Ravenshead CofE Primary School

Ravenshead CofE Primary School Swinton Rise, Ravenshead, Nottingham, NG15 9FS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Not enough pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2.  Teaching is not consistently good, especially in Key Stage 2, to enable standards to rise quickly.  Pupils’ work is not always planned to ensure that it is at the right level to enable pupils, especially the most able and also the less able, to achieve well.  Marking does not consistently give pupils specific information about what they have learned well and what they need to do next. Neither does it ensure that pupils respond to any guidance given by the teachers.  Some subject leaders are still developing their monitoring roles. They are not all aware of the strengths and where improvement is needed in teaching, learning and progress in their areas. This leads to some inconsistencies in practice.  Teachers have variable understanding and skills in meeting the learning needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Consequently, these pupils make slower

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is improving quickly. It is led strongly by the strategic headteacher and governing body.  Pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 achieve well.  Pupils really want to learn. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is good.  Pupils know how to stay safe in school.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 23 lessons of which nine were observed jointly with the strategic headteacher or individual members of the senior leadership team.  The inspectors spoke with many pupils during learning and playing, listened to the reading of several pupils from different year groups and watched pupils being supported in small groups.  One inspector met formally with a group of pupils to find out what they think about their school and spoke to several parents at the start of the school day.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior and subject leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation including information about the achievement of the pupils, the school’s improvement planning, examples of pupils’ work, and policies and records to help ensure that they stay safe.  The inspectors took into account the 148 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Lynne Blakelock, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Randhir Sandhu Additional Inspector Lynn Stanbridge Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is much larger than the average-sized school. The number on roll continues to rise.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average.  The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is well below average. (This is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority).  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school works in partnership with The Joseph Whitaker Sports College and The Candleby

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Information about this school

Lane Teaching Alliance to strengthen teaching and leadership, including through joint training.  The leadership team was restructured and extended in September 2012 to take into account the growth of the school and its needs. The strategic headteacher has been in post since 2007.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards quickly by improving the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better throughout the school by ensuring that:  the school’s information about the levels at which the pupils are working is always used carefully to plan work that is accurately matched to their abilities, particularly for the most- able and less-able pupils  marking tells pupils exactly what they have achieved and what to do next  teachers check that pupils to respond to any advice that they give.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of leaders at all levels on the quality of teaching and achievement by ensuring that:  teachers and teaching assistants have a good understanding of the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and the skills to provide effective support so that these pupils achieve consistently well  all subject leaders check learning and the quality of pupils’ work regularly to ensure good teaching and learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress in Key Stage 2 does not match the good progress made lower down the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make slower progress in all year groups because the quality of teaching and support is not always planned accurately to meet their individual needs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 A lower than average proportion of pupils achieves higher levels by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. There is some improvement this year because this has been a focus for school improvement. The most-able pupils do not all achieve their potential because work is not always hard enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards are currently average by the end of Year 6, with reading levels above, pointing to pupils’ average progress through the key stage. This was also the picture last year. Progress in mathematics fell sharply from well-above average in 2012.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children join the Nursery with levels of skills and knowledge that are typical for their age although some enter at higher levels. Children of all abilities make good progress throughout Nursery and Reception because teachers plan activities that match their interests and levels of skills well. Consequently, a large majority of children achieve a good level of development in all aspects of learning by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The children develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills well because they practise them throughout the day. This also helps them to spell accurately. The teaching of phonics (the sounds made by letters and groups of letters) is accurate and challenging and also promotes the children’s letter and word formation.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s data shows that the percentage of pupils in Year 1 achieving the required standard in phonics is average. Older pupils continue to use their phonics skills to help them to pronounce sounds accurately.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils read regularly, both for enjoyment and to become critical readers. They build up their skills in evaluating texts and in developing their understanding of the characters in a story.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils in Key Stage 1 make good progress because most teaching is good. All pupils in Year 2 who achieved well in the Early Years Foundation Stage have reached at least average levels in reading, writing and mathematics and most have reached higher levels. The focus in Year 1 on the teaching of different types of text is providing pupils with a more secure base for improving their writing skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils eligible for pupil premium funding are given extra support in, for example, developing their literacy skills, such as phonics, and numeracy skills. The funding is also used to provide counselling, music lessons and additional trips. In Year 6 last year, the numbers supported by pupil premium funding were too small to enable a statistically significant comparison of the standards they reached compared to those of their classmates. This continues to be the case this year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The pupils who speak English as an additional language receive regular, relevant support for their needs so that they can make similar progress to their classmates.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is variable, including in English and mathematics, and this results in pupils’ average rather than good progress by the end of Year 6.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although the school has detailed information about the levels at which pupils are working, the work that they are given is sometimes too hard for less-able pupils and often too easy for the most-able pupils. Therefore, pupils do not all achieve as well as they should from their individual starting points.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is regular. It is stronger in literacy than in other subjects. It does not always tell pupils exactly what they know well and what to do next. The school is developing its practice and its expectation that pupils correct their work in order to improve it.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

Pupils do not have regular opportunities to practise and transfer specific skills that they have learned in literacy and numeracy to other subjects in order to help them to make the quickest progress possible.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 However, pupils learn well and sometimes very well when work matches their needs accurately and marking ensures they know how to make further progress. They want to achieve well and many pupils show a very business-like approach to learning. They thrive on work which really make them think.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are clear about what they need to learn in each lesson and, where teaching is effective, are equally clear about how to do it. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, ‘the naughty dinosaurs’ provided exciting, investigative learning that enabled the children to practise and develop many skills. The children knew they needed to write an account of the dinosaurs’ behaviour to the police and the grammatical skills they had to show.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils enjoy and benefit from the very regular opportunities they are given to discuss their learning with each other and to assess for themselves how well they are doing. In a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils discussed with each other how to solve specific problems and made good progress in the best ways to do this.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Most, but not all, teachers use questioning carefully and to good effect to check both pupils’ understanding and to help them to think more carefully about their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils who need additional support for literacy, including phonics, and numeracy are supported well in intervention groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good throughout the day, both in lessons and around the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are attentive in lessons and try hard to remain so. They are always polite and helpful. They get on well with each other so that the school is a happy place for learning and playing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Although a few pupils sometimes have difficulty in adhering to the school’s expectations of their behaviour, the staff manage them well so that other pupils’ learning is not disturbed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils like their school and look after it well, through for example, keeping it tidy. They wear their uniforms smartly, reflecting their pride in their school. They value the opportunities the school gives them to develop new skills, such as through the after-school clubs.

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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 say they feel safe throughout the day and have confidence in the staff to keep them safe. Most parents share their views. The pupils are given regular training in using the internet to make sure that they stay safe.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The pupils say that there is very little bullying - it is more friendship issues - but they know who to go to for help if it occurs. The pupils know that there are different types of bullying and can identify groups of people who are vulnerable to it. They understand the importance of being accepting of those who are different, for whatever the reason. Pupils’ learning about the global world adds to their understanding of equality and responsibility for others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The pupils enjoy and value the responsibilities with which the school entrusts them. They carry out roles such as collective worship officers, road safety officers and being representatives on class councils and monitors, conscientiously.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Because of the school’s provision, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance has reverted to above average, after a dip to average last year, due to the school’s thorough checking of attendance and quick response to absences. The governing body took a lead role last year, when attendance fell, in making sure that pupils and parents understood the impact of irregular attendance on their progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Teaching and progress are not consistently good throughout the school. Subject leadership in several areas is still developing. The staff do not all have a full understanding of the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs or all of the skills to ensure that these pupils achieve well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 However, the strategic headteacher is driving improvements strongly and thoughtfully. She knows how the school needs to improve and the challenges presented as the number on roll continues to grow. The composition and roles of the new senior leadership team reflect the school’s priorities. They work together well with the common aim to raise standards and quicken progress. Comprehensive data about pupils’ learning is the basis of school improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Through their strategies, the senior leaders are making a difference, including to attendance and promoting better methods to raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Opportunities for the pupils to write at length are being extended. Many other strategies are not yet fully developed.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Data about pupils’ progress is collected and checked regularly. This year, tracking is correctly focusing more on pupils’ progress over longer periods.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leadership of teaching and learning is fully focused on improving teaching so that standards rise more quickly through the school. Observations of teaching with individual leaders showed the school has an accurate understanding of the strengths in teaching and the areas for development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The targets set for teachers reflect the school’s determination to raise standards through measureable and challenging targets.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject leaders are developing their roles, including their checking of their areas, helped by other leaders and supported by training. The new structure ensures that they know who to go to for support, whether for teaching or leadership. The staff are finding training helpful in improving their teaching and leadership skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The staff do not yet all have the knowledge and skills to ensure that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are identified promptly and that their individual needs are met well through teaching and support.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The staff plan topics that capture pupils’ interest and which they enjoy. They provide opportunities for a wide range of learning, such as the topic about fire. All groups of pupils have an equal chance of success when work matches their needs well but this is not always the case. The school’s main focus is on literacy and numeracy but pupils have regular chances to develop their creative, physical, scientific and linguistic skills. After-school clubs are popular and varied, including mad science, choir and rugby.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Primary sports funding is being used carefully to improve the staff’s skills in teaching physical education and in particular to build-up the pupils’ athletic skills. The school’s links with the local sports college has enabled it to secure specialist teaching and support. The provision of after- school football clubs for Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils are extremely popular, including for girls and for other groups of pupils. They result in better skills in playing football, along with the development of inter-personal skills such as team work and cooperation.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Partnerships with other schools have strengthened the quality of sports teaching, the transition arrangements for Year 6 pupils preparing for secondary school and the range of training and support for staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school feels it has very good relationships with the large majority of parents, who support all aspects of the school’s work. It communicates regularly with them, including about events designed to help them to support their children’s learning. A few parents have individual worries, which have been shared with the strategic headteacher, while preserving confidentiality. The strategic headteacher is keen to address any concerns.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has carried out a recent review, which the school found helpful and supportive, although it would have appreciated it being earlier. The adviser knows the school’s needs and is confident that the school is addressing them.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body knows the school well and is determined to support its improvement. It receives very detailed information from the strategic headteacher as its starting point.  The governors question all aspects of the school’s work thoroughly, particularly the achievement of pupils. They respond quickly to what they hear and both challenge and support the school.  The governors ensure that pupil premium funding is spent for the benefit of the individual needs of such pupils and check their progress. They understand the importance of performance management in accelerating progress through improving teaching and have already shown that they will not award pay rises unless staff meet their targets.  They find out a range of information for themselves. They appreciate that their links with senior leaders could be extended so that they can pick up the strengths and areas that need

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The leadership and management requires improvement

improving at an early stage.  The governors also keep a close watch on parents’ perceptions of the school and are making helpful links with the school’s parent-teacher association as part of their drive to communicate as well as possible with parents.  The governing body oversees safeguarding procedures regularly and ensure that statutory requirements are met.  The school’s finances are sound and managed well.

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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 131814 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 444316

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 446 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Rattenberry Headteacher Helen Thomas Date of previous school inspection 11 October 2006 Telephone number 01623 456516 Fax number 01623 456916 Email address office@ravenshead.notts.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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