Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School

Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School Avebury Avenue , Leicester, LE4 0FQ

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This inspection: Good 2

Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ achievement is good and they make good progress from their low starting points on entry to the school. They achieve well in a range of subjects with literacy being promoted well across the school.  Teaching is consistently good. There are clear routines which support learning and positive relationships in lessons. Teachers plan lessons which engage pupils in learning with a range of work which supports them in making good progress.  Pupils are positive about the school. There is good behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Pupils feel safe in school and are confident adults will support them if they have a problem.  The governing body and senior leaders have a clear vision for improvement in the school. They have worked relentlessly to remove weak teaching and to ensure consistent practice. Checking of teaching is rigorous and has led to improvements over time in the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quality of teaching and in pupils’ achievement.  Training for teachers at all levels in school is strength. The school has successfully developed teaching and supported staff in leadership roles.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 teaching does not always proceed briskly, or include opportunities for pupils to learn independently  marking is not always of high quality with constructive feedback  there is not enough inspirational teaching  middle leaders and staff do not use data to ensure pupils all make exceptionally good progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 39 lessons or part lessons.  Five lessons were observed with members of the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, staff, groups of pupils and representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s own evaluations from parents and carers. There were not enough responses to the on-line survey (Parent View) for inspectors to view these.  A range of documents were examined including the school’s self-evaluation, development plans, governing body minutes, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding documents.

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Inspection team

Susan Williams, Lead inspector Additional inspector Noureddin Khassal Additional inspector Michael Lafford Additional inspector Gwendoline Onyon Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Alderman Richard Hallam is much larger than the average primary school.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage with a small minority from Asian Indian backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is similar to that found nationally.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a Children’s Centre and an after school club on site which are not managed by the governing body and did not form part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring activities proceed at a fast pace and there are more opportunities for pupils to work independently  providing regular high quality marking and constructive feedback  developing more inspirational teaching strategies to accelerate pupils’ progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 To develop the use of data with middle leaders and staff at all levels to increase the proportion of pupils making accelerated progress.

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Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils is good  On entry to the school children’s levels of skill and knowledge are well below those expected for their age. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage with children last year reaching similar to, and in some areas of learning above, levels usually found nationally.

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Inspection judgements

 There have been strong improvements over the last year, particularly in children’s communication and language development. Children enjoy their early reading lessons and take part in a range of activities which link reading with writing. In a Reception lesson children were involved in different activities and thoroughly enjoyed moving to different areas of the room to different letters depending on the sounds they had heard.

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Inspection judgements

 Attainment at Key Stage 1 was low, it has improved and is now average. In summer 2012 tests this was maintained and there were improvements in writing which had been a focus for the school. Attainment in reading has also improved from low to average.

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Inspection judgements

 Attainment at Key Stage 2 in English has improved over the last three years to be average. Provisional results from last summer show strong improvements in reading and writing. Attainment in mathematics has remained low although school data show there are improvements in pupils’ progress over the last three years in mathematics.

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Inspection judgements

 Pupils’ progress has improved over the last three years in all areas of the school. More pupils now make the levels of progress expected of them and increasing numbers make accelerated progress.

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Inspection judgements

 Parents and carers are positive about the progress their children are making in school.

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Inspection judgements

 The gap has narrowed with all pupils nationally for White British pupils and Asian Indian pupils who had performed less well than others in school last year.

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Inspection judgements

 Pupils supported by the pupil premium make accelerated progress and interventions put in place by the school have been successful in raising achievement for these pupils.

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Inspection judgements

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well supported by other adults. Work is specifically planned to meet their needs and additional interventions have ensured these pupils make accelerated progress in school closing the gap with their peers.

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Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching is good  Teaching has improved and is now consistently good across the school. This has led to improvements in achievement for pupils.

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Inspection judgements

 Teachers have high expectations of pupils in lessons and pupils enjoy their learning.

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Inspection judgements

 Lessons start promptly, there are clear routines which are consistent across the school. Teachers match work to learners’ needs, have good subject knowledge and use questioning well to support learning.  Teaching effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Their social development is particularly well catered for in most lessons because staff make good use of ‘talking partners’. For example in a Year 6 English lesson pupils worked in pairs to discuss their ideas for different parts of an autobiography. They discussed their work enthusiastically and asked questions to support other pupils’ learning.

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Inspection judgements

 The teaching of reading is particularly strong because it is structured and systematic and the development of literacy is supported across all lessons in the curriculum.

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Inspection judgements

 Teachers work well as a team with teaching assistants who are well deployed and make a considerable contribution to the quality of learning for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, the teaching assistants questioned the pupils thoughtfully while writing a list of instructions and these pupils were able to share their successes with the rest of the class at the end of the lesson.

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Inspection judgements

 Teaching is not always at a fast enough pace for pupils to make accelerated progress and pupils do not always have opportunities to learn independently. Teachers include a range of activities in lessons but there are times when pupils are ready to move onto the next activity which slows learning. Whilst some lessons include opportunities for independent work which pupils enjoy, this is not used extensively by staff to develop pupils’ independence in learning.

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Inspection judgements

 Marking and feedback is not always of high quality. The best marking includes what pupils need to do to improve their work but this is not of a consistent quality across the school. Opportunities for feedback in lessons are also not regular enough in lessons so pupils are always challenged about their next steps in learning. Teaching strategies are not usually inspirational so pupils are not excited by their learning and do not make exceptional progress. .

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Inspection judgements

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

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Inspection judgements

 There are positive relationships between staff and pupils. There is a consistent approach to behaviour management and this fosters good relations across the school.

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Inspection judgements

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school is good. They are polite, courteous, respectful and welcoming. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and focus on learning in lessons which supports their good achievement. They play together in different activities in the playground and line up sensibly when it is time to return to lessons.

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Inspection judgements

 Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying including cyber- and prejudice-based bullying. They talked positively of assemblies and performances which have helped them to learn about bullying and to keep themselves safe. Inspection evidence shows that incidents of bullying are very rare and do not recur.

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Inspection judgements

 Pupils say they feel safe in school. They understand about different forms of extremism and talk confidently about e-safety and keeping safe such as when using the internet. They assess and manage risks well and their behaviour contributes to a safe environment in school.

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Inspection judgements

 Exclusions have reduced over time and there have been no major incidents recently.  There was one racist incident two years ago which was dealt with by the school and did not recur and no incidents last year.

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Inspection judgements

 Parents and carers and staff are positive about behaviour in school.  Governors are positive about pupils’ behaviour and are proud of pupils and the comments they receive for their good behaviour on school trips.

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Inspection judgements

 Attendance has improved since the previous inspection and is now above average.

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Inspection judgements

The leadership and management are good  The headteacher, well supported by senior leaders and the governing body, has a clear vision for improvement in the school which staff subscribe to.

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Inspection judgements

 Self-evaluation is accurate. Governors and senior staff know the school well and are clear about its strengths and areas for improvement.

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Inspection judgements

 A long term strategic plan, ‘Framework for Social Interaction’ alongside a shorter, more focused ‘Raising Achievement Plan’ ensures all staff are aware of the priorities for development in the school. These are updated and monitored regularly.

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Inspection judgements

 There has been strong, decisive leadership for the development of teaching. This has been the main focus for the school. Procedures have been rigorous and teachers have been held to account for meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

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Inspection judgements

 The monitoring of teaching has been thorough. School observations clearly identify strengths in lessons and agreed actions for improvement which are followed up in subsequent observations. Senior staff correctly identified strengths and areas for development in joint observations and were accurate in the judgements on teaching.

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Inspection judgements

 A comprehensive programme of training has been established for teachers and teaching assistants. This includes training for staff at all stages of their career including a programme for recently qualified teachers and for new or prospective leaders. Staff are very positive about the training they receive and this had led to an improvement in the quality of teaching.

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Inspection judgements

 The local authority has worked closely with senior leaders to support them on their priorities. It has provided effective support to improve the Early Years Foundation Stage, improve teaching and to support the development of leaders in the school.

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Inspection judgements

 The curriculum has been developed to ensure links in learning in different subject areas and to give pupils opportunities for innovative learning experiences such as themed events with a stimulus including aliens, the circus and giant eggs in literacy. Pupils and staff were very enthusiastic about these events and pupils’ skills in writing have improved across the school.

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Inspection judgements

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well across the curriculum in lessons and assemblies. For example, pupils take part in trips to local theatre productions.

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Inspection judgements

 Equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Pupils at risk of underachieving are given additional support early in the school so gaps in achievement do not widen. This approach has been successful and has supported the good achievement of pupils in the school.

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Inspection judgements

 Senior leaders have a good understanding of the use of data but this is not yet used widely by middle leaders and staff at all levels to ensure pupils all progress exceptionally well.

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Inspection judgements

 Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are effective and meet statutory requirements.

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Inspection judgements

 The governance of the school:  is clear about the long-term vision for the school and the school’s strengths and areas for development  challenges senior staff to ensure improvements in the school. Governors have supported the headteacher in developing the quality of teaching and holding staff to account for improvements in the achievement of pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 120107 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 405912 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 663 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Veronica Bolsover Headteacher James McGowan Date of previous school inspection 20 September 2010 Telephone number 0116 2624003 Fax number 0116 2530328 Email address jmcgowan@aldermanrichardhallam.leicester.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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,

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School details

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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