Quinton Primary School

Quinton Primary School Lower Quinton, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 8SA

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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.  Pupils achieve well because teaching is typically good and occasionally outstanding.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils read well. They read widely and often, both for pleasure and for research. They enjoy writing and write to a good standard.  Teachers plan lots of practical activities so that pupils regularly use and improve their key skills in literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology (ICT).  Much of the teachers’ marking is exemplary, helping pupils to know exactly how well they are doing and what they need to do next.  Lessons help pupils to develop self-confidence and independence in their learning.  Pupils feel safe in school. They behave well, enjoy lessons and work hard. They work exceptionally well together in pairs or in groups.  The school has improved significantly since the previous inspection in all aspects of its work,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and continues to improve strongly.  The headteacher and governors work well together to improve teaching, raise standards and tackle any underperformance.  The school has established a good reputation in the community, so the number of pupils is steadily increasing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in Years 5 and 6 as not been as rapid this year as it has in other year groups because of changes in teaching. Activities are not always as demanding as they could be, particularly for the more able, and marking is not as helpful as in the rest of the school.  Staff absences have also meant that the headteacher currently has too many responsibilities. As a result, some aspects of leadership and management such as training of teaching assistants and the handling of parental concerns have slipped in quality.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed six lessons and saw all the teachers and most of the teaching assistants at work. He also observed pupils’ behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes, talked to them about their views on the school and looked at samples of their work.  Discussions were held with governors, staff and a representative of the local education authority.  In addition to observing the school’s work, the inspector looked at information about pupils’ attainment and progress, and documents relating to their safety and behaviour.  The inspector took into account the views expressed in the 30 completed online Parent View questionnaires. He also spoke with some parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.  Fourteen staff questionnaire returns were also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Peter Kerr, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school serving a rural area.  A steady increase in pupil numbers since the previous inspection has led to considerable variation in the numbers of pupils in each year-group.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and the proportion who speak English as an additional language are about half the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which in this school applies to pupils who are known to be eligible free school meals, has increased significantly in recent years and is now average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action is low compared to most schools. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  There were fewer than 11 pupils in Year 6 in 2012, so no judgement can be made on whether or

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Information about this school

not the school meets the government’s current floor standards for attainment and progress. This year the number is even smaller, and as reporting on attainment and progress for Year 6 separately would identify individuals, the report refers to Years 5 and 6 together.  Significant and unexpected staff absences over the past year have meant that the headteacher has taken on additional responsibilities. A new management structure is to be established in September, following the appointment of staff to replace those who are leaving and to meet the demands of the rising number of pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that progress is as good in Year 5 and 6 as in other year groups by:  increasing the level of challenge in lessons so that all pupils, particularly the most able, have to work hard to succeed and fulfil their full potential  improving marking for these pupils to the same high standard as in other year groups, so it helps them to do as well as they can.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  delegating responsibilities so that all aspects of school improvement, including training for teaching assistants, are kept up to date  improving the recording of concerns raised by parents, so it is clear how they have been resolved and how satisfied parents are with the outcome.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The skills and abilities of children starting the school vary considerably from year to year. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. They are attentive in lessons, and independent and resourceful when learning through play. Children are confident when talking to adults and well mannered with each other.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress is good in reading and spelling. Pupils learn letter sounds (phonics) well from an early age and use this knowledge to help them read and spell new words. They enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about the books and authors they like. Pupils use books and computers confidently as sources of information. Pupils leaving Year 6 in 2012 had made particularly good progress in reading from Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ writing develops well, particularly in Years 2 and 3, where some good examples were seen of extended writing of a high standard. Progress is also good in mathematics because pupils learn through practical and often collaborative activities that interest and challenge them. Progress in both these subjects has improved strongly over the past year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Older pupils achieve well in English and mathematics. Progress for pupils in Year 5 and 6 has been inconsistent over the past year because of disruption to teaching. The school’s data on pupils’ performance and the work in their books shows that their overall achievement during their time in the school has been good, because they have been able to build on the rapid progress they made in previous years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils use reading, writing, ICT and mathematical skills well in different subjects. This was an area for improvement at the previous inspection, and the school has made very good progress in tackling it. They use their initiative and confidently follow through their own ideas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress, as do pupils who speak English as an additional language, because work is pitched at just the right level for them and they are given good individual support when required.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium are currently making faster progress than other pupils throughout the school. There were too few in Year 6 in 2012 to comment on their attainment without identifying individuals, but the gap in attainment between these pupils and their classmates in English and mathematics is currently on average about one term, and has narrowed considerably over the past year.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Overall, teaching has improved strongly since the previous inspection, despite the changes of staff.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is consistently good. Exemplary organisation of the classroom and routines helps the children to develop confidence and independence. The children’s ‘learning journeys’ provide an excellent record of their good progress and achievement which they can also share with their parents.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently at least good in Years 1 to 3, and some is outstanding. Lessons in these classes are often practical, exciting and challenging. Pupils in Year 1, for example, made alien masks which they wore to do their alien writing. This had an evident impact on their motivation to write and the quality of their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Outstanding teaching of science in Year 2 and Year 3 engaged all the pupils in making electrical circuits. By questioning the pupils as they worked and encouraging them to share ideas, the teacher helped them to fully understand the science behind their designs for a quiz board. Each pupil could explain their role in the project and knew how the circuits worked.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics is very successful. Pupils are grouped according to their ability, which makes it easier for teachers to plan lesson activities at just the right level of difficulty and challenge. This particularly helps pupils who speak English as an additional language to make rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers build into their lessons activities that widen pupils’ view of life beyond their locality. For example, pupils learn about aspects of each other’s cultures and study aspects of life in different countries. This was a weak area at the previous inspection, and again good improvement has been made.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan well to cater for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Individual and small group lessons are taught well, and all staff are aware of the pupils’ individual learning programmes and give them appropriate support as and when needed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking is often exemplary. They give clear pointers for improvement, and pupils’ respond well. This ensures that the advice given has a good impact on their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in Years 4 to 6 has been disrupted over the past year through staff absences. Some lessons have not provided enough challenge for the more-able pupils in this class to make rapid progress towards higher levels of attainment. Marking has been less consistently helpful for pupils in these age groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They have very positive attitudes to learning and get on very well with each other. All the staff expressing a view said that behaviour is good, that there is little or no bullying and that any unacceptable behaviour is dealt with effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are eager to learn, particularly in practical and creative lessons. They concentrate well and persevere when difficulties arise. They have very excellent collaborative skills and are very willing to consider other people’s ideas. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 were less enthusiastic in lessons because they did not engage their interest as successfully as in other year groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance rates are above average and pupils are very punctual. The school does all it can to reduce the absences of the very few pupils whose attendance is below average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know how to keep safe, including when using the internet. They have a range of responsibilities within school and can be trusted to act sensibly without close supervision.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy participating in out-of-school activities such as the athletics competitions that were taking place at the time of the inspection. Governors have observed some specialist sports coaching sessions and reported on how much the pupils have enjoyed and benefited from these.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 A small minority of respondents to Parent View did not feel that behaviour was good or that the school deals effectively with bullying. The inspector looked into this, but pupils raised no specific concerns about behaviour or bullying during the inspection. However, while the school logs and investigates complaints, it is not always clear from the records what the eventual outcome was or how satisfied the complainants were. This was accepted as an area for improvement by the headteacher and governors.

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The leadership and management are good

 All members of staff share the headteacher’s ambition for high achievement which have resulted in considerable improvements since the previous inspection in the curriculum, pupils' behaviour and relationships with parents.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher sets a high benchmark for the quality of teaching. He encourages teachers to share best practice in planning and marking and provides appropriate support when needed. As a result, the proportion of good and outstanding teaching has risen steadily. These improvements have motivated the pupils and led to strongly improving progress in many year groups.

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The leadership and management are good

 Significant unavoidable staff absences have necessitated the headteacher taking temporary responsibility for areas that were previously delegated to senior staff. This has disrupted some aspects of leadership and management, particularly the way teaching assistants are trained.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is managed well under current temporary arrangements. The school informs parents about individual support programmes and checks how successful these are in improving progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good partnerships with other local schools extend the pupils' learning experiences, particularly in sport and music, and help staff to learn from other practitioners.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has chosen to engage an independent consultant rather than the local authority to provide support with school self-evaluation and improvement. The local authority continues to make such help available should the headteacher wish to access it in the future.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents contribute strongly to the life of the school through the Friends of Quinton, which is a lively and well-supported fund-raising group. Recent projects funded by the group include a fitness trail, which the pupils much appreciate.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school ensures that all groups of pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed, and protects them from any form of discrimination. The pupil premium is used well to support the personal development of eligible pupils, for example through sports coaching, as well as their academic progress. The progress of all pupils is checked rigorously and action taken to help any pupils who start falling behind. This has contributed to strongly improving overall progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Lessons in different subjects are typically planned and taught to give pupils lively, practical experiences. This supports the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as well as their academic progress, so that they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors keep themselves up to date with regular training so that they can hold the school to account for its performance. They know how well the school is doing, including the quality of teaching, through visits to school and checking data on pupils’ achievements. Governors set performance targets for the headteacher and are kept informed of the management of the performance and pay scales of other staff. They support the headteacher in setting high expectations and taking appropriate action to tackle underperformance. They expect the headteacher to delegate responsibilities effectively once the new staffing structure has been established. Governors know what the pupil premium is being spent on, and how effective it has been in motivating eligible pupils and improving their progress. They make sure safeguarding arrangements meet all national requirements.

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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 125519 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 406315

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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 106 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Griffiths Headteacher David Skelcher Date of previous school inspection 14 July 2011 Telephone number 01789 720317 Fax number 01789 730317 Email address admin2043@welearn365.com 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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