Putteridge Primary School

Putteridge Primary School Putteridge Road, Luton, LU2 8HJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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 Good 2

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

 Pupils do not do as well as they should at Key Stage 2. The good progress they make in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 is not maintained and pupils leave the school at lower levels than those they are capable of.  Until recently, teaching has not enabled pupils to do well enough at Key Stage 2. It has not ensured that more-able pupils, in particular, have made progress as quickly as they should.  Teaching is not good enough in some classes. In these cases, the work is sometimes too easy for some pupils or too complicated for others.  The improvements that have been made have not yet been sustained for long enough for the school to be graded as good.  Standards in English and mathematics are not as high as they should be by the time pupils leave, given their starting points.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils’ progress has improved over the last year, especially in reading, and many are now making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The attainment of pupils currently in Year 6 has improved on that in 2012 and is now slightly above the national average.  The new headteacher, with the support of other leaders and governors, clearly understands what the school needs to do to improve. Changes have already been made which have improved the quality of teaching and increased pupils’ progress.  Pupils say that they feel safe and behaviour in and around school is good. Pupils are considerate and show respect for adults and for each other.  The new ‘creative curriculum’ is a strength, providing pupils with opportunities to extend their skills in writing and mathematics in other subject areas.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is particularly good.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 34 lessons or parts of lessons, a number of which were seen together with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, staff, pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor, and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also met with parents at the beginning and end of the school day.  Inspectors took account of 81 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), individual communications from parents and 58 completed staff questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at: information from the school’s checks on its performance; its analysis and tracking of pupils’ progress; school improvement plans; leaders’ records of classroom observations; safeguarding arrangements; and records of governing body meetings.  They also looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and checked information on pupils’

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Inspection team

Lucy Maughan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Ronald Cohen Additional Inspector Lynn Lowery Additional Inspector Tusharkana Chakraborti Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Putteridge Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care or those with a parent in the armed services, is below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average, as is the proportion who speak English as an additional language.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action, at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school was formed in September 2011 following the amalgamation of the local infant and junior schools.  The headteacher took up post in June 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure all teaching is consistently good or better by:  making sure planned activities are pitched at the right level for all ability groups.  checking on pupils’ progress in lessons more regularly, so that they can be moved onto their next stage of learning as soon as they are ready  making sure all teachers focus on the next steps pupils need to make in order to raise the attainment.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in writing and mathematics, particularly in Key Stage 2, by:  making clear at the start of the lesson what all groups of pupils and particularly the more-able are expected to learn  challenging more-able pupils by giving them harder work which enables them to make maximum progress  making sure that marking is used consistently across the school to provide challenge and guidance on how pupils can improve their work  providing opportunities for pupils to respond to marking so that they know how to make their work better.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because progress is not yet consistently good. Despite recent improvements, there are still variations in pupils’ progress between key stages. In Key Stage 2, pupils do not always make enough progress, especially in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Reception classes with skills and abilities that are below age-related expectations. They make good progress, particularly in communication, language and literacy so that they reach expected levels on entry to Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils continue to make good progress throughout Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics, and reach standards that are at least above average by the end of Year 2. However, previous underachievement in Key Stage 2 classes before amalgamation and current inconsistencies in progress mean that Year 6 pupils achieve standards that are broadly in line with national expectations.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Faster progress is evident in Years 3 and 6, particularly in reading, but this is not yet consistent across the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates. This is because there are now good systems in place to identify pupils with additional needs and suitable programmes are put into place.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language achieve as well as the other pupils. Some pupils join the school with very little English and the school works hard to support these pupils so that their progress speeds up in Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals make progress in line with their classmates. In 2012, they were a term behind other pupils in English and just over half a term behind in mathematics. The school spends pupil premium funding on extra resources and adult help. This builds up pupils’ skills, confidence and enjoyment of school so their rate of progress increases.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There have been recent improvements in pupils’ achievement. Inspection findings confirm school data which show that progress across the school has been faster in the last twelve months. This is because new senior leaders have improved teaching and eliminated inadequate teaching. As a result, progress has strengthened, particularly in Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching has not enabled pupils to do as well as they should have done in the past at Key Stage 2. Too much teaching has been inadequate or required improvement and expectations of what pupils could achieve have been too low. Teaching over time has not been good because improvements are recent and need to be sustained in order that more pupils consistently reach and exceed expected levels.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is rising as teachers respond to the higher expectations set by the headteacher. However, a number of lessons still have aspects that require improvement for teaching to be judged good overall.  Teachers do not always pitch tasks at the right level. As a result, pupils waste time on work that is too easy or too hard and adults do not always keep a close eye on learning during lessons in order to check that activities are challenging enough or to correct misunderstandings. This reduces opportunities for pupils to make rapid learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are good examples where marking and feedback are used well to help pupils improve their work further. In the best examples, pupils are also given time to look at the comments and respond to them. However, this is not yet consistently used across all year groups.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults plan exciting activities. Children are given good opportunities to select for themselves where they are going to work and adults intervene well to move learning on at the right pace. In Key Stage 1, pupils are usually challenged well because most teachers have high expectations.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers and other adults support pupils well. The good teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants is helping to raise attainment. Teaching assistants take an active role in all parts of lessons and also teach small groups for activities such as reading, where pupils respond well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are benefiting from more effective use of teaching assistants, more group teaching and individual support programmes.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Work seen in books shows that pupils are given increased opportunities to develop their writing and mathematics skills in other subjects.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning, and to the school in general, help lessons to run smoothly. Pupils are invariably keen and eager to learn and show high levels of respect for one another and adults alike.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ speak highly of their school and are extremely positive about how much it has improved since becoming a primary school. They thoroughly enjoy all aspects of school-life and work in lessons without fear of failure, confidently sharing ideas and listening sensitively to each other’s views.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in the playground and around the school. They understand the behaviour system and consequences of inappropriate behaviour. They particularly like the ‘merit’ award system where they are able to earn badges for working hard and behaving well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe in a variety of situations including how to stay safe when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that bullying is rare and they are confident that it would be dealt with well by staff should it happen. Older pupils, in particular, have a good awareness of different types of bullying and have led school assemblies for the other pupils during ‘anti-bullying week’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are punctual and the school works well with parents to tackle potential attendance problems before they escalate. As a result, attendance levels have improved and are now above average.  In a few lessons, pupils cannot always get themselves ready to start work quickly enough and, when they are not sure of what they are expected to do, their concentration strays.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is well led by the headteacher. He quickly identified the causes of previous underachievement and, with the leadership team, has made changes which have improved the quality of teaching, accelerated pupils’ progress and raised standards. This shows a very secure capacity to achieve good teaching and learning throughout the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ progress is now checked regularly and accurately. Senior leaders have a good understanding of the performance of pupils in different subjects and have accurately identified areas where further improvement is needed, providing appropriate support and guidance for colleagues.

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The leadership and management are good

 Through staff training and termly meetings, teachers now fully appreciate how the school’s progress and attainment data should be used to inform their planning. Their performance is judged against how much progress their pupils make and how well they fulfil their different roles in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils are enthusiastic about the ‘creative curriculum’ that has been developed. Where teaching is strong, pupils are able to develop their literacy, communication and numeracy skills in a range of different subjects. For example, as part of their investigation of ‘the seaside’, Year 2 pupils calculated different amounts of ingredients needed to make ice cream.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Pupils show a keen awareness for other cultures and faiths. They also enjoy taking on roles of responsibility in school which encourages them to work collectively and support each other.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school now effectively promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination through ensuring that all pupils are listened to. No group of pupils makes less progress than others, and all pupils are fully involved in class activities regardless of ability or need.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has supported the school through the recent time of change and provided guidance to the governing body on the appointment of the new headteacher. The authority recognises that the school has now moved to a position of greater stability and strength.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The Chair of the Governing Body ably leads his colleagues by example. He meets regularly with the headteacher to ensure that governing body meetings are tightly focused on the improvement needs of the school. Governors’ minutes show that other members of the newly reformed governing body are now following his lead and becoming more adept at holding the senior leaders to account for school improvement. They understand how well the pupil premium money supports pupils in providing academic support. Governors check on the quality of teaching through reports from the headteacher and the progress data for different groups of pupils. They are developing a new policy for performance management and are very clear on the link between teachers’ pay and pupils’ performance. Governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements meets 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 109564 Local authority Luton Inspection number 400233

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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 629 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Hubbocks Headteacher Euan Nicholson Telephone number 01582 728262 Fax number 01582 728262 Email address admin@putteridgeprimaryschool.org.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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