Leonard Stanley Church of England Primary School

School Report Leonard Stanley Church of England Primary School Bath Road, Leonard Stanley, Stonehouse, GL10 3LY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Teachers’ expectations are sometimes too low. The work set does not sufficiently challenge all pupils so that pupils are slow to start work and produce very little.  Senior leaders do not use information about pupils’ progress carefully enough to check that pupils are making sufficient progress.  Pupils’ achievement and progress in different year groups is too variable.  Teachers do not always understand the information they have about what pupils already know and can do and do not check that work is well matched or adapted to meet pupils’ differing learning needs.  Governors’ do not have enough clear and accurate information about teaching and pupil’s progress to enable them to ask challenging questions of the school.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils behave well. Pupils feel safe and are well cared for. They say bullying is unusual and would be dealt with if it happened.  Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage Nursery class. Teaching in Year 6, and in a few other classes, is strong.  Parents in the Nursery and Reception classes, are involved well in their children’s learning  Teaching assistants give good support in class and when they help children to catch up with learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documents, including the school’s information on the progress that pupils are making, assessment and monitoring information.  Inspectors visited 17 lessons taught by seven teachers, two of these were carried out jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors heard groups of pupils read. Meetings were held with pupils, staff, the Chair of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors met some parents informally at the start of the school day and took account of the 32 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Wendy Marriott, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Eadie Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium support (additional money allocated to schools by the government) is below average.  Almost all the pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils identified as disabled and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is above average  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational need is below average.  The school provides a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is all typically good or better and improves the rate of pupil’s progress by ensuring that all teachers: ‒ use assessment information to plan and match work to pupils’ needs and abilities ‒ check in lessons that pupils understand what is being taught and adapt teaching if they do not ‒ have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve ‒ help pupils to become independent learners by providing challenging work in all lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve and strengthen the effectiveness of the school’s leadership by: ‒ making sharper use of information from assessments and observations of teaching ‒ undertaking more effective checks on the progress pupils make, including those for whom the school is in receipt of the pupil premium ‒ providing the governing body with clear information about pupils’ progress so that they can more effectively challenge and hold the school to account.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The rate of pupils’ progress across the school is too variable. This means that despite the strong boost given to their progress in Year 6, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in their time in the school.  The children who join school in the Nursery class and those who join later in Reception start school with the skills and knowledge typically expected for their age.  They get off to a good start in the Nursery class where the children’s early attempts at writing are celebrated by teachers and parents in colourful displays. By the end of Reception they have made the progress expected since they joined the school.  Similarly across Key Stage 1, pupils make expected progress but most progress is made in Year 1 and slows in Year 2. The standards pupils reach at the end of Year 2 are broadly average. In 2012 standards were much lower, particularly in reading but represented expected progress for

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

that group of pupils. Leaders are using the information from the recent phonics screening check for Year 1 to more closely target teaching to pupils needs.  Pupils enjoy reading and the new library is helping them to read widely. By the end of key stage 2, the standards pupils reach in reading are broadly average.  At the end of Year 6, in 2012 a high percentage of the pupils reached the expected standard of level 4 in English and mathematics. However, the percentage reaching the higher standard of level 5 was below national averages.  From the information the school holds on pupils’ progress it is clear that in years 3, 4 and 5 pupils do not always make as much progress as they could in reading writing or mathematics.  Pupils disabled and those who have special educational needs make the same progress as their classmates as they are supported well.  The impact of the support for pupils supported by the pupil premium is not clear and in 2012 the

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

gap in achievement for these pupils at the end of key stage 2 was still too great.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is too variable. Where teaching is weaker pupils do not gain skills and knowledge at a fast enough rate either in lessons or over the year.  There are examples of strong teaching in each key stage and in those classes pupils make good progress and are enthusiastic and independent learners. In a Year 1 reading lesson, pupils at the earliest stage of reading were confident to read by themselves to find out why nobody liked the rat. Pupils independently researched on lap top computers to find out about their favourite author. The teacher and teaching assistant worked seamlessly as a team. They left each group with a challenge which the pupils relished.  In year groups where the expectations are high, pupils are excited by their work and are busy and productive. Teachers know exactly what needs to be taught next because they have good subject knowledge and good knowledge of pupils’ previous learning. In a Year 6 science lesson,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the teacher’s skilful questioning quickly developed the pupils’ understanding of how animals adapt to their environment. Their subsequent research task interested and engaged them fully.  Where teaching was more variable and teachers less aware of the understanding of individual pupils, lessons lacked challenge and didn’t engage the pupils. Pupils sat passively whilst they were being taught and when they went to their task they were unsure of what to do. Also when teachers didn’t use the information they had about pupils’ previous learning to plan their lessons, some pupils finished too quickly and were given tasks to fill in time.  Teaching assistants help individuals and groups of pupils keep up with the learning in the classroom. They are skilled in questioning pupils and adapting the tasks set by the teacher.  The systems for sharing what lessons will be about and feeding back how well pupils have done

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

through marking are used conscientiously by teachers but the best strategies for delivering lessons are not yet shared across the school.  Pupils are given more opportunities to use their literacy and mathematical skills across a range of lessons than they were at the time of the last inspection. Teachers also use information and communication technology to support learning appropriately.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy their lessons. They like their teachers and feel they are given good support.  Pupils behave well in lessons and in the playground. They are very clear about what would happen if they did not and respect the school’s new behaviour policy. They feel it has improved behaviour, particularly for those pupils who find it harder to behave.  Pupils attending breakfast club value the time in the morning for fun with friends and pupils of different ages play together well.  Bullying of all kinds, including cyber bullying or racially motivated bullying, are rare and minor. Pupils believe that other pupils are friendly and welcoming to pupils new to the school. They feel secure and play happily together, sharing the space in the playground fairly.  Internet safety has been a recent priority of the school and pupils are well aware of what precautions they should take at home and school to keep safe. Parents are equally positive

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

about the safety of their children at school and value the care the school gives to their children.  Pupils come to school regularly and attendance is consistently above average.  Pupils enjoyed learning about Diwali when they made Rangoli patterns. These opportunities interest pupils and develop their understanding of other cultures. Where group work is an established part of lessons, pupils are developing good skills of co-operation.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although leaders collect a large amount of information about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching, they are not using this information sharply enough to improve achievement. Some of their judgements about how well the school is doing are over generous. However, this information is sometimes used well to plan to enable those in danger of falling behind.  Meetings are held to discuss the progress of pupils but the information from those meetings is not clear enough to help leaders to plan for improvement. Leaders check on the quality of teaching and know where developments are needed. However, they are not enabling the sharing of best practice sufficiently.  Systems are in place for staff performance management and leaders are using targets to improve teaching and the curriculum.  The curriculum is well developed and the Rights, Respecting mark is helping pupils in their personal development. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Fund

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The leadership and management requires improvement

raising activities such as Turn on the Tap make pupils aware of lives different to their own. Most pupils attend some of the wide range of after school clubs and opportunities for competitive sport are good.  Equality of opportunity has a high priority and any discrimination is dealt with well. Specialist services are used when pupils need particular help.  The school is at the heart of its community and parents value the work of the staff and the headteacher in particular.  The local authority has not been directly supporting the school for several years and leaders have lacked the ongoing guidance which local authority visits could give them. Staff have however taken part in local authority training.  The governance of the school:  Governors do not have a clear understanding of what the school needs to do to improve and so cannot provide effective challenge. This is because they rely on reports from school leaders

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and their systems for collecting evidence themselves are not well developed. They have not had any recent professional development to help them to do this.  Governors fulfil their statutory duties in relation to safeguarding and financial management. Whilst they are aware of the additional funding that comes to the school through the pupil premium, they are not yet targeting the funding sufficiently well to close the gaps in achievement. However, they use information about the number of teachers on the higher pay scale when considering whether resources are well used.  The governors give good support to school leaders and celebrate successes.

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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 115688 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 403275

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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 Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 173 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stephen Lacey Headteacher Ian D Smith Date of previous school inspection 29 April 2008 Telephone number 01453 823265 Fax number 01453 821180 Email address leonard.stanley@gloucs.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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