White Rock Primary School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Pupils at Key Stage 2 have made inadequate progress in reading and writing for the last two years. Progress in mathematics was below average in 2012.  Pupils do not read widely and often and do not have enough opportunities to demonstrate higher level skills in reading.  Some older pupils do not enjoy writing and they often repeat work they can already do.  Some teachers, especially in Key Stage 2, have low expectations of what pupils, particularly the more able, can achieve. Pupils’ learning is hindered because teachers do not check well enough on their understanding in lessons.  Some pupils in upper Key Stage 2 show little enthusiasm for learning because tasks do not provide enough interest or challenge for them.  The governing body has not acted quickly enough to hold leaders to account for the fall in attainment and progress at Key Stage 2 in the last two years. Governors did not know

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

about the poor quality of teaching at the school.  Leaders have not tackled the improvements identified at the previous inspection well enough. Consequently weaknesses remain in teaching, planning challenging activities, assessment and checking pupils’ progress,, particularly in Years 5 and 6

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher has inspired confidence in pupils, staff, parents and governors and provided an incisive analysis of the school's weaknesses and clear plans for improvement.  There have been recent improvements in teaching and pupils’ progress in Years 2, 3 and 4.  Pupils’ personal qualities, developing maturity, courtesy and good manners contribute strongly to a harmonious community.  The children in the Reception classes make good progress in their learning and development. This continues in Key Stage 1.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 30 lessons taught by 16 teachers and some higher-level teaching assistants, of which nine were jointly observed with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, short visits were made to other lessons, and inspectors listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, middle leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, three groups of pupils and a local authority representative.  The inspector took account of the 41 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and also of a recent parent questionnaire conducted by the school. The responses to 35 staff questionnaires were analysed.  The inspection team looked at school documents, including school data relating to assessments and pupils’ progress, planning for school improvement, the monitoring of teaching and learning, records relating to behaviour and attendance, minutes of the governing body and documents

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Inspection team

Janet Dinsmore, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Laver Additional Inspector Marian Marks Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Full report

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers

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Information about this school

 White Rock is larger than the average sized primary school.  Almost all the pupils are of White British origin.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding (additional government funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority) is lower than average.  A lower-than-average proportion of pupils are supported at school action and at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  There have been two headteachers since the previous inspection. Three teachers have also resigned.  The acting headteacher, who has been at the school since January 2014, has been appointed as the substantive headteacher from September 2014.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is good and outstanding in order to raise attainment at Key Stage 2 for all groups of pupils by:  making sure that activities are well planned at the right level and provide interest for all pupils, especially boys, to speed up progress in writing  ensuring pupils read widely and often and encouraging a good choice of books for more able readers  making sure that more able pupils have activities that challenge them in all subjects  making sure that assessments are precise and accurate  making sure that information from assessments is used well to plan work at the right level for all groups of pupils  ensuring teachers provide teaching assistants with the guidance they need to support pupils' learning effectively  ensuring teachers check regularly in lessons on pupils’ progress and understanding so that tasks can be modified when necessary.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  ensuring middle leaders are trained so that all can contribute strongly to improvements in their subject across the whole school  improving the training of teaching assistants so that they can all effectively support groups of pupils so that learning for all pupils is speeded up. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils made inadequate progress in reading and writing by the end of Key Stage 2 for the last two years. In 2012, progress in mathematics was below average. In 2013, a quarter of pupils did not make the level that is expected nationally in writing and a lower-than-average proportion achieved the nationally-expected level in reading and mathematics.  In 2013 a much lower-than-average proportion of pupils, particularly boys, were achieving at the higher levels in reading and writing. Most of those achieving at higher levels in reading and writing were girls.  In Years 5 and 6, pupils do not demonstrate higher level reading skills and do not read a wide enough range of more demanding and high-quality texts. They receive little guidance that develops or extends their choice of books.  In Years 5 and 6, tasks set are too often undemanding or repeat what they have learnt before. Pupils have some knowledge of grammar and sentence structure that they can apply to writing

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

tasks.  More able pupils are not making the more rapid rates of progress of which they are capable in reading, writing and mathematics.  Some disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make inadequate progress in writing in Years 5 and 6.  There has been a legacy of underachievement in writing for pupils in current Years 5 and 6. However, progress made by pupils in Years 2, 3 and 4 is beginning to improve in reading, writing and mathematics..  Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium make progress and achieve in line with their peers in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2. Pupils eligible for the pupil premium are four months behind their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. In Key Stage 1, their achievement has exceeded that of their peers.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the progress that would be expected and there are individual examples of good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Most children start school with the skills that would be expected for their age. They make good progress in the Reception classes. Pupils in Year 1 demonstrate average skills in the phonics reading check (about the sounds that letters make). By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have achieved significantly above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics for two of the last three years.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching does not enable pupils to develop good skills, especially in writing and reading. Teachers do not routinely use assessment information about pupils’ prior learning to plan activities. Consequently pupils do not make appropriate gains in their knowledge, skills and understanding, particularly in Years 5 and 6.  Teaching has not enabled pupils to make the progress that is expected nationally in Key Stage 2. Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low and assessments of pupils’ work have been imprecise and inaccurate.  Some teaching is uninspiring and the learning tasks do not provide sufficient challenge, especially for more able pupils. Some pupils, especially in Years 5 and 6, say work in different subjects is often too easy. Writing tasks are too often repeated and pupils lose enthusiasm for their work.  Pupils and parents say that they do not have a clear view of the progress that pupils are making.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching assistants are not always well deployed to support learning in lessons. Some do not receive sufficient guidance from the teacher or are trained well enough to be able to question pupils effectively and maximise their learning. Pupils say that when they are working in groups, they sometimes have to wait before they attempt the next question, which slows their progress.  Pupils are not always enabled to learn well. For example, some more able pupils make little progress as they are repeating work they have already done and understand, especially in mathematics in some classes. This was also an issue identified at the previous inspection, which has not been successfully tackled.  Some teachers do not check pupils’ progress and understanding regularly in lessons so that tasks can be modified when necessary. More able pupils in Key Stage 2 are not given enough guidance to develop their higher-order reading skills to enable them to discuss an author’s style

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

and intentions. Pupils in Key Stage 1 are supported well with reading at home.  Support and adaptations of learning for pupils with a statement of special educational needs are effective in making sure that they make good progress with learning.  Teachers and pupils say that teaching, especially of reading, has changed significantly since the arrival of the new headteacher. Pupils say, and books show, that marking has improved for writing tasks and most pupils now know what to do to improve their work. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are beginning to make better progress because they are receiving some better academic guidance.  There are some examples of outstanding teaching that is rapidly speeding up pupils’ progress in writing and reading in Year 2 and Year 4 because learning is planned accurately and teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Younger pupils sometimes find it difficult to maintain their attention when instructions given are not fully clear to them.  Pupils mostly maintain high levels of self-control, even when teaching fails to engage their interest and enthusiasm. Some older pupils have learnt how to cope with being bored in some lessons without causing disruption. Some say they find literacy lessons uninteresting and do not enjoy them, which diminishes their enthusiasm for learning.  Behaviour around the school at break and lunchtime is good. Pupils in Year 6 have responsibilities as peer mediators to deal with any minor falling out. School records show, and pupils say, that there is almost no bullying and if it occurs, it is of a minor name-calling nature and is dealt with quickly and effectively.  Attendance is now above average. This has improved since the previous inspection as a result of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

clear procedures and policies to follow up any absence.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils know how to stay safe on the internet. Pupils feel and know they are safe at school.  Pupils treat each other and adults with respect. The school is an inclusive community where pupils say that everyone is treated equally and there is no discrimination.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leaders have not tackled weaknesses in teaching identified at the last inspection. As a result, too few pupils make sufficient progress by the end of Year 6. The weaknesses in the quality of teaching identified by the previous inspection have only begun to be tackled since the arrival of the current headteacher.  The progress pupils make across the school has not been checked accurately or frequently enough by teachers. A checking process has just started and but has not been in place for long enough to provide full information on pupils’ progress.  The Teachers’ Standards had not been applied correctly to the appraisal system for teachers. They were not held to account for pupils’ progress until the arrival of the current acting headteacher. Significant previous underperformance has begun to be eradicated recently.  Some middle leaders are not sufficiently well trained to be able to carry out their role of checking

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The leadership and management are inadequate

the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in their subjects. The headteacher has begun to build a team of middle leaders to drive improvements. This work is at a very early stage and there has been too little time to see its impact.  The capacity for further improvement is limited because so many changes are very recent and their impact is not fully evident. Some middle leaders are new in post.  The current headteacher is highly skilled and working closely with the deputy headteacher to plan and begin to implement the changes necessary to teaching and assessment processes and in holding teachers to account for pupils’ progress.  The teaching of phonics (learning letters and the sound they make) and reading has already improved. The assessment of, and checking on, pupils’ progress has also improved. Recent recruitment has resulted in the appointment of teachers who are already speeding up pupils’

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The leadership and management are inadequate

progress in their classes.  The local authority has provided support for the governing body, for example in recruiting the headteacher and reviewing systems. It is confident in the ability of the headteacher, along with the additional support currently being provided, to arrest the declining standards.  Statutory requirements for safeguarding are met.  Parents say they value the work of the school and that the school is like an extended family. There are strong links with the local community.  Sports funding is spent effectively to increase pupils’ access to high-quality facilities in neighbouring secondary schools and colleges and to extend their experience of a wider range of sports.  The governance of the school:  Governors have lacked sufficiently robust procedures for checking the performance of the school for themselves. They did not act quickly enough when achievement started to decline in 2012. They were overly reliant on reports from the headteacher. They are now more aware

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The leadership and management are inadequate

of how the school is performing compared with others nationally and are better trained in using data to ask challenging questions of school leaders. However, these matters are not fully or accurately recorded in the minutes of their meetings.  The governing body did not previously have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and had inappropriately rewarded teachers who were not making sufficient contribution to improving the outcomes for pupils. They had not made sure that teachers were held to account for the progress of pupils in their classes.  Governors now have good procedures for managing the performance of staff and, along with the headteacher, are making sure that all teachers are given challenging targets for speeding up rates of pupils’ progress in their classes.  Governors now know that pupil premium funding has been spent to make sure that eligible pupils receive extra help in reading, writing and mathematics and that there should be no gap

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The leadership and management are inadequate

in achievement between them and their peers by the end of Year 6.

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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 113216 Local authority Torbay Inspection number 443834

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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 440 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Duncan Marwood Headteacher Sarah Tomkinson Date of previous school inspection 27−28 January 2011 Telephone number 01803 843175 Fax number 01803 846017 Email address admin@white-rock-primary.torbay.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 and 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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