extremely well their resilience and creativity, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Free music tuition enables all Years 4, 5 and 6 pupils to learn a brass instrument, further enhancing the curriculum.

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Leadership and management

The school shows particularly strong capacity to sustain the high quality provision. Leaders recognise that they can raise achievement further by stretching pupils further through the setting of increasingly more challenging targets.

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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 Rushall Primary School, Walsall WS4 1NQ

Thank you very much for the welcome you gave us when we visited your school for its recent inspection. We enjoyed talking with you and seeing all that you do. We particularly enjoyed watching the Olympic Festival and were extremely impressed with the fact that you had organised such a huge event yourselves.

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Inspection of Rushall Primary School, Walsall WS4 1NQ

You go to an outstanding school. You are making excellent progress and your attainment is above that of most pupils nationally by the time you reach Year 6. You told us how much you enjoy your learning. You understand your targets and are keen to do well. The school is very well run and leaders have worked hard to ensure that teaching is outstanding and that you ‘sky rocket’. We have asked them to ensure that you always experience teaching of the highest quality and always ask questions that will make you think. We were particularly impressed by how well teachers mark your books and provide you with opportunities to respond to the advice they give which enables you to be independent learners.

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Inspection of Rushall Primary School, Walsall WS4 1NQ

Your behaviour in lessons, around the school and during special events is excellent. You are kind to each other. You know how to keep yourselves safe and are confident that the school will keep you safe. You work very well together in lessons and support each other. Your attendance is above average. You told inspectors that you enjoy your lessons because the curriculum is fun and exciting and enables you to develop your own ideas and be creative. The school’s leaders are making sure you continue to learn and develop well as young people, and that you are safe. We have asked them to set you even more challenging targets so that you make even better progress. You can help them by continuing to work hard.

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Inspection of Rushall Primary School, Walsall WS4 1NQ

I wish you every success for the future.

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Inspection of Rushall Primary School, Walsall WS4 1NQ

Mary Davis 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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