Fourfields Community Primary School

Fourfields Community Primary School Bentley Avenue, Yaxley, Peterborough, PE7 3ZT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher provides strong leadership and together with the other leaders, managers and governors, is rapidly improving teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Pupils behave well because they want to learn. They are good at working together and caring for each other.  Pupils feel exceptionally safe at school and are very appreciative of the outstanding care they receive from members of staff.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted strongly and helps pupils to become thoughtful and considerate of the needs of others.  Teaching is good overall. Teachers and teaching assistants work together well as a team. They are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subjects they teach. Their encouragement and the good example they set mean that pupils quickly develop equally good attitudes to their learning.  Children learn quickly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and make especially good progress in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

numeracy and social development.  The achievement of all groups of pupils is good across the school and in a range of subjects. Pupils make good progress from their starting points to attain standards that are average overall.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not use their knowledge of sounds and letters to help spell unfamiliar words. They do not check their work for avoidable errors or receive enough guidance from teachers on the spelling of frequently used words.  Children’s writing in Reception is slightly weaker than their skills in other areas of their development.  Occasionally, pupils lose concentration if the work they are set is not sufficiently challenging, particularly in reading. Activities in science and topic work do not always stretch the most-able pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed teaching and learning in 26 lessons, of which 10 were joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, teachers, pupils and members of the governing body. A discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took into account the 93 responses to the online survey, Parent View, and held informal discussions with a random sample of parents and carers.  The inspectors considered the views expressed in the survey responses from 54 members of staff.  A range of information supplied by the school was scrutinised, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents, checks on the quality of teaching, the school development plan, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Fourfields Community Primary School is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  There are two full-time Reception classes in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Most pupils at the school are White British.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority, is broadly average at one in five pupils.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average at one in 14 pupils. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average at one in 20 pupils.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 There have been several changes in teaching staff since the previous inspection. The headteacher joined the school in September 2013.  The school operates a Breakfast Club, which formed part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ writing by:  continuing to focus on improving children’s writing in Reception  making sure that pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds to help spell unfamiliar words  ensuring teachers give pupils clearer and more frequent guidance on the spelling of frequently used words  insisting pupils check their written work and correct their spelling mistakes without having to be prompted by teachers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teachers consistently:  set pupils hard enough work so that they concentrate at all times and learn quickly, particularly when reading without adult support  check that the most-able pupils are encouraged to write in sufficient depth and detail in science and topic work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, supported by the senior leaders, is having a positive impact on improving teaching and pupils’ progress. Their high expectations ensure that good behaviour can flourish and rates of attendance are above average. Leaders set a clear direction for school developments and show steely determination in their commitment to achieving the best for all pupils. They have an accurate understanding of what works well and the next steps needed to make the school outstanding in the future.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders check the quality of teaching systematically and insist that teachers have high expectations of what the pupils can achieve. Consequently teaching is good and developing well. Teachers and teaching assistants appreciate the good challenge, support and training they receive that enable them to fulfil their responsibilities and to understand the next steps in their own development. They are keen to develop their work and are self-critical, demonstrating the school’s shared drive to keep on improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders are good role models and foster good relations between staff and pupils. The school is a welcoming and happy place. All pupils have the same opportunities to succeed and discrimination of any kind is challenged, ensuring that there are no barriers to the pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils who are eligible for additional funding receive good support in areas of their learning where they do less well than others. The school uses this funding to support those who otherwise could not take part in out-of-school activities, including the breakfast club. Consequently, gaps in their attainment are narrowing fast and their attendance and punctuality are improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the previous inspection, middle leaders, including in the early years, have become more involved in checking how well pupils are doing in each subject. They play an important role in supporting other teachers and helping them improve the accuracy of their assessments of pupils’ learning. They are aware of the need to bring the same level of challenge to science and topic work for the most able, that is already evident in literacy and numeracy.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are suitable plans to show what needs to be taught in various subjects over the year. New arrangements are being introduced in the way teachers record pupils’ learning in the light of the changes to the National Curriculum. These assessments are already being used in mathematics and are due to start in literacy next term.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is given strong support. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain because they learn to respect traditional stories and cultural differences. For example, in Year 1 pupils were enjoying learning about the importance of Diwali and its customs. Pupils’ considerate behaviour demonstrates the good support they receive in social and moral development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. Members of staff are fully trained in keeping the youngest children and older pupils safe and the school systematically checks the suitability of all adults who work with pupils. Parents are impressed with the care and support members of staff provide. For example, one parent said, ‘teachers and assistants are always approachable, understanding and supportive’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided the right level of support for this good and improving school. Leaders have requested training to develop teaching and feel that the support has been available when needed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The special funding to improve physical education and sport has been spent well on staff training, resources and new clubs. Pupils are keen to embrace the increased variety of activities provided. Clubs and competitions between schools, together with the more frequent lessons in sports that they now receive, contribute well towards their healthy lifestyles.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved rapidly this year and is effective. Governors know the school well and understand how it compares with other schools. They are knowledgeable about the information on how well groups of pupils are doing and check that specific funding is having a sufficient impact on learning. They provide good support and challenge for the school leaders. Governors know how good teaching is at the school. They understand the arrangements for improving teaching and check that these are rigorous and robust. They know how good teaching is being rewarded and what steps are being taken to support any remaining weaker aspects of teaching. They are clear about how they want to improve governance by increasing their profile amongst parents.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and welcoming and keen to help each other to learn. For example, they share ideas as they work and cooperate well with each other in all activities. They move around the school building in an orderly fashion and take a pride in keeping the school tidy. Rates of attendance are above average and pupils arrive at school punctually.

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Behaviour

 Pupils and their parents agree that behaviour is good at the school. Pupils show consideration for others and are aware that they can all ‘shine’ at something. They enjoy taking responsibility for various tasks around the school, including caring for the extensive garden that keeps the school supplied with fruit and vegetables.

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Behaviour

 Older pupils take their responsibility for caring for the younger ones seriously. Pupils take heed of the guidance they are given during collective worship. For example, during the inspection they were keen to smile at each other in response to the task of ‘lightening up’ somebody’s day.

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Behaviour

 Pupils demonstrate that they are keen to learn in most lessons. Occasionally when the task they have been given to work on is not hard enough, a few lose concentration. In addition, while they are good at checking and correcting their mathematics, they are not as vigilant in checking their writing for spelling mistakes.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils are very positive about the care members of staff provide. One pupil summed it up by saying, ‘they look after me like my mum and dad’.

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Safety

 Bullying is not tolerated in any form and even the most minor incidents of pupils being unkind to each other are dealt with swiftly by members of staff and to the satisfaction of the pupils. As one pupil said, ‘If we tell someone they will sort it out.’

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Safety

 Parents are extremely positive about the way their children are kept safe at school. Pupils say that they feel safe and all age-groups, including children in the early years, demonstrate that they know how to stay safe. For example, they have a very good understanding of how to keep safe when using the internet and handle science equipment very carefully.

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Safety

 Members of staff are thoroughly trained in health and safety matters and check carefully that all activities pupils are to take part in are suitable and safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is effective across the school, particularly in literacy, reading and mathematics, because very little time is wasted in lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants work closely as a team, providing work that, in the main, regularly challenges and motivates the pupils. For example, in Year 2 the teacher and teaching assistant took each ability group within the class in turn so that they could extend their learning about how to present information using a mathematical diagram.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Strong relationships between members of staff and the pupils, and adults’ own infectious enthusiasm ensure that pupils are keen to learn. Behaviour is managed well. For example, in Year 6 pupils were enthusiastic about finding out about animal adaptation because of the interesting tasks they had been set and the teacher’s own evident enthusiasm for the topic.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach and most ask challenging questions of the pupils. As a result pupils learn especially quickly when their group is supported by an adult. Clear instructions help pupils know what they are to do and learn. Occasionally in reading, when pupils are working without adult support, and in science and some topic work, the tasks they are given are not hard enough, especially for the most-able pupils. When this happens learning slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Members of staff support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs well. They provide them with work that they understand and can complete. Consequently, they, too, make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Resources are used well to add interest to learning. For example, in Year 5 pupils were highly amused by the video clip of an old lady confronting a robber and used this well to write an interesting, journalistic explanation of what happened.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There are clear systems for checking the pupils’ work, and teachers provide strong guidance so that pupils know how to do better next time. This includes the use of symbols to help younger pupils to know how to improve. However, teachers do not sufficiently encourage pupils to use their knowledge of sounds and letters when spelling and or ensure pupils take enough care when writing to check that they have spelled common words correctly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school involves parents fully in supporting their children’s learning. For example, the reading mornings in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 are well-attended and appreciated by the parents.

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is good

 The majority of children are working below the levels typical seen at their age when they join the school in the Reception classes. Attainment on entry to Year 1 improves to become broadly average, although it is below average in writing. Pupils’ progress increases rapidly in all year groups and consequently their achievement is good over time. Pupils’ positive attitudes towards learning have helped them to learn quickly.

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is good

 Attainment has risen over the past year and is broadly average by the end of Years 2 and 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ numeracy is given slightly more consistent support than their literacy, and pupils achieve slightly higher standards and make faster progress in mathematics than in reading and writing. Overall, by the time they leave, progress is good in all three subjects and pupils are well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

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is good

 In reading, pupils’ attainment was lower than expected in the 2014 phonics (the sounds that letters make) screening check at the end of Year 1. The school has taken swift action to tackle this issue. These pupils, currently in Year 2, have now gained a firm understanding of the sounds different letters make. They use this knowledge well to help them read unfamiliar words. In reading lessons across the school, teachers and teaching assistants provide clear guidance when working with groups of pupils. Pupils enjoy reading and read frequently. Occasionally the tasks set for pupils who are reading without adult support are not challenging enough and as a result they sometimes learn less than they could at these times.

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is good

 Pupils write frequently and their stories and accounts are interesting to the reader. They use good descriptions in their work, but their spelling is sometimes weaker than it should be because they do not consistently use their knowledge of letters and sounds appropriately or check their work for avoidable errors.

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is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because their learning is checked carefully, the work they are set is appropriate and the specific support they receive is well- organised; this helps them to learn quickly.  The attainment of pupils eligible for additional funding is catching up with that of other pupils and they make good progress from their starting points. In 2013, they were over a year behind others in the school and nationally in reading and two terms behind in writing and mathematics. These gaps narrowed this year, and by the end of Year 6, eligible pupils leaving the school were less than a term behind in reading, writing and mathematics.

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is good

 The most-able pupils achieve well over time and learn quickly in literacy and numeracy. Occasionally in science or topic work, they discuss their learning with enthusiasm but are not challenged by the tasks they are set in their writing to demonstrate and develop their knowledge and understanding fully.

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is good

 Good sports provision is helping pupils to develop healthy lifestyles and to improve their skills. For example, in Year 6, pupils sustained exercise as they practised hand-to-eye co-ordination in boxing, and developed their agility when using the agility ladders.

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The early years provision is good

 When they first arrive in school, children’s attainment is often significantly lower than that typically seen in literacy and numeracy. While children go on to achieve well from their starting points and are prepared well for Year 1, the proportion reaching a good level of development overall was below average this year, because children did not all reach the required levels in their writing.

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The early years provision is good

 The children make good progress and achieve well because members of staff are well-trained in supporting their needs and are good at helping them to settle into school life. For example, a few weeks after joining the school, children were already clear about class routines and were confident about making choices about their learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good. Activities are invariably well-planned and teachers’ use of probing questions motivates the children to want to learn. The children build on their learning and do especially well in mathematics. For example, inspectors observed them extending their knowledge of two-dimensional shapes well, by making increasingly complex repeat patterns.

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The early years provision is good

 Children are kept healthy and active during the specific physical skills teaching sessions held each day. They can apply what they have learned when working individually or in a small group in the outdoor area. Children behave well and develop a clear understanding of how to keep safe.

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The early years provision is good

 Leaders ensure that teaching continues to develop. They make good use of information on how well the children are doing to plan future work. For example, this term more opportunities are being provided for children to write when working outside to strengthen outcomes in writing. Parents are involved well in their children’s learning and contribute to their ‘learning journey’ folders. As one parent said, ‘the transition from home to school is made easy’.

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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 110754 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 448417

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 413 Appropriate authority Governing body Chair Karen Fechter Headteacher Sue Blyth Date of previous school inspection 22–23 September 2009 Telephone number 01733 703611 Fax number 01733 703612 Email address head@fourfields.cambs.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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