Potters Green Primary School

Potters Green Primary School Ringwood Highway, Coventry, CV2 2GF

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

p.1

This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 the large majority of pupils reach standards in English and mathematics that are broadly in line with the national average but too few reach higher levels  pupils’ achievement, teaching and the monitoring of pupils’ and staff’s performance require improvement to sustain a consistent rise in pupils’ achievement over time  pupils’ writing is inconsistent across the school. Pupils do not always learn to use effective calculation skills in mathematics  in too many lessons, teachers do not plan sufficiently challenging tasks to extend pupils’ learning or deepen their understanding  too much teaching in Years 1 to 6 requires improvement and the learning targets set for more able pupils are not always ambitious enough  some pupils fall short of their expected attainment targets because teachers do not check their progress regularly enough  staff with management responsibilities do not have clear monitoring and evaluation roles

p.1

This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 the governing body is not directly involved in monitoring pupils’ progress and teachers’ performance.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 In a short time, the headteacher and deputy headteacher have steered significant improvements to assessment and teaching. An increasing proportion of teaching is good and is starting to improve pupils’ achievement more consistently over time.  Pupils behave well and treat each other with respect and courtesy. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive. The school provides good pastoral support and care so that pupils feel safe.  Children throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in all areas of learning.  Teachers’ marking is effective in helping pupils to understand how to improve their work and the next steps in their learning.  The support and teaching provided for disabled pupils or those with special educational needs are helping them to make good progress. The small number of pupils learning English as an additional language achieve well.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 29 lessons and observed 16 teachers, and some teaching assistants and learning mentors who were teaching at the time of the inspection.  Inspectors heard pupils read and scrutinised their workbooks.  Meetings were held with a member of the governing body, staff and pupils, and inspectors spoke to some parents and carers.  Inspectors took account of responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Questionnaire responses from eight members of staff were analysed.  Inspectors scrutinised the arrangements and records kept to safeguard pupils.  Inspectors looked at the school’s development plan and self-evaluation, as well as assessment data that teachers use to monitor pupils’ progress.

p.2

Inspection team

Charalambos Loizou, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Sally Manz Additional inspector Anthony Green Additional inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The Early Years Foundation Stage comprises a Nursery class for three-year-olds who attend part time, and two Reception classes for four-year-olds.  The large majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds. Other pupils come from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds and the largest groups are represented by pupils of Caribbean or Indian heritage. A small number of pupils are in the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average (those supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs). The proportion supported by school action is below the national average. The main areas of additional need include moderate or specific learning difficulties, such as speech,

p.3

Information about this school

language or communication.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2011.  The school has received a number of national awards including Healthy Schools and the Active Mark, the Basic Skills Mark and it is an Eco school.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to accelerate the pace of learning in all classes in Years 1 to 6 and so sustain the rise in pupils’ attainment by:  adapting tasks and activities in lessons more effectively to meet all pupils’ needs and abilities  ensuring that pupils’ progress is checked more robustly and regularly by teachers to ensure that all pupils reach or exceed their expected targets  making sure that teachers always plan tasks and set more ambitious learning objectives for pupils of higher ability.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement and attainment consistently across the school in English and mathematics by:  improving the consistency of pupils’ handwriting and providing opportunities for them to write more extensively across the curriculum  building on the good start children make in literacy in the Early Years Foundation Stage to sustain the rise in attainment in writing throughout Years 1 to 6  providing pupils with opportunities in all mathematics lessons to use and apply a broader range of effective methods of calculation when problem solving.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sharpen school improvement and development planning to increase the impact of leadership on teaching and pupils’ achievement by:  identifying more clearly who is responsible for monitoring, evaluating and managing priorities for improvement  involving more directly members of the governing body in monitoring staff and pupils’ performance alongside senior and middle leaders  setting clear and specific actions and milestones in the school’s development plan from which to measure the progress being made towards becoming a good school.

p.3

Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils requires improvement  The majority of children joining the school in the Nursery or Reception classes start with skills and abilities that are below those expected for their age. As pupils move up the school, the progress they make varies too greatly due to inconsistent teaching and expectations, so that pupils’ overall achievement requires improvement.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Assessments and national test results show that the proportion of pupils who meet or exceed the expected rate of progress in English and mathematics is improving. However, a significant proportion of pupils fall short of their expected attainment levels, including those of average or higher ability who are eligible for the pupil premium.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Previous national test results show that the achievement of more able pupils requires improvement. Although the most recent unvalidated assessments for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils show improvement on previous years, the teaching is not consistent or ambitious enough to ensure that all more able pupils reach higher levels in English and mathematics. The most effective teaching is improving achievement and making a significant contribution to raising pupils’ attainment and accelerating the progress of pupils who had previously fallen behind.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Pupils’ attainment is rising at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, particularly in reading and mathematics, but this trend remains fragile. Pupils’ writing, particularly handwriting and independent or extended writing, is not as consistent as it should be across the school.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Pupils’ achievement in reading and mathematics is improving more rapidly than in writing, although in some mathematics lessons pupils do not use the most efficient methods of mental or written calculation when problem solving.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Pupils acquire a good range of reading skills because they are being taught letters and sounds (phonics) consistently well, building on the good start made in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Nevertheless, achievement is not yet good because there remains too much variation in the pace of learning across classes and between year groups, reflecting inconsistencies in the teaching.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve well, particularly in early literacy. They reach the levels expected for their age by the time they start Year 1 in all areas of learning because of highly effective provision and welfare, as well as consistently good or outstanding teaching throughout the Nursery and Reception years.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including some who are also eligible for pupil premium money, achieve well. They are provided with well-focused and targeted support and good teaching which are monitored closely to ensure that interventions and support programmes meet their specific learning needs.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Pupils from Indian, Caribbean and other ethnic heritages make the same progress as their classmates.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Teachers and support staff ensure that there is effective and inclusive support provided for pupils who are in the early stages of learning English. The use of learning partners and targeted one-to-one support to engage these pupils in conversation in lessons enables them to settle and integrate quickly and achieve well. The quality of teaching requires improvement  The teaching in Years 1 to 6 is not yet good because teachers’ expectations and learning targets for pupils to aim for in lessons are not always ambitious enough. The teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is consistently good with much that is outstanding.

p.5

Inspection judgements

 Teachers mark pupils’ work diligently and provide helpful comments for pupils to understand the next steps in their learning. Assessments of pupils’ learning are now more accurate compared with those found at the time of the school’s last inspection. However, teachers are not assessing pupils’ progress often enough to check if pupils are falling behind or to intervene soon enough to help them catch up.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 Having used assessments to identify the abilities of the pupils, the tasks planned by teachers for more able pupils are not always sufficiently challenging to extend their learning.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 Teachers provide learning targets for pupils to aim for and these are pitched at different levels of ability. This is also an improvement since the last inspection. However, too often, the targets are not challenging enough or matched to the needs and abilities of all pupils, which slows their learning.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 The most effective teaching (good or outstanding) adapts to pupils’ learning and progress. Inspectors found that in these lessons teachers adjusted and tailored specific tasks for individuals and groups to extend and deepen understanding further. This is not yet a consistent feature of the teaching and requires improvement.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 The pace of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is consistently good and sometimes outstanding. There are stimulating, varied and challenging activities for the children throughout the two years they spend in that key stage. Transition arrangements into Year 1 are effective in helping the children to build on this good start, particularly in communication, language and literacy.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 Pupils are able to read independently using good strategies when attempting unfamiliar or complex words and phrases. This is consistent across the school because the teaching of reading and phonics, as well as the support provided for pupils who find reading difficult, are effective.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 Pupils’ handwriting and the form and structure of extended pieces of writing varies because teachers do not always intervene enough in lessons to improve pupils’ writing while they write. A new handwriting policy has recently been introduced but has yet to show consistency in all classes.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 Mathematics teaching has improved since the last inspection, resulting in an upturn in pupils’ attainment. The most effective teaching allows pupils time to explain the calculation methods they use and sets more challenging and varied tasks that reinforce pupils’ understanding. The teaching that requires improvement in mathematics does not provide enough opportunity for pupils to practise or consolidate calculation skills. Some lessons and workbooks show that pupils still use inefficient ways to calculate both mentally or in written forms.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 The use of well-qualified support staff and learning mentors is effective in helping those pupils who find learning difficult and those with additional or special educational needs to improve their reading, writing and mathematics skills. The behaviour and safety of pupils are good  Teachers and support staff foster a supportive and positive climate for learning. Pupils socialise and cooperate well in lessons and at break times. Inspectors checked behaviour logs. They found that records of any incidents causing concern were very rare and pupils behave well, treat each other with respect and courtesy.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 Behaviour is not outstanding in the school because, in a few lessons, pupils get fidgety or go off task when they are not expected to do enough or the work is undemanding. Behaviour is usually good and is managed well by teachers, although some lessons do not engage all pupils in class discussions or draw them into more productive group work with other pupils.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 Nurture and intervention programmes are well managed, optimising the use of funding provided for pupils eligible for the pupil premium. Most of the money from the pupil premium is spent on additional support staff and learning mentors who are particularly effective in supporting those pupils who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour or who have emotional and learning difficulties.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly and is now in line with the national average for primary schools. There are good home-school liaison arrangements that foster close links with families so that any patterns of poor attendance are addressed promptly.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 The school fosters good relationships and is successful in tackling any form of discrimination in a cohesive and supportive school community.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 Inspectors agree with pupils who say that bullying is very rare and this is confirmed by the views expressed by parents and carers, both in discussions and in the small number responding to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Most pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes different forms of bullying.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 Pupils say that they feel safe in school and trust the adults who teach and support them. There are very positive relationships between staff and pupils with good opportunities for pupils to take on extra responsibilities, for example, when older pupils look after Reception children at lunchtime in the dining hall.

p.7

Inspection judgements

The leadership and management requires improvement  Leadership and management, including governance, require improvement. Although school and subject development plans are used as a route map to guide leaders, staff and governors when reviewing the school’s progress, it is not clear who is evaluating or monitoring each priority for improvement. As a result, there remain inconsistencies in the teaching and in pupils’ achievement. This is one of the reasons why the school’s leadership and management are not yet good.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 Determined leadership, particularly driven by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, to address most of the areas for improvement identified at the time of the last inspection demonstrates that the school has the capacity to sustain further improvement. Parents and carers are generally pleased with the school and its leadership.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 Since the headteacher was appointed a year ago, there has been a concerted effort to raise pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics. Standards are rising as a result and, to sustain this, the headteacher has re-structured and streamlined senior and middle leadership responsibilities. This has given middle leaders and subject managers greater oversight of their respective management responsibilities.

p.7

Inspection judgements

 Improved assessment systems and accurate evaluations of teaching by senior leaders are providing a secure basis to continue improving the school. However, development plans do not include stages or milestones to trigger more regular checks that will help to gauge whether particular actions or priorities are on course to be achieved by the target dates, so that improvement planning and leadership require improvement.

p.8

Inspection judgements

 The school makes a good contribution to pupils’ social, moral and spiritual development, although pupils are generally less aware of the range of ethnic, religious and cultural diversity that exists in the United Kingdom.

p.8

Inspection judgements

 The school’s curriculum provides broad and more varied topics for pupils to study that draw together different subjects. There is a good range of physical education, swimming and competitive sport for example, and pupils are taught a modern foreign language (Spanish), as well as a broad range of creative arts, such as music, drama and dance. However, inspectors found, and leaders are aware, that pupils do not always have enough opportunities to write more extensively across the full range of the curriculum.

p.8

Inspection judgements

 The local authority provides effective support for the teaching of English and mathematics and there are well-established links with consultants to continue promoting strong provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have fostered productive links with an Education Improvement Adviser who is now focusing on the most important priorities for further school improvement.

p.8

Inspection judgements

 The governance of the school:  is committed and dedicated to the school and the community it serves  fulfils its statutory responsibilities and is vigilant in ensuring that all policies are up to date and finances are managed well  ensures that all safeguarding procedures comply with statutory requirements  does not ensure that governors are fully engaged in direct monitoring with school leaders so do not have first-hand experience of pupil or staff performance to enable them to challenge the school or hold leaders to account for any shortcomings.

p.8

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

p.9

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.

p.9

School details

Unique reference number 103659 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 400641

p.10

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.10

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 449 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Darren Raynor Headteacher Paul Ryan Date of previous school inspection 8 October 2009 Telephone number 024 76613670 Fax number 024 76611211 Email address headteacher@pottersgreen.org.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.

p.10

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.

p.11

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

p.11

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,

p.11

School details

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’.

p.11

School details

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

p.11