Lyndon Green Infant School

Lyndon Green Infant School Wychwood Cresent, Sheldon, Birmingham, B26 1LZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership and management, including the management of teachers’ performance, are good. As a result, teaching is good.  Governance has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Governors hold the school to account rigorously for pupils’ attainment and progress, and for the quality of teaching.  The provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Reception children are prepared well for their work in Year 1.  The provision for pupils in the specialist resource base is outstanding, as is the provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs throughout the school. All of these pupils are fully integrated into everything the school offers.  Pupils make at least good progress and, over time, achieve well.  Pupils are enthusiastic learners who are very proud of their school and their work. Rich, well-planned and exciting learning opportunities inspire them and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

make them want to learn more.  The school provides exceptionally well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This important aspect of learning permeates everything the school does as it prepares pupils to become what it calls ‘citizens of the future’.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary in lessons and around the school. Pupils feel very safe and have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when using computers and mobile phones.  Pupils readily accept and respect each others’ differences, points of view and ways of life. By Year 2, they have a level of maturity that belies their young age.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, in lessons, teachers do not check frequently enough on groups of pupils working without an adult to ensure that learning stays on track at all times.  Pupils are not given enough opportunities to use their mathematical skills in different subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited a total of 25 lessons, 14 of which involved sampling sessions where phonics (letters and the sounds they make), different subjects, or disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs were being taught.  Inspectors also observed play and lunchtimes, talked to pupils formally and informally, examined the work in the current pupils’ books and sampled work from last year.  A number of documents were examined, including: data held by the school about pupils’ past and present attainment and progress; the school’s self-evaluation document and its plan for further improvement; monitoring documents and documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors talked to pupils formally and informally and listened to a sample of pupils from Years 1 and 2 read.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, governors, senior leaders, staff and a representative of the

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Information about this inspection

local authority.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views first hand at the start of the school day and took account of the 70 responses to Parent View, the online questionnaire for parents, as well as the school’s own questionnaire for parents.  Inspectors also considered the views of staff and governors at first hand and as given in a recent survey of stakeholders.

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Inspection team

Doris Bell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This infant school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those who speak English as an additional language, is average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is average. This funding is for children in local authority care and those previously known to be eligible for free school meals.  The early years provision provides full time education for children in the Reception Year.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is high.  The school has specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs. Known as the Puffin class, the provision caters for 12 pupils with cognition and learning difficulties.  The school is part of two teaching alliances: the Brays Teaching School and Specialist Alliance, and the

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Information about this school

Colmore Partnership Teaching School Alliance.  The headteacher is a Local Leader of Education. He and other senior leaders have provided support for several other schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make consistently outstanding progress by:  making sure that teachers always keep a close eye on those groups of pupils who are not working under the direct supervision of an adult so that all learning is kept on track at all times  giving pupils more opportunities to use, consolidate and extend their numeracy skills in different subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders have high expectations of staff and pupils. They have created a culture in which good and sometimes outstanding teaching enables learning to flourish because pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and their eagerness to learn is successfully fostered.

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The leadership and management are good

 While outstanding teaching is not yet fully established across the school, all staff know and understand the school’s priorities and their part in helping to achieve them. They also fully understand the links between the school’s accurate self-evaluation, its improvement plan, and the objectives set for them as part of the rigorous management of their performance. The objectives are supported with well-targeted training that leads to improved teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of teaching is strong, and teamwork is well established throughout the school. Leaders and managers at different levels understand their roles and responsibilities, and staff support and help each other well. Senior and year group leaders plan together, check teaching and learning, and hold meetings with staff to hold them accountable for their pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Those who lead different subjects are beginning to monitor the implementation of the new programmes for learning. Literacy skills are planned for well in all subjects; numeracy skills much less so. Joint training and close links with the junior school help in the pupils’ transition at the end of Year 2.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ work and displays throughout the school celebrate the breadth and richness of a well-planned curriculum that promotes respect for others and celebrates different faiths and cultures in Britain and abroad. It also instils in the pupils an understanding of the importance of treating everyone equally and avoiding discrimination of any sort. The curriculum is further enhanced by an excellent range of visitors and visits, including residential visits for every class. Overall, the school prepares pupils exceptionally well for life in Britain today.

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The leadership and management are good

 Sports and the arts contribute further to pupils’ enjoyment of learning and their cultural understanding. The primary school sports funding is used to open up a wealth of opportunities for pupils to learn different skills and how to play competitively, but fairly, in teams. Pupils participate wholeheartedly in everything that is on offer and there are systems to monitor the effectiveness of the provision.

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The leadership and management are good

 Sports coaching is increasing the staff’s ability to teach physical education, as governors try to ensure that current improvements can be sustained over time. The school is extremely proud of its successful bid for an all-weather sports facility so that physical education activities can take place indoors and out throughout the year.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed well. Several staff are new to the year group this year, so weekly meetings are being held to support them in their new roles.

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The leadership and management are good

 The management of the provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in the Puffin class and in the main school is outstanding. The whole school approach to provision and training ensures that everyone understands targets and procedures, and works towards common goals. The governing body is heavily involved in monitoring the bespoke provision for all of these pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Recognising the many strengths of the school, the local authority provides an appropriately low level of support for it. The school makes good use of a range of external agencies to validate and improve its work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding procedures, including those for child protection, meet current requirements. The school’s in- depth understanding of risk assessments, including in relation to its specialist provision, ensures that pupils are kept as safe as possible.  The school is vigilant in supporting disadvantaged pupils and their families. It carried out a review of pupil premium funding earlier this year to target it more effectively at breaking down barriers to learning by providing additional support where it is needed. Its spending goes far beyond the £84,500 allocated, and current data shows that the gaps are closing between the eligible pupils and other pupils nationally.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has made good use of the external review of its effectiveness that it commissioned earlier this year. The review shows the improvement in governance since the previous inspection.  Governors know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They understand what published and school data tells them about the performance of different groups of pupils. They visit classes frequently, examine pupils’ work and hold the headteacher and staff to account for the pupils’ progress. They also hold discussions with parents and pupils to ascertain their views, and they attend a wide range of training to keep themselves up to date.  Governors support the headteacher well in making decisions about pay following the management of teachers’ performance. They reward good teaching but, while they ensure that any underperformance is followed up with support and monitoring, pay increases are not awarded to staff who are not

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding, including in the resourced provision. Pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning, and their respect for adults and each other, contribute greatly to their learning and personal development. Those attitudes are fostered exceptionally well right from the start of the Reception Year.

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Behaviour

 In class and around the school, pupils are polite, well mannered and willing to help each other and adults. They appreciate what is done for them, persevere and reflect on their learning. They almost always try to do their best to succeed. From the time they join the Reception Year, they learn to follow instructions quickly and adhere to the school’s well-established routines.

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Behaviour

 Pupils like to take responsibility and are keenly aware of the difference they can make to the school. For example, school councillors know they represent the views of their classmates in helping the school to make decisions. They say that, ‘By sharing ideas, we can understand what we can do better.’ Pupils apply the same principle to their work as they make corrections in response to their teacher’s marking.

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Behaviour

 Lunchtimes and playtimes are happy, social occasions. Pupils understand the different forms of bullying that might occur but have no concerns whatever about it. They say they have not experienced any bullying and do not know of any, and that any inappropriate behaviour is dealt with straight away.

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Behaviour

 Pupils in the resourced provision are successfully taught to make independent choices, express preferences and state their opinions. Rewards are used very effectively throughout the school when pupils persevere well and show new learning.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure, including in the resourced provision, is outstanding. The work done, for example in the ‘Forest School’ outdoor teaching area, teaches pupils how to manage risks sensibly and instils in them an excellent understanding of the importance of caring for the environment, keeping themselves safe and helping to keep others safe. Pupils are also taught the benefits and dangers of using the internet and other forms of technology.

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Safety

 Attendance is above average overall. The school is vigilant in following up all absences. Where attendance is less than good, for example, in the resourced provision, it is usually due to medical reasons. The school site is secure and access to it is strictly regulated.

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Safety

 Pupils are immensely proud of the school which, they say, ‘is tidy and everything is in the right place’. They help to keep it that way by presenting their work well and tidying up after themselves. Parents, pupils, governors and staff all agree that pupils’ behaviour is excellent, and that the school fosters in pupils a heightened awareness of how to keep themselves safe in different situations.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their excellent knowledge of each pupil to plan work that caters for their different levels of ability. Pupils’ work is readily adjusted during and between lessons in response to how well they are learning. This means that some pupils might be moved on faster, while others revisit an aspect of learning they have not quite understood. Most-able pupils are regularly given greater challenges that make them think more deeply and take their learning further.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff ensure that pupils are clear about how their learning builds on what they already know, and what their current learning will lead on to. Pupils’ work is marked well. Right from the start of the Reception Year, pupils understand what they have learned and the next steps they need to take. They report that they get ‘time to change any work that is not right’ and that what they have to do ‘makes you think but, with a bit of work, you can do it’. These very positive attitudes spur them on to learn more.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading, writing, communication and mathematics skills are taught well, and poetry is used effectively to encourage pupils to explore the world around them in greater depth. All adults demonstrate for pupils what they want them to learn. Their skilful questioning regularly probes and extends pupils’ thinking. The classroom environment is used well to promote learning by, for example, including symbols as well as written commentary to make it equally useful for all pupils, including those who are still at an early stage of developing their reading skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are taught exceptionally well, including in the resourced provision. As a result, their progress is outstanding and they are able to take a full part in school life. The excellent use of a ‘total communication’ approach, which includes signing, ensures that the pupils understand and can communicate what they are learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although it has improved since the last inspection, teaching is not yet consistently outstanding across the school. For example, although staff promote literacy skills well at all times, they do not do the same with mathematical skills. Also, in some lessons, the work of groups not under the direct supervision of an adult occasionally falters because an adult does not check that learning is staying on track.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In most years, children start school with skills that are typical for their age. Atypically, pupils who left the school in 2014 started at a lower level because of the higher proportion of disabled pupils and those who had special educational needs in that year group. The upward trend to 2013, the last year for which published data are available, led to above-average attainment overall.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The 2014 outcomes represent outstanding progress for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, several of whom reached the levels expected for their age. They also show that other pupils continue to make at least good progress and, over time, achieve well. This is confirmed in the data kept by the school and in the work in pupils’ books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Improved provision for the most-able pupils led to a larger proportion reaching the higher Level 3 in the national tests and assessments in 2014. These pupils relish their roles as ‘researchers’, which enable them to take their learning further faster by finding things out for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the Year 1 screening check in phonics rose to above the national standard in 2014. Pupils use their phonic skills well to help them read new words. The focus on teaching comprehension skills means that pupils are helped to understand and search for meaning behind the written word. Pupils are also being successfully encouraged to develop a love of reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are also learning to write well in literacy lessons and in other subjects. Their writing is often imaginative and easy to read, although errors persist in punctuation and spelling, and sometimes in setting out their writing. Nevertheless, a great amount of good writing was seen in all three year groups as pupils persevered and tried to do their best.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The whole-school focus on deepening pupils’ knowledge and understanding in mathematics, and specifically in number, is improving progress in mathematics. Pupils use their number skills well when solving problems and can explain the strategies they use to do so. They do not apply those skills in other subjects because they are not given sufficient opportunity to do so.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Photographic and other evidence is used extremely well to show how well pupils in the resource provision are achieving and to communicate that learning to parents. The pupils’ books also show the level of adult support as the pupils begin to learn how to sequence stories, speak and write in sentences, and learn to count and to recognise shapes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, the difference in attainment between pupils eligible for the pupil premium and other pupils in the school meant that overall, disadvantaged pupils were about two terms behind other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. These gaps were similar to those in comparison with all pupils nationally. However, analysis of the 2014 data shows that, this year, the gap has narrowed to under one term behind other pupils in the school. This shows the success of the actions taken following the review of the use of the funding.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are enthusiastic about sport and exercise. They participate wholeheartedly in the wider range of sporting activities now available to them, and they are developing a good understanding of the importance of exercise in keeping them fit and healthy.

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The early years provision is good

 Good teaching successfully ensures that children make good progress. The proportion reaching a good level of development exceeded the national average in 2014. The children are well prepared for their work in Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The close liaison with parents and early years settings prior to the children starting school pays off, so that children settle quickly and develop excellent attitudes to school and to learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Pupils who need extra help are identified early and additional support is provided straightaway, in consultation with parents and, where relevant, external agencies. Staff also quickly identify the most-able children and adjust their learning accordingly.

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The early years provision is good

 Good use is made of the learning environment, indoors and out, and children have many opportunities to select from the exciting activities prepared for them. Their learning is planned well and good emphasis is placed on promoting their health and safety, and their physical and emotional well-being.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s learning is planned well and it is assessed, recorded and tracked effectively. Not enough opportunities are taken, however, to extend or record what children are learning in activities they have selected for themselves. Nevertheless, all activities have a clear learning purpose, and adults are skilled at questioning and probing children’s learning in order to take it further.

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The early years provision is good

 Children say they greatly enjoy being at school. They show remarkable ability to follow instructions, persevere, reflect on and extend their own learning. They also work well together as they play and learn. They are very enthusiastic about learning.

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The early years provision is good

 The school’s close working partnership with parents is exploited to the full in this age group. The ‘shining stars’ board gives parents daily information about what their children have learned. Parents contribute to the board as well, so that staff know and can build on what children have learned at home.

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The early years provision is good

 Children are successfully taught how to keep themselves safe. They understand the importance of rules, as was evident in ‘Forest School’, where they discussed why it was important not to ‘pick and lick’ in case they touched something poisonous or full of germs. Their behaviour is excellent.

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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 failing

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 103229 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 448244

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 282 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Yvonne Percival Headteacher Barry Yeardsley Date of previous school inspection 7 December 2009 Telephone number 0121 675 3543 Email address enquiry@lyndongi.bham.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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