Graiseley Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 10–11 July 2012 Inspection number 385844 Graiseley Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 104302 Local authority Wolverhampton Inspection number 385844 Inspection dates 10–11 July 2012 Lead inspector Jacqueline Wordsworth 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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elias Mattu Headteacher Sharifan Nasa Date of previous school inspection 9 May 2011 School address Pool Street Graiseley Hill Wolverhampton WV2 4NE Telephone number 01902 558745 Fax number 01902 558746 Email address graiseleyprimaryschool@wolverhampton.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, 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

Jacqueline Wordsworth Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors observed seven teachers in 18 lessons; they observed guided reading sessions and listened to a number of pupils read. The team held meetings with members of staff, groups of pupils, and three members of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body, the vice chair and the chair of the monitoring group. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documentation relating to pupils’ achievement and school management, including pupils’ work, evaluations of teaching and learning, minutes of the governing body meetings, and whole-school improvement planning. Inspectors took into account the questionnaires completed by school staff, pupils, and 25 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Graiseley Primary School is smaller than most primary schools. The very large majority of pupils come from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds, with the largest group being of Asian British Indian heritage. Other groups include those from White British, Asian British Pakistani, and Black British Caribbean heritages. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average and a few of these pupils are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is above the national average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who have a statement of special educational needs, or are catered for at school action plus is also above average.

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Information about the school

When it was inspected previously, the school was judged to require a notice to improve. A subsequent monitoring visit by HMI judged that the school was making inadequate progress in addressing the issues that led to the category of concern. There have been several changes of staff and absences during the last year. The school was without full-time headteacher until September 2011. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. 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. Appropriate actions for improvement have led to better governance and improved attendance and subject leadership. The school is not good because the quality of teaching is not good enough to raise attainment and secure good achievement. The leadership of special educational needs has significant weakness. In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement. 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

 Attainment is broadly average by the end of Years 2 and Year 6, with the majority of pupils achieving satisfactorily. Few pupils attain at the highest level, particularly in writing. Pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds (phonics) is less well developed than their writing because of inconsistent practice in the teaching of phonics across Key Stage 1.

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Key findings

 The majority of teaching is securing satisfactory learning and progress, but it is inconsistent. In some lessons, work is tailored less well for the range of pupils’ learning needs, particularly for the most able. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop and practise their speaking and listening skills, particularly for those pupils who speak English as an additional language. Questioning is not used effectively to check pupils’ understanding or engage them.

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Key findings

 There is sound accountability through performance management. Leaders monitor teachers’ work to improve their practice. Suitable systems are used to gather information about how well pupils are doing and the information is used appropriately to support pupils’ academic development and their good social, moral, and cultural development. The management of special educational needs has significant weaknesses because leaders do not always have due regard for the Code of Practice. 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 attainment in English and mathematics by ensuring that there are increased opportunities for pupils to:  produce writing at the highest levels, particularly by the end of Years 2 and 6  improve their speaking and listening skills, particularly speaking and answering questions in full sentences in Key Stages 1 and 2  engage in more real-life and practical activities in mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that more teaching is consistently good or better and none is inadequate by ensuring that teachers’ skills are strengthened in:  gauging the extent of pupils’ knowledge, skills, and understanding, so that the work set is suitably challenging, is undertaken with good pace and results in good learning  developing pupils’ phonic knowledge systematically and securely throughout the school  teaching reading, particularly paired and guided reading, especially in Key Stages 1 and 2  understanding the specific linguistic needs of all pupils who speak English as an additional language and planning work that meets their needs more closely  using learning objectives and success criteria effectively  using questioning to check pupils’ understanding and that pupils are fully engaged in learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the governing body meet its statutory duty to have a suitably qualified special educational needs coordinator in post by July 2013.

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Achievement of pupils

Children begin in the Nursery class with a range of skills and knowledge, but, overall, levels on entry are well below those typical of children of this age. Sound provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage enables the development of children’s social skills, encouraging them to learn and follow routines, become increasingly more organised and grow in independence. Speaking and listening skills are developed satisfactorily. Children learn to listen to others and wait for their turn to speak. They speak with increasing fluency and accuracy, extending their contributions as they develop wider vocabularies and increased knowledge of grammar. Their progress in reading and writing is satisfactory. Sound links were evident during lessons between writing and reading. The youngest children use writing to communicate meaning as part of their play. A range of books, games, and rhyming songs help children in Reception Year

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Achievement of 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

develop early reading skills and some have a satisfactory sight vocabulary. Opportunities are also provided for pupils to build on stories they know, to explore language and ideas. Writing and reading opportunities encourage pupils to write for a purpose and to understand the links between sounds and letters.

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Achievement of pupils

The majority of parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire feel that their children make good progress. Inspection evidence shows that progress is satisfactory. While there are few pupils who achieve better than the expected levels by the end of Years 2 and Year 6, the proportion of pupils who achieve the expected levels in reading is improving. Progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 is satisfactory, but inconsistent

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Achievement of pupils

Current work in books and in lessons shows that achievement in writing and mathematics is improving, but there are some gaps, particularly in the real-life applications of mathematics. There are relatively few opportunities for pupils to produce high-quality writing. Nonetheless, some of the pupils’ writing in Years 5 and 6 is good, particularly in the use of vocabulary, complex sentences, and imaginative phrases. There is a an appropriate emphasis on using lively and imaginative words, which reflects the improvement in the quality of pupils' writing across the year groups and adds interest for the reader. A particularly interesting piece of writing involved Year 5 pupils taking on the role of government intelligence officers writing a report to the Prime Minister, explaining that an alien spacecraft had crash landed in the school playground. Pupils were given the opportunity to examine the ‘wreckage’

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Achievement of pupils

and gather first-hand evidence before writing the report. The task engaged the boys particularly.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, those pupils who speak English as an additional language, including those who are advanced bilingual learners, make satisfactory, rather than good progress because these different groups of pupils are often taught as a single group. Teachers do not always match tasks appropriately, or make the best use of additional support. Individual learning or language plans do not always have sufficiently specific targets. Insufficient opportunities are given for pupils to practise expressive language skills before being asked to write. For example, pupils are not encouraged to answer questions or explain their reasoning orally in full sentences, in order that they begin to understand basic sentence construction.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers manage the pupils well and relationships between pupils and adults are good. Discussions with the staff, pupils, parents and carers indicate that the school places a strong emphasis on promoting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. Pupils are provided with opportunities to express their feelings about a range of issues and concerns. They are keen to participate in lessons and to share their ideas with others. Pupils are given satisfactory opportunities to discuss their work in pairs and groups and to report the results of their discussions to the rest of the class. Lessons are appropriately planned and the pace of learning is 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

satisfactory, although some introductions are overly long. All lessons seen had a learning objective. The objectives, often, varied in their precision, sometimes resulting in a lack of clarity for the pupils about how their success during the lesson would be measured. Marking is generally purposeful and regular, but variable, as pupils’ misconceptions are not always spotted quickly and acted upon. Teachers set pupils relevant targets and pupils understand them and work towards them. Some good teaching was observed in English, particularly in Years 4 and 5, where teachers display the highest expectations of pupils and use a range of resources to enthuse and motivate them.

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Quality of teaching

Nonetheless, some inherent weaknesses remain that prevent all pupils from progressing well. In a small minority of lessons, teachers are under-prepared. Pupils’ progress in those lessons is inadequate. In those lessons, activities are not tailored to the needs of all pupils and, at times, all complete the same activity, which restricts the progress of average-ability and more-able pupils. Too much teacher talk limits the opportunity for pupils to learn independently. Teachers’ grasp of some subjects is insecure, with teachers introducing misconceptions, particularly in phonics, use of grammar, and mathematics. In some classes, pupils do not read to an adult often enough to promote good reading habits and guided or paired reading sessions lack a clear focus.

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Quality of teaching

The day-to-day provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those pupils who speak English as an additional language within the classroom, broadly meets pupils’ needs and results in satisfactory progress. However, teachers’ planning does not have the necessary balance between a focus on pupils’ specific need or language development and the work of the rest of their class.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are aware of the impact of their actions on others because this is a strong feature of the school’s work. Pupils work equally as well in groups as in whole-class lessons because they are aware of how to behave and of the rules for a happy and hardworking classroom environment. Most pupils express their confidence in the school’s ability to deal promptly and effectively with any instances of bullying. They have an appropriate understanding of the difference between one-off incidences of inappropriate behaviour, or name-calling and the different types of bullying, such as prejudiced-based bullying related to race or religion. However, they are less knowledgeable about other types of bullying. Most say they feel safe in school and the majority of their parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agree with this and their mainly positive views on behaviour, although a few pupils raised

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

concerns. Inspectors investigated the concerns and were satisfied that the incidents had been dealt with appropriately. Pupils’ attendance is average and the rate of persistent absence is reducing.

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Leadership and management

Leaders have worked successfully to address the weaknesses identified in the 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

previous inspection and subsequent monitoring visit. They recognise that, although they have made a sound start, there is much work still to be done. The monitoring of the quality of teaching is regular, but does not always focus on the impact that teaching has on pupils’ learning. Leaders are aware that teaching is not good enough at present for the school to realise its ambition of ensuring good progress and raising pupils’ attainment to be above the national average by the time they leave school. Teachers with posts of responsibility, such as subject leaders, are clear about what is expected of them and how they should evaluate the impact of their work. Nonetheless, there are significant weaknesses in the leadership of special educational needs and that for pupils who speak English as an additional language. The special educational needs coordinator does not have up-to-date knowledge or the required

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Leadership and management

training to carry out the role effectively. Teachers are not involved in all of the planning for those pupils who speak English as an additional language, often relying on the teaching assistants to work with this group of pupils. The school improvement plan does not contain clear enough objectives or strategies for improving their outcomes. Consequently, equality of opportunity, tackling discrimination, and the capacity for further improvement are only satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum provides a satisfactory range and breadth of opportunities for the pupils. It fosters well pupils’ understanding of the traditions, cultures, and beliefs in the school and local community. Governance has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Child protection and other arrangements to safeguard pupils, including risk assessments, now, meet government requirements. The majority of parents and carers have positive views about the school. However, a significant minority feels that teachers do not listen to their concerns and that a few are unapproachable. Leaders acknowledge that they have a distance to travel to regain the trust and confidence of parents and carers.

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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 Graiseley Primary School, Wolverhampton, WV2 4NE

Thank you for being so friendly when we visited your school and for telling us your views, including through your questionnaires. We were pleased to see that you have tried hard to come to school regularly and some of you have won prizes for 100% attendance. This is an achievement – well done!

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Inspection of Graiseley Primary School, Wolverhampton, WV2 4NE

You have helped us greatly. As you know, at the school’s last inspection the headteacher was asked to make lots of improvements and the school needed a further visit from an inspector to help it improve. We are pleased to tell you that the school is now a satisfactory school. The reason the school is better is because:  you come to school more often  teachers are better at checking on how you are doing in English and mathematics you are learning more things  the school has made improvements to its arrangements for keeping you all safe.

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Inspection of Graiseley Primary School, Wolverhampton, WV2 4NE

The school has some areas for improvement before it can be described as good. We have asked the school to improve further your progress in reading, writing, and mathematics, to make more of your lessons good, and to improve the support given to those of you who need extra help with your learning and to those of you who are new to learning to speak English.

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Inspection of Graiseley Primary School, Wolverhampton, WV2 4NE

We hope that you will all continue to enjoy coming to school and try your hardest so that you are successful in the future.

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Inspection of Graiseley Primary School, Wolverhampton, WV2 4NE

Jacqueline Wordsworth 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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