Water Orton Primary School

Water Orton Primary School Attleboro Lane, Water Orton, Birmingham, B46 1SB

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 There have been significant improvements to key aspects of the school’s work since the previous inspection.  Good teaching helps all groups of pupils, including those who need extra help and the most able, to make good progress.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. At the end of their Reception Year, children are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils’ standards are rising because teaching is improving. The help pupils get in lessons and in small-group work is enabling all pupils to do well.  Pupils say that they feel safe and well cared for. They are happy to attend each day and arrive to lessons on time. Pupils’ attendance is above average.  Pupils behave well. They are respectful to adults and to each other as they move in and around the school’s extensive buildings and outdoor areas.  Teaching is improving because leaders have taken decisive action to address weak teaching, and they

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

regularly check on its quality. Staff are provided with the training they need to develop and improve their skills.  Teachers keep a close check on pupils’ standards and the progress they make. This information helps teachers to plan activities that help pupils to build on their existing skills and learn new ones.  Pupils enjoy opportunities to take part in trips, residential visits, sport, music, art and to learn about other cultures. This makes a good contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Governors provide strong leadership. They visit the school regularly to work alongside senior and other managers to check that improvements are working and that pupils are doing well. Governors hold the school leadership to account for their performance.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Even though they make good progress overall, the most able pupils are occasionally given work that is too easy for them and does not make them think deeply.  Occasionally, pupils are not given enough to do in lessons. As a result, a few drift off task, limiting their progress.  In some classes, pupils’ handwriting is not as neat and tidy in their workbooks as it is when they practise handwriting in dedicated sessions.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons, taught by 12 teachers, and one assembly. Senior leaders joined inspectors in observing learning in six lessons. Inspectors talked with pupils, and looked at their work and records of their progress.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work on display. They also undertook learning walks, which comprised a number of short visits to lessons to look at the teaching of reading, including phonics (the links between letters and the sounds they make), and learning across different subjects.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, staff and members of the governing body. In addition, an inspector talked with an adviser to the school and to a local authority officer on the telephone.  Inspectors listened to pupils read. They observed and talked to them at play during breaktimes and at lunchtime.  The school’s safeguarding policies, improvement plans, notes from meetings of the governing body and

p.2

Information about this inspection

records of pupils’ behaviour were reviewed, as well as the 19 replies to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors took account of parental communications with inspectors and to the 84 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire (Parent View). Parental views were also sought at the start of the school day as they brought their children to school. An inspector made a brief visit to a meeting of the parent forum.

p.2

Inspection team

Sarah Warboys, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Water Orton Primary is larger than most primary schools.  An average percentage of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds, and very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  A below-average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides the school with additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. The funding is based on the number of children at the school in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported by school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus is below average. Seven pupils are supported by education, health and care plans.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  A breakfast club, managed by the governing body, provides an opportunity for pupils to arrive at school a

p.3

Information about this school

few minutes early to eat cereal or toast ready for the start of the school day.  ‘The Treehouse’, a registered charity, runs a summer holiday club, and a before- and after-school club for children aged two to 11 on the school site. The clubs are not managed by the governing body and are inspected separately.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics by ensuring that all teachers:  set work at the right level of difficulty for more able pupils that encourages them to think deeply and to help them make even better progress  make certain pupils in Years 1 to 6 and children in the Early Years Foundation Stage always have enough to do in lessons to keep them busy so that they make the best possible progress  ensure that pupils’ handwriting is as neatly presented in their workbooks as it is in their handwriting practice books.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The effectiveness of leadership and management has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Pupils’ achievement, teaching and governance are now good. The headteacher, supported by a senior leadership team, has created a positive climate and learning environment in which pupils can learn because of consistently good teaching. Staff are proud to be a member of the team and are behind the headteacher’s drive to improve the school.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Teaching is improving because there is a close link between the way leaders at all levels check on its quality. Leaders and managers observe learning in lessons. They keep track of the data and match this with what they see in pupils’ work. Leaders provide training for staff based on what they have found. In addition, teachers work together, observing and talking to each other about how they can become more skilled practitioners.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Good attention is paid to equality of opportunity for pupils. Leaders, managers and staff meet regularly to discuss pupils’ progress. Those who are not making enough progress are identified and provided with the extra help and support they need.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Those who lead subjects or who are responsible for different areas of the school’s work have developed well as a result of professional training. Leaders who support disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs work closely with staff and support agencies beyond the school to ensure pupils get the extra help they need.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The vast majority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire or who spoke with inspectors were complimentary about the school’s work. An established ‘Parent Forum’ ensures senior leaders, including governors, are kept informed of their views. The breakfast club is an example of how provision has been improved as a result of the positive partnership between home and school. Attendance has risen from average to above average as a consequence.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. It offers a range of different subjects enhanced by visitors, visits and residential trips. Pupils speak highly of, and with enthusiasm for, trips they have been on; some they recalled were several years ago and clearly memorable. One such example was an opportunity to experience life in Tudor England. Pupils say that the experience helped them to ‘get into the mind’ of a Tudor so that they could better understand what it was like to live in those times.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths and are respectful of others’ beliefs and practices. Pupils enjoy opportunities to learn to play a musical instrument, appreciate art and increasingly take part in different sports, improving their healthy lifestyles and sense of well-being. As one pupil told inspectors, ‘I like getting fit and healthy.’ Pupils in all year groups are encouraged to understand and take part in activities that promote democracy and British values. All pupils vote for their class representative on the school council. Older pupils get involved in issues such as recycling. Year 6 pupils in 2014 interviewed county councillors about environmental issues and also visited The House of Commons to share their views and ideas with members of Parliament.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority, together with an employed external adviser, has provided good support for the school, particularly in improving systems for all leaders to check the effectiveness of their actions on pupils’ achievement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors responded swiftly to the previous inspection report. They reviewed closely the skills they brought to the governing body and looked at their roles and responsibilities. Governors analysed their existing systems, identified where they could be improved and sought appropriate training. As a result, governors are now much better placed to hold the school’s leaders to account for pupils’ achievement. Governors are keeping abreast of how the new National Curriculum is being introduced, including how well pupils are being prepared for life in modern Britain. They seek assurances from the staff that teachers’ assessments are accurate. Governors have significantly increased the visits they make to school to see for themselves how well actions to improve the school are going. This has raised the expectations of all staff to improve outcomes for pupils. Governors have benefited from training to

p.4

The leadership and management are good

deepen their understanding of published data to check how well pupils in the school are doing compared with all pupils nationally. They have worked closely with senior leaders to improve their understanding of data at different points of the year so that arrangements can be made to tackle any weaknesses. They manage the performance of the headteacher and make sure systems to do the same for staff are fully in place. They check that only those teachers who meet the targets set for them are awarded pay rises. Governors manage the school’s finances well, including the spending of the pupil premium and the sports funding. They are aware that eligible pupils are making good progress, similar to their peers, and that pupils are increasingly physically active. Governors ensure safeguarding arrangements meet requirements.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are typically polite and courteous in classrooms, corridors and in other parts of the school building and grounds. They use equipment carefully and thoughtfully. Adults manage pupils’ behaviour consistently well. Pupils show respect for the care and guidance they are given by all teachers and other adults. The school’s records show that to be the norm. There have been no exclusions in recent years.

p.5

Behaviour

 Around the school, pupils take note of the interesting displays that set high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and invite them to reflect on the consequences of their actions. An overwhelming majority of parents, staff, governors and pupils are positive about the standard of behaviour.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy taking on additional responsibilities, such as being a member of the school council. They understand that this helps them to develop skills they will need later on in life. They willingly participate in a non-uniform day to raise funds for charity.

p.5

Behaviour

 Almost all pupils enjoy coming to school. The breakfast club, an idea initiated by a forum of parents, enables pupils to come to school a few minutes early to eat breakfast and arrive at school on time, ready for the day ahead. As a direct consequence, pupils’ attendance is now above average.

p.5

Behaviour

 In lessons, pupils show positive attitudes to learning and are keen and eager to learn. They settle down quickly to work after a break so that little or no learning time is wasted. In a minority of lessons, a few pupils lose interest when they do not have enough to do, and drift off task as a result. This is also the case for some children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Therefore, they do not always make the progress they could and should.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good, and parents who spoke with inspectors agree. Pupils say they feel safe and well looked after by adults. They benefit from lots of opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe in lessons, particularly in personal, social and health education. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of how to keep safe when using the internet.

p.5

Safety

 Appropriate and timely action is taken by staff to tackle any form of discrimination or any hint of derogatory language. Pupils report rare incidents of bullying, such as name-calling or physical aggression, but are highly confident that staff will sort it out quickly to help them deal with it.

p.5

Safety

 Visitors to the school are checked when they arrive. The school is made up of several different buildings. Each one requires a code to gain entry. The outdoor environment, too, is made up of lots of different areas. Pupils are well supervised when they are making use of the extensive grounds, including the new outdoor climbing equipment. There is a first-aid station outdoors so pupils know where to go if they fall over or get hurt.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching is lively and helps to maintain pupils’ interests. Pupils say that teachers make their learning fun. Teachers have a secure knowledge of what they teach and of what their pupils can do. They are increasingly able to amend and adapt their plans in the light of pupils’ responses so that their teaching can better build on what pupils already know.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Throughout all classes, good relationships support learning. Class teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils are praised for their effort and their contributions to discussions.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants plan and work closely together. All adults show pupils good examples and give them precise explanations so they are clear about what they have to do. They ask pupils questions to check their understanding.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Work in pupils’ books show that teaching is good over time. Teachers provide effective feedback to pupils when marking their work. Consequently, pupils know what they have done well. It also provides them with opportunities to learn from their mistakes and find out what they could do even better.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Good use is made of computer technology to support pupils’ learning. It engages pupils and helps to maintain their interest. Pupils in Year 4, for example, thoroughly enjoyed watching a video clip of school staff reporting the beheading of Anne Boleyn which inspired them to write their own newspaper reports.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 The outdoor areas are used effectively to capture pupils’ curiosity. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 worked enthusiastically together to recite poetry out of doors. They were guided to use sounds from a variety of different objects to enhance their performance. As a result, they made good gains in their learning.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils report that homework is set regularly and helps them to practise what they have been learning in school. They find homework club useful because there is always a teacher there who can help them.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ handwriting in their handwriting practice books is legible and orderly, and they are guided to write in a flowing style. However, not all teachers expect or ensure that pupils’ writing in their workbooks, including their ‘best books’, to be as neat, tidy and well presented.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 The skills, knowledge and understanding of children when they enter their Reception Year varies from below average to average. In 2013, the majority joined the school with skills below the typically expected levels. Most caught up quickly because of good teaching. An above-average proportion entered Year 1 with a good level of development.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils do well in reading. An above-average proportion of pupils reached the expected level in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 in 2013. This represented an improvement for the third successive year. Pupils are taught specific reading skills regularly and systematically throughout the school in sessions guided by teachers and teaching assistants. Pupils are supported well by practising reading at home with their parents. They say they enjoy reading for pleasure and to find out new things.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are average by the end of Year 2. Standards when pupils left the school at the end of Year 6 in 2013 were broadly average. However, the most recent assessments show that standards are rising, particularly in reading and writing.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Good teaching helps all groups of pupils to make good progress. Work in pupils’ books confirms the school’s view that pupils in Key Stage 1 are making good progress and those in Key Stage 2 are on track to make and exceed the progress that is expected of them.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Adults work alongside pupils, reinforcing new ideas and breaking tasks down into small, achievable steps so they can succeed and join in with other pupils. They record important information from teaching which pupils can use as prompts later on in their own work.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Of the pupils who left the school at the end of Year 6 in July 2013, disadvantaged pupils were, on average, two terms behind their classmates in reading. They were working at similar levels in writing and mathematics. Their standards were about the same as other pupils nationally in writing, a term behind in mathematics and two terms behind in reading. However, the pupil premium has helped disadvantaged pupils to make good progress. It has provided one-to-one tuition and extra adults to work with pupils in small groups to fill gaps in their knowledge and skills. It has also provided training for adults to help direct pupils’ play at lunchtime and has helped them to develop socially and emotionally. As a result, attainment gaps for eligible pupils currently in the school are closing rapidly.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 The sports funding has provided specialist sports coaches to work alongside teachers, improving the quality of physical education as well as increasing the number of sporting opportunities and ‘Gym Kids’ equipment for pupils to choose from. More pupils are taking part in physical activity at lunchtime and in after-school clubs. A greater proportion are involved in competitive sport. The funding has contributed to pupils’ ability to be part of a team and helped them to socialise. As one pupil said, ‘Sport has helped me to make friends.’

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 The breakfast club provides pupils with an opportunity to eat cereal and toast as well as be physically active. Those who attend are helped to start the school day promptly and with renewed energy.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 In the majority of classes, more able pupils make good progress over time because teachers set them more difficult work. They ask pupils tricky questions which make them think hard and sometimes differently, and this enables them to study ideas in greater depth. Occasionally, more able pupils are provided with work that is too easy and does not advance the knowledge, skills and ideas they already have. As a result, they do not always make the best possible progress they could.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Adults organise lots of activities for children to learn new skills. They talk to children and ask them questions while they play. This helps all pupils, including those who need extra help and the more able, to move their learning forward. Adults keep detailed records of children’s knowledge and abilities and plan activities that build on from what they already know.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children do particularly well in reading and writing. Adults teach children phonics daily and encourage them to use their phonic skills in their writing. One child explained, ‘I try to remember to spell these words in my writing.’ Another, in September 2013, was writing single letters randomly across a page. By the time she left the Reception class in July 2014, wrote to the three little pigs, ‘I am so sorry for blowing your houses down. I just sneezed and tripped.’

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Adults help children to learn new routines and actively teach them how to behave well. For example, adults help children to play together, taking turns in their games. They encourage children to talk with and listen to each other, and all children are responsive to their guidance.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed well. Safeguarding and welfare requirements are met. Leaders and managers have an accurate view of the strengths of what they provide for children and what they need to do to improve it. Parents are provided with opportunities to share their children’s interests with staff when their children start their Reception Year and to hear how well they are progressing.

p.7

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 failing

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 125620 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 442576

p.9

School details

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

p.9

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 330 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen Reilly Headteacher Carl Lewis Date of previous school inspection 06 December 2012 Telephone number 0121 7472851 Fax number 0121 7483841 Email address admin2618@welearn365.com 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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10