Richard Lee Primary School

Richard Lee Primary School The Drive, Wyken, Coventry, CV2 5FU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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.  Pupils’ achievement has improved since the previous inspection and is now good.  All groups of pupils, including those who are supported by the pupil premium funding and those who are disabled or have special educational needs, make good progress.  Teaching is consistently good across the school and the learning experiences pupils receive motivate them to broaden their knowledge.  Pupils are proud of their school. They feel safe and enjoy coming to school, and this is reflected in good behaviour in class and around the school.  The dynamic leadership provided by the headteacher and other senior leaders is rapidly driving up the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Governors provide strong support to the school and effectively hold leaders to account. They are making a positive contribution to the school’s continuing improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in writing, while improving, is not as consistent as in reading and mathematics.  Occasionally work is too easy for pupils and does not make them think hard enough, especially those who find learning easy.  The questions teachers ask in lessons do not always help pupils to think more deeply about their learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, several of which were jointly observed with senior leaders. Support groups held by teaching assistants were also seen.  Inspectors heard pupils read and looked closely at their work in books and on classroom displays.  Inspectors held meetings with staff, a group of pupils, a representative of the local authority, the Chair of the Governing body and two other governors.  Inspectors examined plans for improvement, pupil progress information, teachers’ planning, the school’s monitoring information and school policies, including the arrangements for safeguarding children.  Inspectors considered the 37 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Robert Bourdon-Pierre, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Georgina Beasley Additional Inspector Jennifer Taylor Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average. This additional funding is given to schools to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in local authority care.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is slightly above average. The proportion of pupils who are learning English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is above average. The proportion supported by school action is well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave partway through their primary school education is

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Information about this school

higher than average.  The school has a children’s centre on site, but it was not part of this inspection.  The new school currently being built on the same campus is due to be opened in September 2015.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and raise pupils’ achievement, particularly in writing, by:  exploiting opportunities to engage and stimulate pupils to further develop writing skills  ensuring that teachers’ marking and feedback result in improvements in pupils’ writing  setting work that is sufficiently demanding and makes pupils think hard  asking probing questions that lead to deeper learning and understanding for pupils of all abilities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils achieve well during their time at the school. From starting points which are low for a majority, they make good progress through the school. This is particularly so for those who start in the Nursery and remain in school until the end of Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in Year 6 rose in 2013 and was broadly average, although writing standards were below average. The 2014 results are on track to continue this rise, but standards in writing are still not as high as in reading and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils show positive attitudes to learning in class. They are eager to further their knowledge and this contributes to their good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress, and standards are broadly average by the time they enter Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make rapid progress, particularly in reading and mathematics, because of the expert help they receive from teachers and support assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Improving attainment and progress in writing has been a major focus for the school this year. The impact of initiatives such as ‘talk for writing’ to extend pupils’ writing skills and the Premium Pen award to instil a pride in the presentation of their work is beginning to be evident. Leaders are aware that they have not yet done enough to make sure pupils achieve as well as they can in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More able pupils make good progress overall. It occasionally slows when tasks are too easy for them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress as a result of the support they receive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium perform well, and attainment gaps between them and their peers are closing rapidly. Strategies used by the school effectively enhance their progress. In 2013, eligible Year 6 pupils were on average almost six months behind their peers in English and mathematics, but the gap is narrowing this year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has made positive use of its primary sports funding to improve the quality of teaching in physical education, and so standards have risen. It has also given pupils opportunities to extend their sports experiences outside the classroom.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers motivate the pupils and provide positive learning experiences. Teachers show that they have high expectations of pupils. They plan work that is interesting and this has a positive impact on pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. For example, in a Year 5 lesson, pupils were keen to make up their own dialogue to bring to life characters they had developed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Skilful deployment of knowledgeable teaching assistants has a major impact on the learning of pupils who require extra support. Their valuable work ensures that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching inspires pupils to engage actively in lessons. They work well with partners and in small groups to develop their ideas and assess each other’s understanding. This helps them to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good, so children settle quickly and make rapid progress through the well-planned activities. Teachers plan together to ensure consistency and ensure that the activities add to children’s development and capture their interest. The outdoor activity areas in the temporary setting have been well planned to contribute significantly to their experiences.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The work teachers plan does not always make pupils think hard because occasionally it is too easy, particularly for the most able pupils. Teachers’ questions are not always effective in helping pupils to understand and think more deeply about the topic. However, some examples were seen of more difficult work for more-able pupils in mathematics and in links with local secondary schools.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of writing has been a focus for the school, and although it has improved this has not yet had sufficient impact on attainment in writing. This is particularly apparent for more-able pupils. Feedback to pupils in their books does not always give guidance on how they can improve their writing. However, there are examples of marking being used effectively to guide pupils on what to do next to improve their learning in other subject areas.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are very proud of their school and say they feel happy and well supported. The responses in the Parent view survey show that parents share these views. Relationships are mutually respectful and pupils are polite to each other as well as to adults they encounter.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In almost all lessons observed, pupils displayed eager enthusiasm to learn. On just a few occasions pupils became restless when they were waiting to resume activities, but these occurrences were rare.

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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 know how to keep themselves safe in society and have a good understanding of e-safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of the various forms that bullying can take but say that it rarely occurs. They say that when it does, staff swiftly deal with it. Pupils know who to contact if they have any difficulties, and know that support will be given to resolve them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has successfully improved attendance, which is now just above average. The number of pupils who are frequently absent has been drastically reduced due to effective measures taken by the school and other agencies.

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The leadership and management are good

 The vision and drive of the headteacher to accelerate pupils’ progress and raise attainment have been unwavering and successful. Ably supported by other senior leaders, she has moved the school swiftly forward. All staff share the positive culture that now permeates the school.  Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s work is accurate, direct and concise, highlighting strengths and areas where improvements are necessary. The latter have been acted on effectively and positive outcomes are now evident.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff with allocated responsibilities are taking increasing responsibility for their subject areas or Year teams. Their roles are continuing to develop, making an increasing contribution to achievement by helping to raise the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority is helping the school through its period of disruption as the new buildings take shape. It has assisted with the move into temporary classroom and has provided extra funding for computer equipment.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is using its primary sport funding effectively to develop teachers’ skills in teaching higher-quality physical education lessons. The sports coach employed by the school has also introduced a wide range of extra activities that not only provide additional sporting opportunities for all age groups, but also increase pupils’ awareness of the need to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is broad and varied, offering a number of exciting learning experiences for pupils. The ‘Secrets of Success’ scheme, in which pupils learn to work together and support each other, enhances their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils have a good understanding of religions and other cultures around the world.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The school benefits from a strong and supportive governing body. Governors are well trained and aware of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They show understanding of the data relating to the school’s performance and hold the senior leaders to account. They are developing increasing effectiveness in checking for themselves what is going on in school, for instance by visiting classrooms and looking at the work pupils are doing. This allows them to evaluate the impact of funding that is directed towards raising achievement. Governors show that they understand the performance management system and how it is directly linked to staff pay, promotion and performance, and how underperformance is tackled. They have a clear view of their responsibilities related to safeguarding; they have undertaken appropriate training and make sure national requirements for safeguarding children are met. They closely

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The leadership and management are good

monitor the school’s finances, including how the expenditure of pupil premium and primary school sport funding is leading to increased academic progress and personal development for all groups of pupils.

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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 103693 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 443579

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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 544 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Debbie Johnson Headteacher Carol Brammer Date of previous school inspection 13 March 2013 Telephone number 024 7645 0023 Fax number 024 7665 0603 Email address headteacher@richardlee.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 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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