Allesley Hall Primary School

Allesley Hall Primary School Winsford Avenue, Coventry, CV5 9NG

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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.  The school is well led and managed due to the strong leadership of the headteacher and the effective challenge and support of the governing body.  Teaching is good because lessons are well planned and organised at the right level for pupils of different abilities.  Pupils with special educational needs and those who need extra help are making as much progress as other pupils.  Teachers help pupils to use their learning targets well so that they understand what they need to do next.  Behaviour is good and pupils get on well together. They feel safe, well looked after and happy in school.  The rich and interesting subjects and topics are a strength of the school. Through themes and studying novels in depth pupils explore a wide range of skills, ideas and subjects.  The majority of pupils make good progress in most subjects by the time they leave the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Other leaders are not fully involved in taking on additional responsibilities when needed or coaching staff to improve.  Marking sometimes does not give enough detailed help for pupils to improve their work.  Progress in writing is not yet as good as in reading and mathematics. The school is continuing to help pupils to make faster progress but standards are not yet as high as they could be.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons of which six were joint observations with the headteacher.  They saw all teachers teaching and also small-group teaching sessions led by teachers and teaching assistants.  They looked at many school documents including monitoring information, tracking of pupil progress, attendance and policies to keep pupils safe.  They listened to pupils read, talked to them about their work and looked at their books.  They visited an assembly, break time and lunchtime.  Discussions were held with pupils, school staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 41 responses from the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), two letters from parents and responses from informal discussions with parents at the beginning and end of the school day.  Inspectors also considered views expressed in a questionnaire completed by the school staff.

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Inspection team

Jenny Edginton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kevin Butlin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average and fewer speak English as an additional language than in most schools.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school works with ‘The Key’, a unit within another school run by the local authority to provide additional support for pupils.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for looked-after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed forces) is below average. There are no looked-after children or children from service families in the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a breakfast club and after-school club on site but neither are managed by the school’s governing body and are inspected separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the leadership roles of other leaders so that they can:  take on different roles and responsibilities as the school changes  develop their coaching and mentoring roles to raise more of the good teaching to outstanding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing by:  making the next steps for learning even clearer to pupils through more detailed marking linked to the already good use of targets  making sure that the basic skills sessions taught to all pupils have maximum impact on improving spelling, punctuation and grammar in their independent writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many children start at this school with lower-than-average skills for their age but by the time they move on to Year 1 their mathematical and reading skills are close to average when compared to others. Their starting points can vary considerably from year to year but, from their individual starting points, they do well and make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The reading screening check in Year1 last year showed that children were making a good start in learning to read and spell. These scores were above national figures.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress and by the end of Key Stage 1 their work in mathematics and English is broadly average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in Key Stage 2 have risen since the last inspection and pupils do well in English and mathematics. Many make very good progress although they do not do quite as well in writing as in reading and mathematics. Almost all pupils made the nationally expected levels of progress and many did better. Last year almost three times as many pupils reached the highest level in mathematics compared with all pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have extra help which is well matched to their individual needs and make the same good progress as others in school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those whose first language is not English make the same progress as other pupils in school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium do well. Last year pupils eligible for free school meals achieved the nationally expected levels in mathematics, reading and writing and over half did better. They did better than pupils who did not have the extra support and they left the school over a year ahead overall in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards are improving because teachers are good at checking how well they are doing and at setting work at the right level and this is being checked by senior leaders in school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching seen by inspectors was mainly good. Pupils’ work and school records show that it is usually good over time and that some is outstanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupil targets are carefully chosen by teachers and shared with parents. Pupils use them well and say that they help them to see the progress they are making and to want to do even better.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A sticker system for marking is helping pupils to understand how to improve their work but sometimes the marking lacks sufficient detail to make sure that this happens. This is the case in writing lessons, where some pupils need more help to use what they have learnt about spelling, grammar and punctuation.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan carefully for lessons, which are usually interesting and suitable for every pupil’s needs. Just occasionally, lessons move a little too slowly. This means opportunities are missed to give harder work to those who could manage to do it.  Pupils enjoy books and read well. They enjoy the novels which everyone in each class reads each term and which are linked to their topics. The pupils invited an author in to school for World Book Week and discussed the books and their other reading very enthusiastically.

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The quality of teaching is good

 ‘ The Key’ provision, based in another local school, works well with the school to provide appropriate help for pupils requiring its specialised support.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching subjects through interesting topics is a strength of the school and gives real purpose to learning. For example, pupils in Year 6 learnt to make plans of solid shapes in a mathematics lesson so that they could construct fireplaces for the Victorian-style model houses they were making. In the Reception class children were on an imaginary trip to the moon and used their writing and spelling skills to make a list of food to take with them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants work together well. Lessons and small-group teaching for pupils who need extra help and for the most able, are planned and organised well and the effect on the pupils’ work and progress is carefully checked.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they enjoy school and this shows in their high attendance levels. They are proud of their school and enjoy taking on responsibilities such as running the school council.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The systems for rewarding good behaviour such as the presentation of award ribbons in assembly are appreciated by pupils, who also clearly understand the sanctions which can be applied, such as time in the ‘Thinking Bay’, if required.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attitudes of care and tolerance are developed in everything happening in school. For example, a large piece of artwork based on traditional tales included the caption ‘Did Goldilocks show respect?’ and was the result of much discussion in class. A Year 6 pupil explained that a visit to a temple helped him to respect other faiths and to understand people better.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of types of bullying including cyber bullying. They say bullying is rare but dealt with if it should arise. Most say that they feel safe in school but a few feel occasionally feel insecure in the playground at lunch time. They know who to go to if they need help or support.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Independence and self-reliance are encouraged from the start and so most pupils become self- confident and show good behaviour and approaches to school and their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is well managed so that most pupils are always positive, involved and attentive in lessons. Adults working in class make sure that any less positive behaviour does not affect the work of others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and respectful both to adults and each other. They move around the school in a calm and controlled way and help each other. A four year old was seen to politely offer an electronic tablet to a friend and to offer to help him get started on finding a programme.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The great majority of parents are positive about behaviour in the school. The few who expressed concerns agreed that the problems had been dealt with by the school. Both pupils and staff were positive.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders, especially the headteacher, care deeply about their school and have detailed plans to achieve their high ambitions for pupils. The values of the school are reflected in their sense of purpose, caring and high standards and reflect their drive and commitment.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a clear idea of how well the school is doing and offer some coaching to teachers to improve their work, although not enough. At times their roles are not flexible enough to adapt to changing needs as the school develops.

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The leadership and management are good

 Responses to Parent View and letters from parents were positive about the school, the headteacher and the support given to their children. The majority of parents who expressed a view would recommend the school to others.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are good systems to make sure that individuals and of groups of pupils, including those who have extra help, learn well. The headteacher makes sure of good progress by checking the planning, recording and teaching of her staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher regularly reviews information on how well pupils are doing and gives staff clear targets to judge success against so that further improvements can be made.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers who have extra responsibilities work with other teachers. This, and other training, is used to help the school but there are not always enough opportunities for staff to learn from each other.

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The leadership and management are good

 The wide range of themes and topics which are studied helps pupils to learn about the world as well as the skills they need. Visits to the Paralympics, joining debating competitions, working with magistrates and learning about using money make pupils’ learning relevant to life. This promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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The leadership and management are good

 Interesting activities provided outside lessons such as residential visits, lunchtime and after- school activities, and specialist sports coaching are attended and enjoyed by many pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 All aspects of safeguarding are met to keep pupils safe. The school makes sure that all pupils are given equal opportunities and that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has been supportive of both the headteacher and governing body and has provided suitable training when requested.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has had training to support its work. Governors visit regularly and discuss needs and changes with the staff. They spend money such as the pupil premium wisely to have the greatest effect and they are well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They know about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. They ask searching questions and set clear targets for the headteacher alongside giving support and praise. They have linked pay rises to better teaching and learning so that the best teachers are rewarded for their efforts. They know what the school is doing to tackle any underperformance.

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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 103656 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 404885

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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 195 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Shaw Headteacher Rhona Forde Date of previous school inspection 22 September 2010 Telephone number 02476 674586 Fax number 02476 672450 Email address admin@allesleyhall.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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