Madley Primary School

Madley Primary School Madley, Hereford, HR2 9PH

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

 Pupils do not make enough progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 for their achievement to be good.  This is because the quality of teaching has not been consistently good enough over time to support good progress.  Until recently, the school’s leaders have not paid enough attention to making sure that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills improve.  The governing body has not challenged school leaders enough about why pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 do not make rapid progress.  Leaders have only recently begun to use the information they collect about pupils’ progress well enough to identify and resolve weaknesses in teaching and learning.  The targets teachers set for pupils’ learning in literacy and numeracy are too vague for pupils to be helpful.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The recent actions taken by senior leaders to improve the quality of teaching are leading to better rates of progress for some pupils.  Pupils feel safe and behave well in lessons and around school. Sometimes their behaviour in lessons is excellent.  Parents and carers think very highly of the school, which communicates with them well.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve well because of good teaching.  The school’s values are understood and acted upon well by pupils and staff. Dance, drama, music, visits and visitors enrich pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed an assembly that included the whole school, and 10 lessons taught by eight teachers. Two of the lessons were jointly observed with senior staff. Additionally, a playtime and lunchtime were observed and samples of pupils’ work were examined.  Meetings were held with staff, the Chair and vice - chair of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority, and two groups of pupils.  Inspectors heard individual pupils read aloud to them.  They observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documents including records of pupils’ progress, documents concerning safeguarding, teachers’ planning and records of attendance.  Inspectors took account of 59 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), talked to about 15 parents and carers collecting their children after school, and considered letters sent by parents and carers to the inspectors.

p.2

Inspection team

Michael Farrell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Philip Drabble Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Four of the seven full-time teachers have joined the school since the previous inspection.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. A very small proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and very few are learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (extra money from central government) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at ‘school action’ is broadly average. The proportion at ‘school action plus’ is much lower than average. At the time of the inspection there were no pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Childcare is available via a before and after school, and a pre-school shares the school site.

p.3

Information about this school

These facilities are not managed by the governing body and were not included in this inspection.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so it is consistently good or better by ensuring that:  information on pupils’ progress is used very precisely to identify which aspects of English and mathematics require improvement in each class  specific, focused teaching strategies and extra support for literacy and numeracy are used to improve pupils’ skills  the results are checked thoroughly by senior staff, and they take prompt action where rapid improvements are not seen.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in Key Stages 1 and 2 by ensuring that:  pupils have clear, precise targets for English and mathematics  pupils know these targets, and teachers’ marking shows them exactly what they have to do to improve their work.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the governing body holds the senior leaders fully to account for pupils’ performance in English and mathematics, by arranging appropriate training and other support for governors.

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because their progress varies too much in different year groups, and has been inadequate in some years.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children join the Reception class with standards that vary year to year. In recent years standards have generally been below the levels expected nationally for their age, particularly in literacy. The current children joined with standards that were more typical for their age. They make good progress because teaching is good and staff keep a close eye on how well they are doing.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils in Key Stage 1 make slower progress but reach consistently average standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2. In Key Stage 2 progress varies from year to year. The 2011 Year 6 national test results were broadly average, but in 2012 results fell and were particularly low in reading and mathematics. These results reflected inadequate overall progress for the pupils who sat the tests.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s information on current pupils’ progress and the work in their books show that achievement is rising again because of improved teaching. Pupils in different groups such as boys and girls, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds are all making similar progress.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupil premium money is spent on extra individual and small group help and guidance for eligible pupils. This is helping to accelerate their progress and raise their attainment so they are starting to catch up with other groups.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In some subjects such as music, pupils achieve well because they are highly motivated and use technical language with growing confidence. In general, pupils say they enjoy their learning and they try hard in lessons.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Younger pupils who read to inspectors enjoyed reading. They tried hard, using different strategies including sounding out letters to tackle unfamiliar words. This reflects a structured approach to the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make).

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because it has varied too much to support good progress in recent years, particularly in Key Stage 2.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching seen during the inspection was consistently good. Teachers are demanding more from pupils, and there is a positive climate for learning in lessons. However, improvements have been very recent and the better quality of teaching has not yet had a marked impact on pupils’ achievement.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The marking of pupils’ books is improving and increasingly shows pupils what they need to do to improve a piece of work. Pupils respond to this well and sometimes write notes back to the teacher.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils do not always know their individual targets, which are often too vague such as ‘Improve my spelling’. This is holding back the progress pupils make in English and mathematics. The precision of targets for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has improved in recent months and this is helping to improve progress for this group.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school recognises that past assessments of pupils’ standards and progress have not always been accurate enough and this is also improving.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers use a good range of strategies to manage pupils’ behaviour and keep them interested in learning. Relationships between staff and pupils, and between pupils themselves, are warm and respectful. Daily assemblies that include the whole school make a very strong contribution to reinforcing school values (with themes such as ‘peace’) and promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, staff work very closely together to make sure children are actively involved in learning and play. Strong links with parents help to support children’s learning.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning and to school are positive. They readily give examples of lessons and other activities they especially enjoy. One said, ‘I like writing stories,’ and another said they found it difficult to give favourites because they enjoyed everything the school provides.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good manners and are sensitive to the needs of others, even from an early age. They are proud of the school and deeply absorb its values, which they can explain confidently.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents and carers and staff are confident that pupils are safe, and pupils say they feel safe in school. Pupils have a good awareness of how to keep safe in different situations, for example near ponds and when using the internet. Learning outside in the ‘Forest school’ helps pupils to recognise risks and prepare for them.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In this positive and productive learning environment, pupils behave well around school and sometimes excellently in lessons.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is improving and the most recent figures are above average.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Through the school’s work to raise awareness of bullying, for example through anti-bullying drama, pupils are aware of different types of bullying although they say it happens very rarely.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because teaching has not been improved enough to secure consistently good achievement. Until recently, the school has not made enough use of the information it collects on pupils’ progress to help improve teaching.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of teaching through regularly checking what goes on in lessons. Training and coaching to improve staff skills are suitably linked to their individual needs, as well as improvement priorities for the whole school  Local authority support, supplemented by external consultants, has been effective in monitoring and encouraging recent improvements in teaching, for example through guiding teachers to be more accurate in their assessments of pupils’ progress.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents and carers appreciate the school a great deal and speak highly of it. A small number do not consider that appropriate homework is set, but otherwise their responses are very positive indeed.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subjects are taught in a way that consistently promotes pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Greater emphasis is being placed on guided reading, but it is too early to see the full impact.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school helps all groups of pupils to have an equal opportunity to succeed, but while none perform considerably less well than others, pupils in Key Stage 1 have made only adequate progress and older pupils have sometimes made inadequate progress until recently. There is no evidence of discrimination, but the school has appropriate policies should any occur.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school recognises its strengths and weaknesses, and its improvement plans contain the right key priorities. The governing body and senior leaders are committed to doing better and improvements are already evident in teaching. These factors indicate that the school is able to improve further.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governance requires improvement because the governing body has not challenged the school enough or held it to account sufficiently to ensure good teaching and achievement over time. The governors have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching and achievement, and are aware of how well pupils perform compared to those in similar schools nationally. They have training from time to time. However, they would benefit from more in order to fulfil their role effectively so that they are better able to question leaders rigorously about the performance of the school. They have an appropriate grasp of the school budget and ensure that staff salary rises are linked to their performance as well as pupils’ achievement. Governors closely monitor how pupil premium money is used and its effect. They make sure that safeguarding arrangements meet national requirements.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 116708 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 405660

p.8

School details

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

p.8

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 201 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair George Snell Headteacher Lee Batstone Date of previous school inspection 16 February 2011 Telephone number 01981 250241 Fax number 01981 252071 Email address admin@madley.hereford.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 .

p.8

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.9

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.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

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

p.9