Cannon Park Primary School

Cannon Park Primary School Bransford Avenue, Coventry, CV4 7PS,

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 make good progress in English and mathematics.  Standards in mathematics and reading are above average. More pupils reach the higher levels in mathematics than is found nationally.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils of all abilities. Teachers plan activities that fire pupils’ enthusiasm and help them to learn and achieve.  The headteachers challenge weaker teaching and tell teachers clearly what needs to be better. Their actions to improve teaching have been successful.  Parents are extremely positive about the school. They feel that their children make good progress. They praise the way the school cares for the high numbers of children who join at different points of the year.  The school has introduced actions to promote good attendance. Attendance is above average and improving.  Governors are knowledgeable about the school. They are clear about the actions the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

headteachers have taken to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Pupils show good attitudes to learning. Their behaviour is good. Pupils feel safe in school and know what to do to avoid dangerous situations.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A small amount of teaching requires improvement. At times, pupils spend too long listening to teachers. Teachers do not always use questioning effectively enough to challenge pupils’ thinking.  Pupils do not do as well in their writing as they do in reading and mathematics.  The quality of feedback given to pupils in lessons and in books, particularly in pupils’ writing, does not always lead to improvement.  The headteachers do not monitor effectively the performance of teaching assistants. As a result their work varies in quality. School , 20-21 November 2012 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons, of which nine were joint observations with the headteachers. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Inspectors also observed both headteachers reporting back to teachers on the quality of their teaching.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents including the school improvement plan, the school’s own data on pupils’ performance, minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s safeguarding documents and records relating to behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors took account of the 16 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), met with parents informally at the start of the day and in a parent assembly and considered a survey of parents’ views conducted by the school and governing body.  Meetings were held with the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the Governing Body, other staff including middle leaders, two groups of pupils and a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Marilyn Mottram , Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Rosemary Barnfield Additional Inspector School , 20-21 November 2012 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 This primary school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Two people are currently sharing the post of headteacher. This is a temporary arrangement agreed by the governing body.  The proportions of disabled pupils, those with a statement of special educational needs and those who need extra support at school action plus, are close to the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported as school action is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority, for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium), is below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils moving in and out of the school at different times in the year is higher than the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is always at least good and more often outstanding by ensuring that: - there is a better balance between the amount of time pupils spend listening to teachers and the time they spend practising and applying their skills - all teachers use questioning skilfully to give pupils opportunities to explain and expand their thinking.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing by:  providing training and support for staff who are not confident at teaching writing  ensuring that pupils are given clear advice about how to improve their writing  increasing the opportunities for pupils to complete extended pieces of writing in subjects other than English.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact of leadership and management by:  using performance management to monitor effectively the support staff who work with pupils. School , 20-21 November 2012 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in reading and mathematics. Their standards in reading and mathematics are above average when they leave the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many achieve the higher levels in mathematics. Pupils enjoy the challenges set in mathematics. For example, during the inspection they showed initiative and good reasoning skills when collecting and presenting information about healthy eating and interpreting different charts and graphs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in writing are not as high as those in reading and mathematics. This is because teaching is not as effective in this area. Teachers do not always introduce the writing tasks clearly enough or teach writing skills confidently. Pupils are not always clear about what they need to do to improve their writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are making good progress in early reading. The teaching of the sounds letters make (phonics) is taught very effectively. Some pupils who were falling behind in their reading have made rapid progress as a result of carefully planned additional sessions.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is a strength across the school because the staff are skilled at helping weaker readers and challenging the better readers. Older pupils enjoy talking about their reading. Throughout the school pupils use their reading research skills in a range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are disabled, or who have special educational needs, are successfully meeting the targets set for them and make good progress. Teachers are clear about the issues that may cause some individuals to learn more slowly than others. They take these into account when planning lessons and extra support.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A high proportion of pupils, including pupils for whom English is an additional language, join the school after Reception. They receive effective support from experienced teaching assistants and make good progress. This good achievement reflects the school’s success at promoting equality of opportunity.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are eligible for support through pupil premium funding make good progress by the time they leave the school. The school has used its funding to appoint additional staff and provide these pupils with effective individual support and small group sessions.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Creative partnerships with outside groups and organisations help pupils achieve well in subjects such as art, music and history. During the inspection a performing arts company was in school and pupils were learning to play drums and talking about their own performance and that of others with confidence and insight.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is mostly good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan lessons that interest and engage pupils. For example, during the inspection, pupils were using information and communication technology (ICT) skills very competently to create their own versions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  Most teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to use their reading and writing skills across other subjects, for example, through writing extended pieces of work linked to their topic work. However, in a few lessons teaching does not lead to effective writing because pupils are not shown how to improve their writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Science teaching is effective and includes lots of practical experiments that engage and motivate the pupils. Pupils work well in small groups. They co-operate and support each other well. Pupils can talk clearly about their learning in these lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a few lessons, teachers spend too long introducing the lesson and asking questions that require very little thought. In some lessons, teaching assistants are inactive for too long, and are unclear about how to provide support when pupils are working.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teachers’ marking, particularly of pupils’ writing, does not always help pupils to improve. The best examples give pupils clear feedback and a chance to respond and improve their work. In these instances, books show that pupils are making good progress in their writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons teachers check how well pupils are doing and give clear advice about how pupils can improve. For example, in one mathematics lesson the teacher was ready to move pupils across different groups if they were ready for the next step or needed further support with their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants usually support learning well, particularly when supporting pupils who speak English as an additional language. Their role is not effective in all lessons because sometimes they are unclear about the activities set and are not able to support the pupils’ learning well enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching promotes a good understanding of the range of cultures in the school. Lessons often build on the experiences that some pupils have of life in other countries. Pupils spoke to inspectors enthusiastically about their European topic and shared their knowledge of other cultures and languages with a sense of pride.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has worked well with families and carers to raise expectations of regular attendance. Attendance is now above average and improving further.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well. They have high expectations of themselves and others. Parents and pupils have a good understanding of the school’s behaviour policy. For example, the buddy system, the Chill-out-Club and the Caught-Being-Good weekly raffle are all part of school life and are used effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe in school and they know what to do in potentially unsafe situations. For example, they talk confidently about using the internet safely. They are clear about who to go to in school if they feel worried or upset. Parents and carers who responded to the Parent View questionnaire, and those who spoke with inspectors, agree that their children feel safe at school.  Pupils know about different types of bullying but report that bullying is extremely rare. There is evidence to show that, where pupils’ behaviour in the past has been upsetting to others, swift action has been taken. Pupils talk confidently about how the school handles any behaviour incidents quickly and thoroughly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There is a wide range of ethnic groups in the school. Relationships between all pupils and staff are very good and the school keeps a watchful eye to ensure that all pupils are treated with respect and everyone is valued. Pupils talk with pride about what they know of their world and of the wider world.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school prepares pupils well for their spiritual, social, moral and cultural development through the subjects taught, assemblies and trips. Pupils have regular opportunities to meet people of different faiths and backgrounds.

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The leadership and management are good

 At present two people share the post of headteacher. The two headteachers know the school’s strengths and areas for development very well. This has led to positive changes in staffing arrangements and improvements in teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteachers have successfully built a strong sense of teamwork across the school. Leadership responsibility is shared among staff. The headteachers are ambitious for the school and drive improvement. They are very effectively supported by other staff particularly the leaders of literacy and numeracy.

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The leadership and management are good

 All staff were positive about leadership in their responses to the inspection survey. Roles and responsibilities of both headteachers are clearly defined and communications between the headteachers and the staff are excellent. This helps staff to teach effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders are able to judge teaching accurately. They regularly check how well pupils are learning. They observe lessons, look in books and analyse carefully the results of assessments. This gives leaders a good understanding of how to improve standards even further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteachers act promptly if there is any teaching that requires improvement. Weaker teaching is quickly followed up with good support, training and close monitoring. Targets set for teachers have led to improvements in lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 The current arrangements for managing teachers’ performance are very good. Teachers have performance targets linked to the progress of the pupils they teach and to the school’s priorities. However, the management of the performance of additional support staff is not as rigorous as it should be.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works very effectively with the local authority and with partner schools to share ideas and training opportunities. This has led to improvements in key aspects of the school’s work including reading.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school plans the subjects taught and other activities with careful thought to pupils’ interests and backgrounds. They make extensive use of the wide range of cultures and faiths to develop in pupils a sense of respect and open mindedness. Pupils talk with enjoyment about the wide range of lessons and before-and-after-school clubs.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

- Governors have a good knowledge of how well the school performs in comparison with other schools and where it needs to improve. This enables them to check that the headteachers are setting appropriate performance targets for teachers, rewarding good teachers and challenging underperformance. Governors have been fully involved in decisions about how the school spends the pupil premium funding. For example, they have authorised the appointment of additional support assistants to work with pupils who are falling behind in their learning. However, governors have not kept a close eye on how well these initiatives are working and whether or not they are providing good value for money. The local authority has helped the governing body to set up the temporary headship arrangement. Its training programme enables governors to fulfil their roles including the performance management of the headteachers. School

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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. School , 20-21 November 2012 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 103667 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 402924

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 197 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Carol Davies Headteachers Myra Clarke and Steve Ainge Date of previous school inspection 27 February 2008 Telephone number 024 76414683 Fax number 02476 693048 Email address admin@cannonpark.coventry.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, please

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School details

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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School details

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

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