Stukeley Meadows Primary School

Stukeley Meadows Primary School Wertheim Way, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6UH

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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

p.1

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

 Progress is too slow in writing and, because of this, pupils in Years 3 to 6 achieve below- average standards.  Although improving steadily, pupils do not yet achieve high enough standards by the by the end of Year 2.  Teachers in charge of subjects do not know how well their subjects are taught across the school.  School leaders and teachers do not have good systems to check the rates of progress and the standards reached by individuals and groups of pupils.  Teachers allow pupils to choose work which does not challenge them in lessons and this slows their progress. At such times, they are bored and do not work as hard as they can.  Marking does not help pupils to improve their work.  Pupils have too few opportunities to write at length or to solve problems using their mathematics skills.  Teachers do not give pupils clear information in lessons so that they can check their work and make the necessary improvements.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Children in the Reception classes make a very good start to their schooling due to the consistently good teaching they receive.  Governors know the school very well and are persistent in challenging the school to improve.  The progress pupils make in reading and mathematics in Key Stage 2 has improved over the last two years.  The recently appointed headteacher has made the training and development of teachers a high priority and this has led to rapid improvements in the quality of teaching and learning across the school.  Pupils enjoy school, feel safe there, and their attendance is above average. They are usually sensible and polite, in lessons and around the school.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 24 lessons and looked at a range of pupils’ work in their exercise books. The headteacher and deputy headteacher accompanied the inspectors to six of the lesson observations.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, governors, teachers in charge of subjects, the special educational needs co-ordinator, the teacher in charge of the Early Years Foundation Stage, the parent support worker and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors talked to groups of pupils about their views of the school and listened to pupils read.  A range of documents was scrutinised including school performance information, the minutes of governor meetings, behaviour and incident logs, the school improvement plan, performance management documents, and teaching and learning monitoring records.  Inspectors talked to parents who were visiting the school and also took account of the opinions

p.2

Information about this inspection

of the 47 parents who responded to the Parent View online questionnaire.

p.2

Inspection team

Robin Taverner, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Rosemary Barnfield Additional Inspector Sally Lane Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Stukeley Meadows is a larger-than-average primary school.  There are 14 classes with two classes in each year group.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or for pupils looked after by the local authority, is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that all lessons are at least good and pupils make faster progress by:  helping pupils to make the right choices in lessons so that work is not too easy or too difficult  planning lessons so that the different levels of task all support the purpose of the lesson and pupils can be moved on to the next challenge as soon as they are ready  being clear about what is required of pupils in a lesson and providing good information to allow pupils to check their own work  improving marking so that pupils know what to do to improve a piece of work and checking that they follow the advice given  giving more opportunities to pupils to write at length and across all subjects  making sure that, when a skill is taught in mathematics, pupils are quickly given the chance to apply that skill to solve practical problems  expecting all pupils to work as hard as they can in lessons.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leaders and managers in raising standards by:  training the teachers in charge of subjects to identify any aspects of teaching which prevent pupils making the fastest possible progress  refining leaders’ use of performance data so that the progress of all groups of pupils can be checked regularly and action taken swiftly to address any underachievement.

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because pupils do not always make rapid progress in lessons and therefore do not achieve as well as they should, particularly in writing.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards have improved by the end of Year 2 over the last three years. However, teaching is not consistently good in Key Stage 1 and so pupils do not make sufficient progress from their average starting points at the end of the Reception Year.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The proportion of pupils who make expected and better-than-expected progress in reading and mathematics during Key Stage 2 has improved over the last two years. As a result, they achieve average standards in these subjects. However, progress in writing is slow and, consequently, in 2013, Year 6 pupils achieved below-average standards.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in Year 6 in 2013 made the expected progress in reading and mathematics but, as with their classmates, their progress in writing required improvement. In most lessons, the lower ability pupils receive good support from adults and the school has introduced extra lessons to help these pupils to catch up. The school does not yet check routinely, by using achievement data, that these extra lessons are successful in raising standards. However, there is evidence to show that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in Years 3 and 4, in particular, are making at least expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils join the school in the Reception class with skills below those typical for their age. Due to the good teaching they receive, pupils make good progress and, at the end of the Reception Year achieve average standards.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils eligible for support from the pupil premium are catching up with the progress and standards achieved by their classmates. However, in 2013, Year 6 pupils were still three terms behind their classmates in mathematics and two terms behind in writing.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The teaching of phonics, the sounds that letters represent in words, is consistently good and sometimes outstanding. As a result, the majority of pupils achieve the required standard in phonics by the end of Year 1. In an outstanding and well-paced phonics lesson, the very youngest pupils made rapid progress with learning their letter sounds and also with their early handwriting skills.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because not all pupils are helped to make good progress, particularly in writing lessons. Expectations are sometimes too low and, as a result, pupils do not do their best work.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking of pupils’ work has improved but is not consistent throughout the school. Comments do not show pupils, clearly, what they have done well and what they need to do improve their work. Teachers do not make sure that pupils look at teachers’ marking and use the advice to improve, for example, a piece for writing they have been working on.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers are using effective methods to teach writing, but are not providing frequent opportunities for pupils to write at length in a variety of subjects. Writing is not regularly assessed and pupils are not told what they must do to improve their writing to achieve the next level. Basic mathematics skills are taught effectively, but pupils are not expected to practise their mathematics skills regularly to solve real-life problems.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, pupils are asked to choose a task which has the right level of challenge to suit their ability. However, pupils are not given sufficient guidance by the teacher to allow them to make the correct choice and so, sometimes, they choose a task which is too simple, or a task which is too difficult, and this slows their progress.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not always plan lessons so that pupils can move quickly to the next challenge as soon they are ready. This is because not all tasks support the purpose of the lesson. For example, in a lesson on finding the perimeter and area of rectangles, the high-ability pupils were asked to find the area and perimeter of a triangle. They were unsure how to do this, as this skill had not been taught to them sufficiently at the beginning of the lesson.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not insist that pupils check their work carefully using the information which sets out what pupils must do to complete a task successfully.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the best lessons, learning is made fun for the children and practical equipment is provided for pupils to support their understanding. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils were taught to understand co-ordinates using the four quadrants and had to apply their knowledge by playing a game of battleships. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils were provided with a range of counting equipment to help them learn about simple subtraction.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of support provided by teaching assistants is inconsistent. Very good support was provided in a lesson when a teaching assistant taught phonics to high-ability pupils. However, sometimes, teaching assistants forget to pay attention to the pupils near to them when the teacher is speaking and they do not always spot when a pupil is having difficulty completing a task.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour requires improvement because, although pupils enjoy lessons, they do not always challenge themselves to achieve high standards. In a Year 5 writing lesson, for example, the pupils were writing very simple descriptions relating to the story of The Little Match Girl. This was not their best work, as they were capable of completing the task using more complex sentences and richer vocabulary.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Some pupils expressed concerns about hearing bad language on the playground at lunch-times.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour seen during the inspection was mostly good. Pupils work well together in lessons and play sensibly on the playground at lunch-time. Pupils are polite and friendly and are courteous towards visitors to the school.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 In the lunch hall, pupils show good manners. They queue for their lunches in an orderly way and eat their lunches whilst making polite conversation with their friends.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Attendance is above average due to the effective systems the school uses to discourage absence. In particular, the school employs a very effective family support worker, who is a trusted member of the school community and works with parents when a child’s attendance gives cause for concern.  The school encourages pupils to take on positions of responsibility by appointing Guardian Angels to carry out a range of tasks during lunch breaks. Guardian Angels have to complete application forms and are interviewed for these roles.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Periods of time when a child is not allowed to attend school due to poor behaviour are extremely rare and no pupils have been excluded from the school over the last two terms.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils feel safe in school. They have a good understanding about bullying and are confident that the school will help them to solve any problems which arise. They are also very knowledgeable about how to keep safe when using computers and mobile phones.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because teachers in charge of subjects do not yet have the skills necessary to check the quality of learning in lessons. They do not use performance data to identify areas of weakness or to set targets for improvement.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The use of performance data is an area of weakness for middle leaders in the school. Data is beginning to be used to check how well pupils are progressing but the systems for doing this are not well developed. For example, the school cannot yet show clearly how successful a particular programme of extra lessons has been for a small group of pupils who have particular learning needs.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Scrutiny of pupils’ exercise books shows than not all pupils are experiencing a broad and balanced curriculum. In some year groups, there is insufficient science being taught, for example. The school has recently increased the number of clubs available for pupils to join, both before and after school.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school promotes the spiritual and cultural development of pupils effectively. Pupils learn about popular authors and artists and study various world religions. Pupils are given good opportunities to think and reflect. For example, in a writing lesson, pupils were asked to think about and discuss the messages contained in a traditional story. However, moral and social education requires improvement, shown by the concerns expressed by some pupils about behaviour at lunch-time.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The recently appointed headteacher has been in post for two school terms. In this short time, he has set out a clear vision for the school and has gained the respect of all staff and governors. Parents, also, are overwhelmingly positive about the leadership of the school.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has a clear and accurate view of the school. He has agreed a plan of action with the school governors which identifies a set of relevant priorities to improve standards.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has set challenging targets for teachers to meet in order that they can progress to the next level of payment. He checks the quality of teaching regularly and records any improvements that are needed so that when he returns to the class, he can see if these improvements have been made.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupil premium has been spent appropriately on providing extra teaching groups and to encourage better attendance through the funding of the family support worker. As a result, attendance is improving and gaps in achievement between pupils eligible the extra funding and their classmates are closing.  Primary school sport funding is used to employ skilled physical education instructors. One of the instructors was observed teaching an outstanding physical education lesson during the inspection. The headteacher has also increased the opportunities for pupils to become involved in competitive team sports.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Discussions with parents and also the views expressed through the online questionnaire, Parent View, show that parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. A teaching assistant helps the school to communicate and engage the support of parents whose first language is not English. The family support worker helps parents in a variety of ways including inviting parents into school for coffee mornings so that any issues of concern can be discussed in an informal setting.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school provides equal opportunities to pupils through the use of teaching assistants who provide extra help in lessons, by organising additional lessons for groups of pupils who are falling behind and by ensuring that pupils who find reading difficult are heard read every day by an adult in school.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school meets all statutory requirements for safeguarding.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority, through the link advisor, has helped the school to improve the quality of teaching and has organised visits to the school from a local leader in education. The local authority early-years service has worked with the school to help bring about improvements to teaching in the Reception classes.

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors identified major problems in the school and have been effective in solving these. They have been successful in appointing a new headteacher, who has accelerated improvements, and they continue to provide effective challenge to the school leadership. Governors are very aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are ambitious for the school to improve rapidly. They are persistent in their questioning of senior leaders and focus their questions on relevant aspects of the school’s work such as the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils.  Governors know the importance of performance management and have been involved in the performance management of the headteacher. They make sure that any decisions about pay are linked to a teachers’ appraisal. Governors are knowledgeable about school finances and have had to make some difficult decisions about staffing in order to keep within the school

p.7

The leadership and management requires improvement

budget. They ensure that pupil premium is spent appropriately and check to see the money is helping to close the gaps in achievement.  Governors are clear about how they fulfil their statutory duties and carry out their monitoring duties diligently, by having a named governor of the month.

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 110772 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 425204

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

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 378 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Bingley Headteacher James Singleterry Date of previous school inspection 23 November 2011 Telephone number 01480 398060 Fax number 01480 398061 Email address office@stukeleymeadows.cambs.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10