Nova Primary School

Avon Primary School Barracks Lane, Bristol, BS11 9NG

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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 Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement as not enough pupils in Years 1 to 6 make good progress. By the end of Year 6, pupils do not always achieve the levels of progress in writing skills of which they are capable.  Although there is some good teaching, it is inconsistent and overall it requires improvement because pupils, including the more able, do not consistently receive work that is challenging enough. Teaching assistants are not always enabled to contribute effectively in lessons to maximise pupils’ learning.  Marking does not consistently tell pupils how to improve and give them opportunities to respond.  Pupils are not consistently given the opportunity to assess their own work or check to see whether they have achieved their targets.  Actions to improve pupils’ behaviour are not checked carefully enough to see whether they are working effectively.  Leaders and managers are not clear enough about how much progress individual pupils

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

should make each year.  Checks on the quality of teaching do not focus enough on the effectiveness of learning.  The governing body does not have a clear enough understanding of the school’s information about the progress and attainment of pupils and so is unable to sufficiently hold the school to account.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and make good progress in their learning.  The focus on reading at Key Stage 1, and in mathematics last year has resulted in pupils making better progress.  Relationships between adults and pupils are positive and there is effective support for pupils who have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.  The gaps in learning between pupils receiving extra funding and other pupils in the school are beginning to close.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons taught by 10 different teachers, and held meetings with governors, staff, groups of pupils and spoke with a representative of the local authority. Two joint lesson observations were conducted with the headteacher.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at planning documents, monitoring records, assessment data and pupils’ work.  Inspectors took account of 22 responses to Parent View (the online questionnaire) together with the school’s own survey of parents’ and carers’ views, and 33 responses to the staff questionnaire in reaching their judgements about the school.

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Inspection team

David Shears, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jean Whalley Additional Inspector Linda Rowley Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Avon Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by school action is above average. There is an average proportion of pupils who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium, which is extra government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and pupils from service families, is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A breakfast club is provided by the school. This formed part of the inspection.  One third of the governing body are relatively new and there are currently three vacancies.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the progress of pupils in Years 1 to 6 so that it is consistently good, especially in writing, by ensuring that:  work is always matched to the learning needs of all pupils especially but not exclusively the more able  lesson planning clearly identifies how teaching assistants are to provide effective additional support for pupils  pupils are more involved in assessing their own work and in checking whether they have achieved their targets  marking consistently tells pupils how to improve and gives them opportunities to respond.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:  targets set for the progress of pupils are made clear to staff and are challenging enough to ensure that pupils make at least good progress  checks made on the quality of teaching give greater focus on the progress pupils make in lessons, which is then reflected in the areas for development  actions to improve the behaviour and safety of pupils are thoroughly monitored and evaluated

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

for their effectiveness to inform future developments  the governing body improves its knowledge of information about the progress and attainment of pupils both in school and when compared with pupils nationally so that it is able fully to challenge the school to improve.  An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because not enough pupils in Years 1 to 6 make good progress in their learning.  Children begin in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age group. They settle quickly into school and make good progress in all areas of learning. By the time children enter Year 1 their attainment is in line with the national average in all areas of learning.  Parents and carers are encouraged to help with their children’s education. For example a school- produced DVD gives parents and carers support in helping their children to learn the sounds that letters make.  While there is some good progress in Years 1 to 6 it is not consistent and so by the time pupils leave Year 2, and again at the end of Year 6, their attainment is still broadly average, and individual pupils, some of whom are more able, have not made the progress of which they are

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

capable. This is because pupils do not always receive work that is tailored to their abilities. For example, in a few lessons observed there was a single task given but little indication of what the teacher was expecting from pupils of different abilities. Where this was clearly explained pupils’ progress was good. In another lesson pupils when writing a letter of complaint had a clear understanding of the level that they were working at and how it could be improved and so made good progress.  Progress in mathematics has improved as a result of a school focus to improve teaching in this area. In Years 1 and 2, progress in reading is also beginning to improve, although the school recognises the need to focus in the same way on improving the progress of pupils in writing.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their peers as do the small proportion of pupils who are from minority ethnic groups and those who

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

speak English as an additional language.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for extra support through the pupil premium make similar progress to other pupils in the school. In 2012 these pupils were between four and five terms behind their peers in English and mathematics. However, information about the progress of pupils currently in the school shows that these pupils are beginning to close these gaps in attainment.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is too variable through the school. While there is some good teaching, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage, progress information over time indicates that too much requires improvement and that there is very little outstanding teaching. This is because work does not consistently challenge all pupils to make good progress.  In whole-class lessons, teaching assistants are not always given clear and specific roles, reducing their effectiveness in enabling particular individuals or groups of pupils to make good progress in lessons. This includes disabled pupils, those in receipt of pupil premium funding and those with special educational needs.  Pupils are not given enough opportunities to assess for themselves how well they think they have achieved at the end of the lesson. This means that teachers do not have this information to help them plan the next steps in learning. Similarly pupils are not given enough responsibility to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

assess their own targets in learning and are over reliant on the teacher to tell them when they are ready to move on to the next target.  Marking is completed and there are often positive comments. Sometimes pupils are directed towards correcting wrong answers but there are not enough comments and illustrations that show pupils how they could improve their work or opportunities for pupils to respond.  In all lessons there are positive relationships between adults and pupils. Teachers give a clear indication about what pupils are going to learn and there are high expectations of good behaviour. There have been good examples of how technology such as interactive whiteboards and visualisers can be used to enhance teaching.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour is not good overall because of the number of incidents that occur in the playground. Pupils and parents and carers report that some bullying still occurs but say that this is becoming less frequent because it is being dealt with more effectively. For example, individual pupils may be attached to a particular lunchtime supervisor who is able to monitor their behaviour and give them support. A ‘reflection room’ is proving to be helpful in giving pupils time to reflect on their behaviour. The large majority of pupils behave well and enjoy playing together.  Both pupils and mid-day supervisors say that the introduction of more equipment for pupils to use at lunchtime has had a very positive impact on their behaviour.  In lessons, most pupils behave well and have positive attitudes towards their learning. There are a minority of pupils who have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties who sometimes find

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

good behaviour difficult and teachers manage this very effectively.  Pupils have a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying. They know that it is not always physical and that it can happen on the internet.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school and know who to go to if they have any concerns. They are well aware of the behaviour charter and the consequences of poor behaviour. This is consistently applied in lessons and on the playground.  An effective breakfast club gives pupils a positive and calm start to the school day enabling pupils to be ready to learn.  The rate of attendance is slowly improving and is broadly average. There is clear guidance for parents and carers about reporting absence and any that are unexplained are followed up. However, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is still above average.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leadership and management of the school require improvement because overall targets for the progress of pupils are not clear and consequently the expectations for good progress have not been high enough.  Most senior leaders are involved with checking the quality of teaching in lessons. While there is a clear description of the lesson observed there is not enough focus on how effective the learning has been for different groups of pupils. Consequently, areas for development do not focus on how to improve pupils’ learning. There is no clear indication of how these areas of development are to be monitored.  The school development plan has clear and accurate priorities for improvement. These have proved to be effective last year. For example, the focus on mathematics has resulted in pupils making better progress. Subject leaders are beginning to develop their roles, including some who are now monitoring their subjects more closely. The school ensures that decisions about

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The leadership and management requires improvement

teachers’ pay are based on their effectiveness in the classroom and this information is clearly presented to the governing body.  Leaders and managers have implemented a number of actions to improve the behaviour of pupils. However, the impact of these have not be rigorously recorded, checked and evaluated to see if these actions have been successful and to determine future planning.  The money allocated to support pupils who are in receipt of extra funding through the pupil premium is managed well and there has been a positive impact in the progress that these pupils make. Plans are already in place for the effective use of the new funding for physical education and school sport including partnership working with a local secondary school. There are opportunities for pupils to explore their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding through assemblies and in class. For example, pupils were seen to evaluate how they had

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The leadership and management requires improvement

respected each other’s rights and responsibilities at the end of a lesson.  The school checks to see that any discrimination is quickly tackled and eliminated. However, its drive to ensure that all pupils have an equal chance to succeed is not yet fully successful, as progress for different ability groups is inconsistent through the school.  Leaders and managers develop supportive relationships with parents and carers who have positive views about most aspects of the school. A family support worker gives effective support to families of pupils who have particular needs.  Safeguarding arrangements meet current government requirements.  The local authority has provided adequate support for the Early Years Foundation Stage and for the provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  The governance of the school:  A third of the governing body are relatively new and there are currently three vacancies.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Governors are very supportive of the school. They have a clear understanding of the school’s identified priorities and have been involved in checking some of these areas. For example, in a focus on reading, a group of governors listened to pupils read. The governing body is also well informed about the performance management of teaching and how the pupil premium funding is used. It knows that it has been effective this year. However, the governing body does not have a good understanding of the school’s information about the progress and attainment of pupils or how it relates to the national picture. This makes it difficult for the governing body to fully hold the school to account. While there are informal connections with parents and carers the governing body recognises the need to provide more formal opportunities for parents and carers to give their views and comments.

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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 108914 Local authority City of Bristol Inspection number 426840

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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 263 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andy Hamilton Headteacher Jane Atkins Date of previous school inspection 21–22 September 2010 Telephone number 0117 9030446 Fax number 0117 9040446 Email address avonp@bristol.gov.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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