Allesley Primary School

Allesley Primary School Antrim Close, Allesley, Coventry, CV5 9FY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The headteacher’s effective leadership since the previous inspection has meant that standards and teaching have continued to improve.  He is strongly supported by the deputy headteacher, subject and phase leaders and a knowledgeable and challenging governing body. Together they have managed the increase in the number of pupils at the school well.  Typically all groups of pupils achieve well. The vast majority make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards have been above average since the previous inspection except for a dip in the 2013 Year 6 national tests.  Teaching is consistently good, and an increasing amount is outstanding.  Pupils are happy and proud of their school. They behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils feel very safe in school.  Pupils do well because the school takes exceptionally good care of them as individuals, particularly those whose circumstances make

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

them potentially vulnerable.  Staff, parents and carers and pupils share a strong belief in the values of their school.  The school provides pupils with an interesting range of subjects, topics and experiences which contribute strongly to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Physical education is a particular strength. Relationships within the school are good.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to promote rapid and sustained progress in all year groups, particularly in mathematics.  Standards in mathematics are not as high as in reading and writing.  The school’s approach to phonics (the sounds that letters make) is not consistent across the school and has resulted in slower progress for younger pupils.  A few older pupils lack confidence with mental calculations and do not have the opportunity to extend and develop their mathematics skills.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons involving 13 teachers. Three of the lessons were observed jointly with school leaders.  The inspectors held discussions with school leaders, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at documentation including improvement plans, the systems for tracking pupils’ progress, the arrangements for safeguarding pupils and samples of pupils’ work. They heard groups of pupils reading and spoke with others about behaviour and safety arrangements at the school.  Account was taken of the 62 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the views expressed by those parents and carers who spoke with the inspector at the start of the school day, or wrote letters. The inspectors also considered 30 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Michael Bartleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jonathan Block Additional Inspector Mary Maybank Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils come from a White British background. An increasing proportion of pupils come from minority ethnic groups, the largest of which are of Indian and Pakistani heritage.  A very small percentage of pupils are disabled or has special educational needs supported through school action. This is well below average. Around one pupil in 12 is supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, which is average.  Around one pupil in ten is supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, in the care of the local authority or with a parent in the armed forces). This is below average.  The governing body manages a before- and after-school club daily.  The pupils are taught in mixed- age classes at Key Stage 2 and in single age classes in the Early

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Information about this school

Years Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 1.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teaching outstanding so all pupils make sustained progress in phonics and mathematics by ensuring that:  younger pupils develop their phonic skills well  the school’s agreed approaches to teaching phonics are used consistently in all classes  teachers plan learning that is neither too hard nor too easy  activities in mathematics develop pupils’ mental and calculation skills so that they are able to complete more difficult tasks successfully with confidence  mathematical skills are extended and developed in a variety of ways.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start at the school with skills and knowledge below those usually seen for their age. They are well taught through stimulating activities that develop their academic and personal skills, and they make good progress that helps to prepare them for Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the time the pupils leave at the end of Year 6, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected Level 4 in English and mathematics is typically above average, and an increasing number of pupils attain the higher Levels 5 and 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The work seen in pupils’ books, in lessons and the school’s own progress information show that an increasing number of pupils in most year groups, including those who are most able and those from minority ethnic groups, are making good progress to reach and exceed the levels expected for their age. Any gaps in attainment between groups are closing rapidly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are above average. Within the overall picture of good achievement, there are some variations between year groups, particularly in mathematics. Attainment in writing and reading is higher than in mathematics because a few pupils lack confidence with their basic number and calculation skills. This limits their ability to complete more demanding mathematical tasks and to extend and develop their skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has worked to improve the teaching of reading, and this has started to develop pupils’ knowledge of phonics more securely, although there are still inconsistencies between classes. Following disappointing results in the phonic screening check in 2012, there was a strong improvement in 2013, although standards are below national levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have many opportunities to read for a variety of purposes, and they enjoy reading a wide range of books. Attainment in reading is above average in Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress due to well- planned one-to-one and group sessions.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil-premium funding is used effectively to provide additional teaching assistants and nurturing activities. The attainment of pupils supported by the pupil premium in English and mathematics in Year 6 in 2013 was the equivalent of three terms behind that of other pupils in the school. Most eligible pupils currently in the school are making better progress than their classmates so these gaps in attainment are narrowing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan imaginative activities that excite and motivate pupils to succeed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those known to be eligible for the pupil premium are supported effectively. The use of small groups has helped to accelerate progress for all these groups of pupils because they receive individual attention.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best elements of teaching, teachers plan tasks that rapidly build on previous work and what the pupils are already able to do. Teachers make sure that all pupils know the focus of learning so that they can check how successful they have been. Teachers and teaching assistants question pupils effectively, securing good understanding. This was seen in the Year 3 and 4 class where pupils wrote book reviews of well known stories by the author Julia Donaldson. The activity meant that pupils had excellent opportunities to discuss and share their ideas with each other, before writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Writing, reading and, increasingly, mathematics are taught effectively. Teachers encourage pupils to write in many different contexts, and this develops their interests and stamina for writing. For example, in a Year 1 history session, discussions between the teacher and the pupils during activities enabled all pupils to make rapid gains in their understanding of how bicycles developed and Coventry’s role in this invention.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils make use of vibrant displays and examples of work on walls, which they refer to during their own tasks. However, pupils do not always make the progress they could, particularly in mathematics and phonics, because the work is sometimes too easy or too hard for some pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The checking of pupils’ work, both in lessons and in books, is thorough. Comments in marking clearly identify what pupils have done well and what they should do next to improve their work. Pupils know what they have to achieve to move their learning forward.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, all staff provide a stimulating and caring setting, where children are confident learners and make good progress. Adults step in at appropriate points to enhance children’s learning and regularly assess and record children’s progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to learning, particularly when they are leading activities for small groups of pupils. For example, they help disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs or those who have been identified as underachieving to make more rapid progress. Speaking, listening and social skills are developed effectively in these sessions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Teachers use consistent routines in lessons such as ‘show me good listening’, and pupils respond well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 This is reinforced by warm and trusting relationships between pupils and staff. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork in the school. Pupils have a great pride in their school and they respond well to rewards and ‘golden time’ and ‘caught being good’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show interest, enjoyment and have a great desire to learn which contributes greatly to their good and better achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents and carers have great confidence in the care that the school provides and pupils agree that they feel happy and safe in school. A parent described Allesley as ‘a family-friendly school with the pupils at the heart of everything that is done’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Virtually all parents and carers who responded to Parent View or spoke to inspectors judged behaviour to be good. They also commented on how many opportunities their children had both in and out of school, and how well their children are supported. School records confirm that pupils’ behaviour is good on a daily basis and over time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils learn how to keep safe, for example, when using the internet. Discussions with pupils showed they understand about different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. They said that behaviour is good and there is no bullying in school. Pupils have immense trust in the headteacher and all staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils play an active role in ensuring a happy, well-organised school. ‘Playground pals’, reading buddies, school councillors and monitors make a strong contribution to the running of the school. These opportunities have an extremely positive impact on pupils’ personal development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and safety are not yet outstanding because a few pupils need adult support to succeed with their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils and parents and carers greatly appreciate the well-run early morning breakfast club, which provides a calm and sociable start to the school day, and the after-school club.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is consistently above average showing how much pupils enjoy coming to school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Strong links with health and social care professionals, together with staff who know their pupils well, help to give sensitive support for pupils whose home circumstances may make them potentially vulnerable.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has led the school successfully since the previous inspection, raising expectations and making sure that the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment has improved. He has taken rapid action to tackle the lower rates of progress in Year 6 in 2013.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders in charge of subjects and year groups are effective in checking the quality of teaching, tracking progress and supporting colleagues.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders’ accurate evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, combined with the good record of improvement, shows that they have a strong capacity to improve the school further. The headteacher has managed developments and staff changes well to create a common sense of purpose. Staff questionnaires show that morale is high.

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The leadership and management are good

 Regular lesson observations, followed by detailed feedback to teachers and a successful programme of training and coaching, have kept teaching good, with an increasing proportion of outstanding elements. Newly qualified teachers are supported effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The performance of teachers is managed well. Decisions about the salary that each teacher receives are securely based on the progress made by the pupils in their care. Teachers are held to account for the progress that pupils are making through regular meetings with the headteacher and other leaders. The performance of every pupil is tracked, and any pupil with additional learning needs is supported effectively, so that the vast majority of pupils achieve well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination well. There are no recorded incidents of harassment.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Visits, including residential visits and camps, opportunities to sing and to join in with the orchestra, to take part in sporting activities and close links with the local church and community, add further enrichment. Much learning is linked to real-life experiences, for example ‘forest schools’, gardening, cooking and when Year 6 pupils interviewed members of the local community as part of their Second World War topic, which develops highly positive attitudes to learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Physical education is a strength of the school. The additional government funding for it is well used to extend participation in after-school clubs, to take part in inter-school competitions, for teacher training, to purchase new equipment and to increase swimming lessons. The subject leader has plans to closely monitor the impact of the funding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher understands the needs of the local community and has established links which parents, pupils and staff welcome and value. Partnerships with parents are developed effectively and start with a well-managed introduction to the Nursery and Reception classes and the many workshops that introduce them to the school’s teaching methods and homework activities. The fact that leaders are at the gates every morning is much appreciated by parents.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are not yet outstanding because initiatives to improve pupils’ achievements have not yet been translated into higher attainment across all year groups.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided effective support for the school which has helped leaders to raise standards and to make sure that their view of the school’s effectiveness is accurate. The school works effectively with a range of other schools in the local area to share teacher training and to check the accuracy of assessments.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has a clear knowledge of the school’s strengths and what it needs to do to keep improving, including in the areas of pupils’ performance and the quality of teaching. It provides effective support and challenge. The governing body is very clear on the key priorities for improving the school and how these can be met. Governors have a good understanding of the school including the management of teachers’ performance and the implementation of the national ‘Teachers’ Standards’ and how they affect salary progression. Governors check spending carefully and are aware of how the school is using the pupil premium to improve pupils’ achievement. The range of expertise within the governing body enables close monitoring of, for example, the financial position of the school. Governors make sure they are kept up to date with training to improve their effectiveness, especially when

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The leadership and management are good

holding the headteacher to account. The governing body fulfils statutory duties, such as ensuring the school meets safeguarding 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 103662 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 431492

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 389 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Diane White Headteacher Matthew Potts Date of previous school inspection 26 March 2009 Telephone number 024 764 02611 Fax number 024 764 07964 Email address admin@allesley.coventry.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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