Rufford Primary School

Rufford Primary School Bredon Avenue, Stourbridge, DY9 7NR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. Their good progress continues in Years 1 to 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  All groups achieve well, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  Teaching is good. Relationships in lessons are positive and pupils work hard. Teachers provide pupils with a wide range of interesting work that they enjoy.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Pupils’ are keen to learn.  Pupils feel extremely safe in school and have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and secure.  Staff enthusiastically share the headteacher’s successful drive to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement. Leaders, including the governing body, successfully use training to improve the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 More-able pupils in Key Stage 2 are not always given work in mathematics that is demanding enough.  Pupils are not always aware of the targets set for them to aim for to improve their work, or how much progress they are making.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed the teaching in all classes. They visited 17 lessons taught by nine teachers. The headteacher joined inspectors for several of these visits and inspectors observed her reporting back to teachers on the quality of learning seen.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, the headteacher, teachers and the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor. The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors looked at a range of evidence including: hearing pupils read, records of pupils’ progress, safeguarding documentation, behaviour logs and the results of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching. They also examined the work in pupils’ books.  The views of five parents were analysed through the Parent View website. The inspectors met some parents who were working with their children in school and their views were also considered.

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Inspection team

Gerald Griffin, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christine Young Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  Half of the pupils are White British. The remainder are nearly all of Pakistani background and an above-average proportion of these pupils speak English as an additional language.  A larger-than-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from homes where a parent is in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise teaching and rates of progress to outstanding by always providing more-able pupils with highly demanding work in Key Stage 2 mathematics lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure pupils understand clearly the targets set for them to aim for to improve their work so that they can measure their own progress and take appropriate responsibility for it.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school with knowledge, skills and understanding at low levels for their age. This summer, they reached attainment that was below average at the end of their Reception Year. This represents good progress in all areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress is better than expected in Years 1 to 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2012, pupils left Year 6 with average attainment.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When writing, pupils use vocabulary and punctuation skilfully to express their ideas clearly in many different ways, such as factual accounts, letters and stories. In an outstanding Year 3 lesson, pupils made excellent progress in developing their knowledge of descriptive words and using them to write similes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in reading is good because pupils have well-developed skills in linking letters to the sounds they make (phonics). The school’s results were well above the national average in the Year 1 phonics test. Attainment in reading is currently average in Year 2. Pupils are keen to read and do so regularly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ skills in solving mathematical problems are well developed. The progress of the older, more-able ones sometimes slows when the calculation work they are given is too easy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs concentrate well in lessons. Their good progress is secured by effective teaching, which enables them to achieve small but demanding steps in learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils at the early stage of learning English make rapid gains in the language because they receive expert help from adults, some of whom speak their home language. These pupils also make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good progress of boys, which has been slower than that of the girls over recent years, is the result of improvements in teachers’ behaviour management and the strengthening of parents’ support of their learning at home.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school uses pupil premium money well. For example it has been used to train adults to support the needs of these pupils who have emotional difficulties so that they are able to concentrate well in lessons. It is used to provide these pupils with help to catch up work when they have fallen behind. As a result, the previous gap between the lower attainment of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium and their classmates has now closed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ good progress and positive attitudes mean that they are well prepared for secondary school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships in lesson are very positive and pupils are keen to learn. Teachers use resources, such as computers and educational games, effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good planning of learning leads to activities in lessons which deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding and which develop a range of skills which pupils are able to apply in all subjects. For example, pupils use mathematics skills competently to measure and to draw graphs in science.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan many opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, in a good art lesson seen, pupils were learning about styles of painting used in different cultures.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants provide valuable support, especially for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and those known to be eligible for the pupil premium. For example, they keep notes on each pupil’s progress, which are passed to the teacher to help plan the next lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mostly use test scores well to plan demanding tasks that stretch all members of the class. However, in some Key Stage 2 mathematics lessons, more-able pupils find their calculation work too easy. For example, the work set to multiply and divide decimal numbers is not always hard enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Nursery and Reception classes, teachers plan a good balance of adult-led and child- chosen activities in the stimulating environment. Learning takes place inside and outdoors, and develops children’s understanding well. Occasionally, children working independently are not clear about what they need to do to make good progress in their chosen activity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils in other years are also not always clear about the targets set as objectives for them to reach to improve their learning and attainment. This means they find it difficult to judge for themselves how well they are doing over time and take responsibility for their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is regular and teachers provide useful comments that show pupils how they can improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Inspectors saw consistently good behaviour in lessons and around the school. Parents, school records and discussions with pupils confirm that this is the norm.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite, enthusiastic, enjoy school and are keen to learn. They cooperate and work well together in groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes bullying. They are fully aware of its different forms, such as internet bullying. They say that there is very little bullying in school. Pupils are highly confident that any bullying would be quickly sorted out by the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel very safe and know precisely how to keep themselves safe, for example when on the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has risen sharply over the past few years and is now above average, reflecting the pupils’ enjoyment of school.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders, including the governing body, aim for high achievement, excellent behaviour and outstanding teaching. Since the previous inspection, the actions taken by leaders have led to much improved teaching, marking and attendance. These improvements show the school is well placed to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders make very regular checks on teaching and the quality of learning. The follow-up from these observations successfully tackle weaknesses to improve teachers’ skills. For example, successful training has improved the teachers’ management of pupils’ behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 The management of teachers’ performance is rigorous. Only those teachers that have met the challenging targets set by the school for the progress that pupils must be shown to achieve are considered for additional pay and promotion.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers have a good understanding of the learning needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. They use this information to provide good individual support. The help provided for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable is very effective.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has made a strong contribution to the training of school leaders, and to improving the teaching of phonics.

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The leadership and management are good

 All parents expressed positive views about their children’s progress, teaching and the leadership of the school. The school provides meetings that are well attended by parents, for example about mathematics learning. These help them to support their children’s learning at home. The school is highly successful in supporting parents who find working with school difficult so that they can help their children’s learning at home.

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The leadership and management are good

 The way subjects are taught strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, the school provides many opportunities for pupils to reflect on their feelings and on what is right and wrong. The school organises a wide range of clubs for its pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school completes all statutory checks on the suitability of staff to be employed. Child protection training for staff is thorough, and leaders implement child protection policies rigorously.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a clear commitment to combating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. This is shown in the good progress made by all groups of pupils, from all backgrounds. The school fosters good relationships with outside agencies and other schools to improve pupils’ life chances even more.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance. This comes about through their visits to see the school at work and from detailed reports by school staff. They have a growing understanding of data on pupils’ progress and attainment and use this information to judge how well Rufford is performing compared to similar schools. They ask searching questions of senior leaders and, as a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement has improved. They check the budget carefully. Governors make sure that the school is spending the pupil premium funding on those eligible for it and to good effect. For example, they are fully aware of the quality of the additional help these pupils receive and that the pupils’ attainment has risen to match that of other pupils. They also keep a careful eye on how teachers’ performance is managed and rewarded. They check that robust targets are set

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The leadership and management are good

for the teachers and that pay is always linked to performance. Governors ensure that they get the regular training needed to undertake their duties efficiently.

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 103803 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 400658

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 247 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Catherine Edwards Headteacher Sally Bloomer Date of previous school inspection 15 September 2009 Telephone number 01384 818975 Fax number 01384 818976 Email address info@rufford.dudley.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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