Florendine Primary School

Florendine Primary School Florendine Street, Amington, Tamworth, B77 3DD

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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

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because overall they have not made enough progress year-on-year.  Too few pupils make consistently good progress over time in writing and mathematics.  Teachers spend too long giving instructions to pupils rather than providing pupils with opportunities to work independently.  Overall, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Work set in lessons is frequently too easy so that pupils are not sufficiently challenged, particularly the most able.  The pace of learning is not quick enough to ensure that pupils make consistently good progress.  School leaders do not use information about the progress of groups of pupils to identify and tackle underachievement and improve teaching swiftly enough.  Governors are not trained sufficiently well to enable them to hold the school to account for the progress that pupils make.  The school does not have a website where

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

parents and pupils can access the required information about its work.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve well.  An increasing number of pupils are making the expected progress by the end of Year 6.  Marking is used consistently across all year groups to provide pupils with guidance on how they can improve.  Reading is taught successfully. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are confident readers with standards that are above the national average.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and they feel safe. They enjoy school and this is reflected in their good attendance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons, three of which were joint observations with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspection team made a number of short visits to observe small group support.  Inspectors attended two school assemblies and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with staff, governors, pupils and a local authority representative.  Inspectors spoke informally to a number of parents and carers as they brought their children to school.  The inspectors took account of 34 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and they analysed 22 questionnaires received from staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s data on pupil’s current progress, planning and monitoring documents, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lucy Maughan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Tracy Stone Additional Inspector Malcolm Johnstone Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Florendine Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium funding (which provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion speaking English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils who join and leave the school other than at the usual times is lower than the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for attainment and progress.  The school provides a breakfast club each morning.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2012, the deputy headteacher was appointed in May 2012.  A number of members of the governing body are new to the role, including the Chair of Governors.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in order to raise achievement in mathematics and writing by ensuring that:  the quality of teaching is consistently good or better throughout the school  all teachers have equally high expectations as to the quality and quantity of work pupils are expected to produce  work set in lessons ensures that pupils are challenged sufficiently, especially the most able  the pace of learning is more rapid  teachers spend less time giving instructions to the whole class and make sure that pupils have sufficient time to complete their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  ensuring that senior leaders check more precisely on the progress of different groups of pupils, particularly the most able and those supported through the pupil premium  developing the skills of subject leaders so they know whether achievement is high enough in their subjects  making sure that governors have the skills to hold leaders to account and to undertake their role in securing school improvement  ensuring that the school has a website that helps to inform and support both parents and pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

 Pupils’ overall achievement requires improvement. As pupils move up through the school, the progress they make varies. Progress in writing and mathematics requires improvement as lower proportions of pupils achieve more than the expected progress in these subjects compared with pupils in other schools.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 From below average starting points, children achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are well prepared when they enter Year 1. In 2013, pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 was broadly average in writing and mathematics, with improvements in reading compared with 2012. Over time, standards have remained broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of both key stages.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Overall progress from Year 1 to Year 6 is variable across year groups because of differences in the quality of teaching. Pupils do not always build continuously on their skills as they move up from class to class.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By the end of Year 6, most pupils have made the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics, but a lower proportion of pupils make better than expected progress, compared to national figures, in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress in reading is stronger than in writing and in mathematics throughout the school. In the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1, pupils have regular lessons to learn about the sounds that letters make (phonics), an increased proportion of pupils passed the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 in 2013 than 2012. A large well-stocked library is used effectively to develop a love of reading in the pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, pupils for whom the pupil premium provided support reached standards approximately four terms behind other pupils in the school in reading, writing and mathematics. This shows that the gap in their achievement had widened from the previous 2012 results. However, school data show that the gap is starting to close in current year groups as leaders are making more productive use of the pupil premium funding.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is improving, although over time it is still not yet good. The progress these pupils make from their individual starting points varies from year to year. However, the support for these pupils is increasingly effective, during the inspection, teaching assistants were observed working well with small groups, skilfully explaining the work and helping pupils to understand better.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although there is some good and outstanding teaching, the quality of teaching requires improvement across classes and subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, the pace of learning is too slow and not enough is demanded of the pupils in terms of the quality and quantity of work they should produce. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are not consistently high. Sometimes the work is too easy so their progress is limited, especially the most able.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to complete work independently. In some lessons observed, teachers spent too much time on a lengthy introduction or explaining to pupils how to complete a task rather than challenging their understanding and learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Improvements have been made in the teaching of reading and these have ensured that pupils have reached higher standards than average by the end of Key Stage 2 in 2013.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the more successful lessons, the pace of learning is rapid because teachers set challenging tasks, build pupils’ confidence and have high expectations of what they can achieve. For example, in a mathematics lesson observed in a mixed Year 3 and Year 4 class, pupils were applying their number skills to calculate the most cost-effective ways of spending £20. The teacher was skilfully questioning pupils to check their understanding and maintained the swift pace of learning so that pupils’ progress was accelerated.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The new marking system is being used systematically across the school with pupils commenting that it helps them to know how to improve further.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Skilled teaching assistants are being used more effectively to support groups of pupils, particularly disabled pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs. More effective use has been made of the pupil premium funding so that those pupils eligible receive support that correctly targets their needs. As a consequence, the gap in achievement between the few pupils eligible and their peers is now closing in year groups further down the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show positive attitudes to learning, and behave well in lessons and around the school. They know the school’s expectations for their behaviour, and are fully aware of the rewards and sanctions that apply.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are eager to take on a range of responsibilities in school, including as school council representatives, playground monitors and office monitors at lunchtime. Older pupils understand their responsibilities to model good behaviour and safe practice. They show great maturity in ensuring that all pupils are looked after in the playground. Pupils enjoy playtimes, which are happy and secure for all.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and all groups of pupils say that they feel safe in school because of the good care and attention they are given by their teachers and other adults. As one pupil said, ‘The teachers are kind and funny.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good knowledge of the different forms that bullying can take, for example e- safety, name calling and cyber bullying. In discussion, they were adamant no bullying takes place at Florendine, and spoke confidently that the school would deal with any incidents if they did occur.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents are supportive of the school. The great majority of parents who completed the online questionnaire expressed the view that their children believe they are safe and well cared for in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents and pupils commented about the new breakfast club that is offered by the school. A calm, well-ordered environment, where pupils engaged with staff and other pupils was observed during the inspection which provided pupils with a positive start to the school day.  Pupils are happy, confident and secure in school and this is reflected in their high attendance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the actions taken recently to improve teaching and raise achievement have not yet had enough impact on pupils’ achievement over time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The ways in which the school measures the progress of pupils are improving but do not always focus enough on whether individual pupils and groups of pupils are doing as well as they should.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school development plan sets out accurate targets to raise standards in teaching and improve pupils’ achievement. However, it does not always clearly show deadlines for when targets will be met and who will be accountable for achieving these targets.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject leaders who are relatively new to their posts are clear on how they will raise the standards of teaching and learning in their subjects and are beginning to implement clear action plans in order to do this. However, they do not yet have the skills or the opportunity to evaluate the impact on pupils’ achievement in their subjects.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The relatively new senior leadership team is beginning to move the school on at a faster rate. The headteacher has set about developing more effective systems to monitor the quality of teaching and support staff who are new to the profession. Staff morale is high and all staff spoken to during the inspection were very positive about the way the school has supported their professional development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders ensure that pupils receive a broad range of subjects and experiences. Pupils enthused about the residential visit to Shugborough and the opportunities they have to learn various musical instruments. Trips and clubs enhance and support learning and pupils’ personal development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school is using the new primary school sport funding to employ a specialist teacher to support and train staff in the teaching of physical education (PE) and to provide extra sports clubs for pupils to access.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Overall, parents and carers are positive about the quality of education offered by the school. However, a number of parents expressed that they would like improved support and guidance on how they can help their child at home with English and mathematics, and a more accessible website which enables communication between home and school to be clearer.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s leaders foster good relationships between pupils of all abilities and from different backgrounds. There is a zero tolerance of any form of discrimination. Safeguarding and child protection arrangements are fully in place, regularly reviewed and meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority provides light touch support for the school and is confident that the current leadership team can achieve the improvements required.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  As a relatively new team working together, the governing body has started to more effectively hold the school to account than previously. Governors are committed to supporting and improving the school. They acknowledge that communication with parents and carers could be improved further and that developing a more accessible website would improve this area. The Chair of the Governing Body has a very secure grasp of what needs to be done and is determined to improve the school. Governors ensure that checks on the performance of teachers take place and that targets are linked to salary progression. They have an awareness of how the pupil premium funding is spent and how is it used to benefit the small number of pupils who are eligible. They ensure that safeguarding requirements are met. They are beginning to attend additional training that will help them carry out their duties. However,

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The leadership and management requires improvement

they are less well informed about the progress that all groups of pupils are making in order to hold leaders to account for the academic performance of the school.

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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 124155 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 427093

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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 276 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sandy Price Headteacher Ian Crookes Date of previous school inspection 23 October 2008 Telephone number 01827 475778 Fax number 01827 415782 Email address office@florendine.staffs.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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