Stoke Primary School

Stoke Primary School Briton Road, Coventry, CV2 4LF

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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

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

 Teaching is not consistently good enough to ensure that all pupils make rapid progress in all year groups to raise their attainment, particularly in writing.  There are inconsistencies in the way teachers mark pupils’ work and help them to improve their writing. This means that progress is slower in some classes then others.  The teaching and support for those pupils who find learning difficult in mathematics is not good enough to help them to make rapid progress.  Although leaders and governors are committed to improving the school, their plans for improvement do not have clear enough timescales or measures to gauge success. Checks on the quality of teaching do not have a sufficiently sharp focus on pupils’ learning and progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 The youngest children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. Early reading skills are taught well and this is increasing the rate of progress in reading throughout the school.  Progress has accelerated over the last year and most pupils are making the progress they should.  Pupils enjoy and benefit from the wide range of additional activities to support their learning.  There are good relationships among the pupils from different backgrounds.  Behaviour and safety in lessons and around the school are good.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 23 lessons, of which four were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. They also listened to pupils reading.  The inspection team scrutinised a range of documents, including plans for improving the school, policies about keeping pupils safe, minutes of the meetings of the governing body and the school's data on pupils' progress.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, teachers with responsibilities for leading subjects, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  The views of four parents and carers were analysed through the Parent View website. The inspectors also took into account 31 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Andrew Phillips, Lead inspector Additional inspector Pamela Matty Additional inspector Christopher Parker Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is double the national average. Over half of the pupils speak English as an additional language. This is well above the national average. A few pupils who have recently arrived at the school are at the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is similar to the national average. The school receives pupil premium funding for just over one quarter of its pupils, which includes this group.  Six new teachers, including four new to the profession, joined the school at the start of the academic year.  The school meets the government ’ s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, so that it is consistently good or better in all year groups, to make sure pupils always make good progress, particularly in writing, by:  planning tasks that build on what pupils already know and are able to do  always setting out clearly for pupils what they need to do to succeed in lessons  making full use of supporting materials and prompts to help pupils increase the range of words they use and to develop the structure of their writing  checking work in lessons more closely and adapting it to what pupils need to learn next  ensuring that marking consistently provides pupils with clear guidance on how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the progress made in mathematics by disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs by:  ensuring that explanations are always clear and take account of their individual needs  providing a range of apparatus and materials in lessons to help them to develop a more secure understanding  acting quickly when pupils do not understand to modify tasks to help them to succeed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  making more effective use of data about pupils’ progress to evaluate the impact of teaching on the progress made by different groups of pupils  focusing sharply on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and achievement in lessons and in their written work when checking the quality of teaching  refining the school’s plans for improvement to provide clearer timelines and more precise measures against which success can be measured.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most children start school with less well-developed skills than expected for their age. They achieve well in both the Nursery and the Reception classes but this good progress is not consistently maintained through all year groups. Consequently, pupils’ achievement requires improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 has risen since the last inspection in reading and mathematics but in writing it remains below the national average. This is because there are inconsistencies in the teaching of writing and the expectations the teachers make of the pupils’ spelling and punctuation are not high enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most pupils are making the progress they should in Years 3 to 6, and some are making better progress. Attainment in English is broadly average by the end of Year 6. Progress has increased in many year groups but is slower in writing than in reading. This is because, in some classes, work builds more successfully on what pupils already know and are able to do. by the end of Year 6, disabled pupils and those who have special education needs make considerably better progress in English than their peers nationally,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since the last inspection, progress in mathematics has increased. However, attainment remains lower than in English. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are not making as much progress as they should in mathematics because the teaching is not tailoring learning well enough to their individual needs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most pupils are making better progress in reading than in writing. Pupils talk excitedly about the books that they are reading, both at school and at home. Younger pupils are developing their reading skills at a good pace because they have developed a secure knowledge of letter sounds.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Those pupils supported by the pupil premium made better progress than similar pupils nationally. The school uses this funding to provide additional teaching in Key Stage 2 and for the additional support of a learning mentor. In common with their classmates, throughout the school, the progress of these pupils exceeds expectations in reading but has not been as fast in writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Those pupils who join the school speaking little English receive appropriate support. For example, pupils recently arrived from Romania have frequent visits from local authority support services. Last year, those pupils who speak English as an additional language made faster progress than similar pupils nationally.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it is not resulting in the pupils making consistently good progress in all year groups. In lessons where pupils make the progress expected of them rather than faster progress, teachers do not plan sufficiently well to build on what pupils already know.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, teachers do not always set out clearly what pupils need to do to succeed. Sometimes, they do not provide effective prompts, sufficient supporting materials or lists of what pupils are expected to achieve to enable pupils to make rapid gains in their writing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of mathematics to ability groups in Years 3 to 6 is helping to increase the progress made by many pupils. However, the teaching of mathematics to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs does not take sufficient account of their need for very clear explanations and practical activities that provide the opportunities to use a range of apparatus and materials.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In lessons where pupils make good progress, teachers set them interesting activities that engage them in a way that builds successfully on their earlier learning. This was the case in a Year 6 mathematics lesson in which the pupils were asked to solve a practical problem. They very quickly organised themselves so that they could try different permutations before recording their findings.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is inconsistent. Some, but not all, of the teachers’ marking tells pupils what they need to do to improve their work. In the best examples, the teacher sets out very clearly what and how pupils’ work can be improved. As a result, pupils correct and improve their work by responding to the feedback being given by their teacher.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The children in the Reception classes are developing good learning and listening skills because they are well taught. In a lesson where they were learning the ‘y’ and ‘z’ sounds they showed growing confidence to ‘have a go’ at writing words and many were able to write, for example, ‘zip’. The children benefit from both teacher-led activities and those they chose themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Reading is taught effectively across the school. The teaching of sounds that letters make is systematic and pupils are mostly prepared well for their next steps in reading. However, some reading records, although comprehensive, are not clear enough about exactly which sounds or words pupils need to practise next.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where the adults who work alongside the teachers question and prompt the pupils effectively, they help them to make good progress. However, they do not always act quickly enough to modify tasks in order to help less-able pupils to succeed, particularly in mathematics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to learn. They concentrate and behave well in lessons. Pupils respond positively to their teachers’ questions and enjoy many of the activities planned for them. This was evident when Year 4 pupils were trying to beat their record for how quickly they could answer six and seven times-table questions when they appeared on the interactive whiteboard.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Senior leaders have developed a clear set of expectations of behaviour which pupils fully understand and respond to positively. Pupils are aware of the consequences of their actions and the rewards and sanctions that they can expect. Pupils confirm that the behavior on the playground is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe at school and are confident that if they have any problems there is always an adult that they can talk to. They are aware of their own and each other’s safety, including e- safety and cyber-bullying. Incidents of bullying are rare and, should they occur, pupils are confident that they will be dealt with swiftly by adults.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are given responsibilities, such as preparing for assemblies, which they take seriously. Other pupils have responsibilities for helping to keep other children safe and involved in games when they are on the playground. There are good and harmonious relationships among the pupils, who respect and value their many different cultural backgrounds.  Attendance is below average but is improving because the school continues to work tirelessly with parents and carers to ensure that their children come to school every day. The school provides very good support to vulnerable families and for newly arrived pupils and their families. The school works closely with external agencies to support these families.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and governors have been successful in increasing pupils’ progress since the last inspection but they know that inconsistencies remain in the rate of pupils’ progress in writing. The school’s plans to bring further improvements do not have clear enough timelines and precise measures against which success can be measured to ensure rapid improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The teachers collect a lot of data about each pupil’s progress. This is used to check that individual pupils are making the progress expected of them. It is also analysed by teachers who have leadership responsibilities for subjects but it is not used well enough to evaluate, for example, the impact that initiatives funded by the pupil premium have on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school is benefiting from the recent appointment of new leaders and middle managers. There is a heightened awareness of their shared responsibility for increasing pupils’ progress and raising standards. However, some of the checks carried out by leaders on the quality of teaching are not focused sharply enough on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and progress to provide an accurate picture of the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has robust systems for the appraisal of teachers’ performance. Leaders and the governing body do not reward teachers with a salary increase unless they are successful in helping pupils to make at least good progress. All teaching and non-teaching staff are set clear performance targets linked to the school’s drive to bring improvements to pupils’ learning and progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The teachers use a broad range of themes to make learning interesting in different subjects. Pupils’ personal development is extended through a range of out-of-school activities. This includes a number of school journeys to support pupils’ learning, which the pupils say they thoroughly enjoy and value. During the inspection, some pupils went on a visit to Birmingham Airport and were fascinated to find out about jobs of the people who work there.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has worked closely with the school in supporting them with their priorities, particularly in relation to improving the quality of pupils’ learning and progress in mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Arrangements for keeping pupils safe meet current regulatory requirements and lead to pupils feeling safe in lessons and on the playground.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school: − Governors have a broad understanding of how well the school is performing through the headteacher’s reports and their visits to lessons to find out for themselves. However, they do not have an in-depth understanding of data regarding the schools’ performance so that they can be searching in their questioning of school leaders. Governors ensure that the headteacher’s appraisal results in clear targets and that all staff are appraised by senior leaders. Governors agree how the funds from the pupil premium will be used to tackle underperformance but have been unable to evaluate its impact because the school does not analyse the data it collects with a sharp enough focus on different groups. Governors are provided the data they need to keep a keen eye on the school’s financial situation. Governors have attended an appropriate range of training.

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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 103679 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 404888 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 454 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bernard Brannan Headteacher Helen Tressler Date of previous school inspection 9 December 2010 Telephone number 024 76451724 Fax number 024 76431209 Email address office@stoke.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

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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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