Newbold Verdon Primary School

Newbold Verdon Primary School Dragon Lane, Newbold Verdon, Leicester, LE9 9NG

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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

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

 The teaching has not yet proved consistently strong enough to ensure that all pupils make good progress during their time at the school.  Pupils’ achievement at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is not consistently high enough.  Although standards are rising, English grammar, spelling and punctuation, and pupils’ writing skills, are not yet good enough across the school.  The gap in attainment between pupils supported by additional government funding and their classmates is narrowing but still too wide.  Not all subject leaders have developed the skills needed to help senior leaders improve teaching and learning.  Not all teachers are yet making full use of the improved information on pupils’ attainment and progress to plan lesson activities at the right level of difficulty, including for the more able.  Some governors, including the chair and vice- chair, are new to their posts and are still developing their roles and responsibilities.

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The school has the following strengths

 The effective teamwork of the headteacher and her deputy is helping staff to become increasingly responsible and accountable for pupils’ progress and achievement.  A robust system for the monitoring and tracking of pupils’ progress has been established. This is playing a major role in identifying quickly any underachievement.  Pupils’ attitudes to school and learning are improving steadily as a result of the improved management of their behaviour.  The work of the specially resourced provision for autistic pupils, particularly in their personal development and preparation for their future lives and education.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 19 lessons; pupils’ learning was observed in all ten classes, including that in the three specially resourced classes for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder.  Ten teachers and their teaching assistants were seen. Four lessons were seen jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Daily registration time was observed; inspectors also looked at examples of pupils’ work, and heard a sample of pupils from both Key Stages 1 and 2 reading.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils selected at random by the lead inspector, including pupils from the specially resourced provision. In addition, many informal opportunities were taken to talk with pupils.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including self-evaluation and development plans, policies and reports on the school’s strengths and aspects for development, monitoring records and reports, safeguarding and curriculum materials, information provided for

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Information about this inspection

families, and governing body documents.  The school’s information including records tracking pupils’ progress were reviewed.  Discussions and conversations were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, including in the deputy headteacher’s role as special educational needs coordinator and Early Years Foundation Stage leader.  Other discussions were held with the specialist provision coordinator, subject leaders, class teachers, administrative staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. A telephone conversation was held with the Chair of the Governing Body.  The 20 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were taken into account. Inspectors also spoke personally with a number of parents at the start of the school day, and considered the responses to the school’s own very recent survey of its parents. The 24 responses to the questionnaire for school staff were also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Michael Miller, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Hilary (Joyce) Ryan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is a much smaller than average-sized primary school. The new headteacher took up her post in September 2013.  Almost all of the pupils come from White British backgrounds and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (government funding for particular groups, including those known to be eligible for free school meals) is average.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  Most pupils receiving additional support have autistic spectrum disorder. This is because the school has a specially resourced provision for up to 20 autistic pupils aged 4 to 11.  The unit is managed by the school on behalf of the local authority. It takes its pupils from all

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Information about this school

over the local authority’s area. The unit is currently over-subscribed and has 24 pupils on the school’s roll, from the Reception year to Year 5. These pupils are taught in three specialist class groups, according to age range and ability.  Other disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs experience a range of difficulties or disabilities including: specific learning difficulty; speech, language and communication needs; moderate learning difficulty.  The governing body offers childcare provision for up to 16 children aged 3-4 years through the privately run Honeysuckle Playgroup. This is inspected separately by Ofsted.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and achievement, particularly in English writing, grammar, spelling and punctuation by:  extending the opportunities for pupils to use and apply their writing skills  ensuring that all pupils pay more consistent attention to the quality of their handwriting and the presentation of their work across the full range of subjects  taking every opportunity to develop and enrich their vocabulary so they can express themselves consistently well, and with increased confidence, in writing  ensuring that all teachers use the helpful information now being made available to them about pupils’ attainment and progress to set work that is matched more closely to pupils’ different abilities  challenging more the school’s most-able pupils through increasingly testing and demanding tasks and activities in lessons  sharing more effectively the best teaching practice which exists in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the leadership and management of the school and the monitoring of teaching and pupils’ progress, by helping subject and key stage leaders to develop fully the skills they need to support senior leaders in checking the school’s work and raising pupils’ achievement further.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement in the different aspects of literacy and numeracy has been inconsistent. Not enough pupils make good progress. Currently, pupils’ progress and the standards they attain in writing are not as strong across the school as those seen in reading and mathematics. The school is taking appropriate action to resolve these issues but the full impact on standards is not yet evident.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The gap in attainment between pupils eligible for the pupil premium and their classmates is too wide. In 2013, Year 6 pupils eligible for the additional funding were three terms behind their classmates in mathematics and four terms behind them in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils’ progress requires improvement. In 2013 attainment at the end of Year 2 was below average overall, with pupils being two terms behind their peers nationally. At the end of Year 6, attainment was broadly average, but pupils were nearly a year behind others nationally in English grammar, punctuation and spelling. More-able pupils gained standards in line with their peers nationally overall, but were a term behind in their English grammar work.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The new headteacher has introduced an effective system for tracking pupils’ progress, and this is starting to help teachers to accelerate pupils’ learning. Current school information shows, for example, that pupils eligible for the additional funding are starting to make increasingly improved progress and attainment is rising. In the two terms so far this year most such pupils, in both Years 2 and 6, have made the equivalent of three terms progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Reception year with levels of skills and development which are below those expected nationally. School information shows that, typically, most make expected progress but still transfer to Year 1 with below expected skills and development. Again, the current leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage has made changes which are accelerating children’s progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Activities in the Reception class are now being matched well to the needs and interests of individual children. The development of most children, across the range of their personal and academic development, is currently much closer to national expectations than in the past. For example, children were captivated by the opportunity to don wellington boots, splash in puddles, and water plants. But they also talked about the need for plants to have water, light and food in order to grow.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 On taking up her post in September 2013, the new headteacher recognised that pupils’ English writing work had to improve. ‘Buzz Groups’ were introduced to provide pupils, of all abilities with intensive support in those aspects of literacy and numeracy that they find more difficult. Pupils of all abilities talk enthusiastically about the success they are achieving as a result of this.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 School information shows that progress has improved significantly and standards are now close to the average already in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6, and only around a term behind expectations in Year 2 overall. Most pupils are now making similarly accelerated progress, including those who speak English as an additional language, pupils from different minority ethnic groups, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils in the autism unit make good progress, particularly in their personal development and that of their language and communication skills. The specialist teaching and support staff have a major impact in building pupils’ confidence and helping them prepare for life and learning in later years. This reflects well on the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity for all.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Excellent achievement by Year 2 and 3 pupils in the unit was seen in a religious education and art lesson. Visual resources, exploring the life of the prophet Moses, were used well to stimulate pupils’ responses and language development, as they were asked to talk about what they saw. They were encouraged to think about the story and what they might feel in Moses’ situation when faced by the ‘burning bush’ of the biblical story. Pupils then went on to have great fun in depicting the bush using ‘drip painting’ and blowing techniques, in the style of Jackson Pollock.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet consistently good; too much remains requiring improvement and too little is outstanding. School records, including pupils’ work in books, and local authority monitoring reports show that the quality of teaching has improved markedly over the past two terms. However, these improvements have yet to result in pupils’ improved attainment in national tests. Good practice in the teaching has not always been shared sufficiently in order to ensure pupils achieve consistently well, and particularly in writing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers increasingly plan work which pupils enjoy, but there is not always that extra element to spark the sustained interest of the more-able pupils. Not all teachers are yet using the school’s information on pupils’ progress when planning work for pupils of different abilities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some teachers pick up quickly on pupils’ misconceptions and help them to get back on the right track. Pupils make good progress where their teacher ‘signposts’ clearly exactly what is expected and the relevance of what they are doing towards their future learning. This also helps pupils to gain increasing confidence in their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 However, marking by some teachers does not provide sufficient guidance or insist on high enough standards of handwriting and presentation, spelling and grammar. Discussions with pupils, and their work in books, shows marking is not always clear enough in the guidance it gives them, and not all teachers insist on regular corrections.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Most teaching assistants work effectively in their support for those pupils in their care and generally receive good direction from the teaching staff. However a few, clearly in good faith, sometimes ‘lead’ the pupils a little too much and do a little too much of the pupils’ work for them. This can prevent the pupils from thinking for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of letters and the sound they make (phonics) is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is helping to improve the children’s progress in reading. When hearing pupils read, particularly those in Year 2, inspectors found that most have grasped the strategies necessary for successful reading well. Pupils do enjoy reading and are developing a love of books.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in all three classes of the autism unit is consistently good. This is not only because of some excellent teamwork, but also because the staff show an in-depth knowledge and understanding of their pupils as individuals. Daily planning for each class is very detailed and shows that staff have gained extensive insights into the needs of each one of their pupils; work is ‘tailored’ to meet individual needs and circumstances. Staff prove flexible in their approach and are able to adapt their teaching to build on the pupils’ contributions, and are sensitive of pupils’ feelings.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils’ attitudes to learning remain inconsistent, although their behaviour in and around the school is generally good. Pupils are polite and helpful. They take a pride in their school but not always sufficiently in their work. Where pupils find the work too hard or too easy pupils sometimes lose interest and this limits the amount and quality of the work they do.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. School leaders have put in place clear systems to improve behaviour and keep pupils safe. Pupils are clear about the school’s rules and say they understand these better as the new headteacher explains things to them clearly and does not put up with any nonsense. Pupils show a good understanding of the various types of bullying. They say that bullying of any kind is rare and show confidence that their teachers would act quickly to put things right. School records support this.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Attendance is average, but rising. Pupils say that they feel safe in and around the school but that sometimes pupils do find it difficult to manage their own behaviour without adult intervention. Some pupils and parents pointed to behaviour at lunchtimes not yet being as good with supervisors as it is at breaks when teachers are on duty.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 New routines for behaviour management are proving increasingly successful in enabling pupils to feel confident to get on with their learning. However, such expectations are not yet embedded consistently across the school. Nevertheless, working relationships between staff and pupils are good. When given every opportunity to work and learn together, pupils do so with enthusiasm.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The social and interpersonal development of the pupils in the unit testifies to the significant success of staff in promoting this aspect of the pupils’ education. The nature of the pupils’ disability means that many have a limited understanding of language and find processing information difficult; some may become easily distressed. The calm and welcoming atmosphere in the unit is testament to the work of the staff and the inclusive nature of the school. Most pupils were able to accept the presence of a strange inspector in their midst with equanimity.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because their impact on the quality of teaching and on raising pupils’ achievement is not fully evident. This is because the leaders in charge of subjects and some new members of the governing body are still learning their craft as leaders. They are in the process of developing the skills and expertise necessary to make a full contribution in helping senior leaders to improve the quality of teaching further and enable pupils’ achievement to improve and become good.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Joint lesson observations with the inspectors show that the headteacher and her deputy have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and learning. The ways in which they analyse learning are effective; discussions with teachers about their lessons are supportive and professional.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The practical leadership and management of the headteacher, and the deputy headteacher in her roles as coordinator of the Early Years Foundation Stage and special educational needs, are good. They are ably supported by the leader of the autism unit.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders have put much in place over the past two terms and this demonstrates their commitment to improvement. A robust system for tracking pupils’ progress and new approaches to behaviour management have been put in place by the headteacher. She has also instigated a series of ‘parent and teacher’ workshops to help families to understand better how the school works and how they can support their children’s learning at home.  Improved information about pupils ensures that no teacher can be left in any doubt as to the achievement of the pupils in their charge. This has contributed to the steadily improving progress pupils are now making. Teachers also understand the importance of pupils’ progress to the ways senior leaders use this measure to check on each teacher’s effectiveness. The headteacher is ensuring that all staff are accountable for the success of the pupils in their classes.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 All staff who returned questionnaires agreed that they are proud to be at the school. They expressed confidence in the head teacher, the changes which are being made, and the successes gradually being won. Discussions with staff show they have a good understanding of what is necessary to move the school from requiring improvement to being good.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has been monitoring and supporting the school well. It recognises it as a school requiring improvement and has given good support to the new headteacher in her drive to secure this. The local authority has also been providing a helpful range of training for both staff and governors. Its reports on the school have proved thorough and aided the school well in checking on the quality of its work.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders are making good use of the primary school sport funding. The school has used this to ensure staff training in pupils’ physical and health education is up-to-date. After-school and sports clubs are all free, and participation in sports and competitions with other schools has increased. The ‘Change4Life’ club, with its focus on ‘eat well, move more, live longer’ has proved particularly popular and effective.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  All members of the governing body have undertaken recent training about the use of data in schools; this has helped them to understand how the school is performing in relation to others nationally. They are aware that the pupils’ progress, including those supported by the pupil premium, has not been good enough. However, governors are working actively with the headteacher to ensure that the pupil premium funding has an increasing impact on the achievement of eligible pupils, both through additional staff support and various enrichment activities. The governing body also ensures that legal requirements are met, including those for safeguarding. Governors continue to work in partnership with the headteacher to ensure clear guidelines for staff as to how salaries are linked to pupils’ progress, teaching quality and national Teachers’ Standards.

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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 119942 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 430701

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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 216 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anthony Oxley Headteacher Heather Causon Date of previous school inspection 19 June 2012 Telephone number 01455 822362 Fax number 01455 824913 Email address office@newboldverdon.leics.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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