Queen Mary Avenue Infant School

Queen Mary Avenue Infant and Nursery School Queen Mary Avenue, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, DN35 7SY

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 2 in 2014 were well below the national average, and have declined in writing and mathematics since 2012.  The gaps in standards attained by disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 compared to all pupils in school and all pupils nationally were much wider in 2014 than they were in 2013. This was the case in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching does not always help pupils, particularly, the most able and those who are disadvantaged, to do as well in their learning as they might because learning tasks are not always challenging enough.  Support packages put in place to improve pupils’ achievement have so far not had enough time to demonstrate a sufficiently strong impact on pupils’ achievement.  Pupils’ books and data provided by the school show that not all pupils make as much progress as they could because of the inconsistent quality of teaching over time.  Governors do not have a sufficiently good

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

understanding of standards attained by pupils to ask challenging questions of those who run the school on a daily basis, in order to secure further improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children progress well from their individual starting points to the end of early years because the provision is well led and the nursery and reception staff team plan effectively to meet children’s’ individual learning and development needs well.  School leaders and staff work successfully to ensure pupils behave well and are kept safe in school.  The new senior leadership team has a clear vision for school, based on teachers having the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve. They have recently put into place a wide range of support programmes to improve pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in a wide range of lessons, or part lessons. Three lessons were observed jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with school leaders and three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. The lead inspector also met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors held discussions with parents on the playground and with groups of pupils. They also spoke informally to other pupils in lessons, during break times and lunch breaks.  Inspectors scrutinised the work that pupils produced during lessons and in their books over time. They also listened to a small number of pupils from Year 1 reading.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at the latest school data on pupils’ achievement and the progress they are currently making. They scrutinised development plans and information on the performance of teachers as well as safeguarding information, behaviour logs, attendance records and

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Information about this inspection

minutes of recent governing body meetings.  Inspectors took account of the 33 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire as well as of the 47 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Declan McCauley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is fewer than 10%, which is below the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is around 45%, which is well above the national average. The pupil premium is additional government 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.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  An executive headteacher took responsibility for leading the school in April 2014 following a period without a permanent headteacher. A new senior leadership team has recently been formed, following the soft federation between an infant school and a local authority maintained nursery school.  Children attend the nursery part time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to improve attainment for all pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 by:  making sure all teachers challenge pupils fully, especially those who are disadvantaged and the most able, to achieve their very best in their learning  ensuring consistently strong teaching throughout the school which promotes effective learning for pupils in all lessons  making sure marking in pupils’ books is carried out regularly and clearly identifies what pupils should do to improve further.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact school leaders and managers, including governors, have on school improvement by:  more precisely focusing lesson observations and scrutiny of pupils’ work on the impact which teaching is having on learning and act rapidly on the findings  increasing the measurability of planned actions to improve the school so all school leaders, including governors, understand fully the impact the actions are having on improvement  making sure those who have recently taken responsibility for improving literacy and numeracy are well supported to enable them to improve performance in the subjects effectively  increasing governors’ understanding of school performance data so they can challenge academic underperformance more effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the appointment of the executive headteacher, and the creation of a new senior leadership team comprising a head of school and an assistant headteacher, much has been put in place to reverse the decline in attainment in writing and mathematics, although it is too soon to see any significant impact. The many changes to school leadership have hindered school improvement since the previous inspection.  When carrying out lesson observations and scrutinising the quality of pupils’ work, senior leaders do not focus sufficiently on how well teaching is improving learning. The inconsistencies in marking had been identified during the summer term by senior leaders but have not been tackled effectively so far. Plans for further improvement do not always enable senior leaders to measure effectively how much improvement has been made when specific planned actions have taken place.  The leadership of the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics has very recently been taken on by

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The leadership and management requires improvement

different teachers, as the previous leaders were promoted to the senior leadership team. The new leaders of these key subjects are enthusiastic and have many ideas about how they wish to improve teaching, although they are not currently supported well enough to bring about fast enough improvements.  Pupil premium funding is not used effectively enough to support pupils’ learning. Not all pupils have equal learning opportunities. In lessons, the most able pupils are not always challenged as well as they might be to make huge strides in their learning.  Senior leaders have a clear vision for the school. They want to secure the best possible life chances for all pupils. They have worked successfully to improve behaviour in school; this can be seen in the mutual respect between pupils and staff.  The curriculum is exciting and engaging, it prepares pupils well for living in modern Britain. Close links

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The leadership and management requires improvement

exist with a school in India and this has provided a vibrant source for enriching the curriculum well.  The primary physical education and sport funding is spent well, providing many different sports clubs. There are effective plans in place to monitor the impact it is having.  Pupils’ attendance has improved well and is now broadly average because of the focus put on the importance of attending school regularly by those responsible for leading and managing the school.  Senior leaders work very closely with parents to ensure they are fully involved in their children’s education. All of the parents who responded to Parent View would recommend this school to others.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and are effective. Good emphasis is placed on keeping pupils safe.  The local authority supported the school well during the period when it was without a substantive

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The leadership and management requires improvement

headteacher and worked closely with the governing body to secure the services of the executive headteacher.  The governance of the school:  Governors worked successfully with the local authority to set up the soft federation and secure the future of the school. Since the previous inspection, a new Chair of the Governing Body has been appointed and is highly aspirational for the school.  Governors are clear in their vision for the school, which is closely aligned with that of the senior leadership team. Members of the governing body are involved in many activities in school to monitor the quality of teaching, but governors have an overgenerous view of the quality of teaching and of standards attained by pupils. They do not fully understand school performance data so are unable to ask sufficiently challenging questions of the leadership about pupils’ achievement. Governors had planned to undergo training in this aspect of their role during this inspection. Governors do not monitor

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the impact of the spending of the pupil premium well enough.  The performance of staff is well managed by governors. They are prepared to seek clarification about how well teachers are teaching before increasing salaries. Governors clearly reward good teachers and are not prepared to reward those who are less strong. Governance is effective overall.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are always polite around school and display mutual respect for each other and also for the adults in school. At lunch times and break times pupils are well behaved. Friendship buddies are supportive of other pupils on the playground and play an important role in helping break times to run smoothly.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are generally positive, which helps support their learning well. Pupils say behaviour is good in school; this view is supported by staff and parents alike.  Pupils are smartly dressed in their uniforms and display a sense of pride in their school community. There is a positive ethos in school which is underpinned by the values which permeate school life, such tolerance and mutual respect for others.  Bullying is not an issue in the school. Pupils are not tolerant of anyone who picks on someone else and very few incidents of poor behaviour need to be dealt with by staff members.

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Behaviour

 Occasionally, a small minority of pupils disrupt the learning of others. In the overwhelming majority of lessons, however, teachers manage the behaviour of pupils effectively so that learning progresses well.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils say they feel very safe in school because they are well supervised when on the playground. The school playground is a safe environment for all pupils to play in during their breaks.  Before staff take up their posts very detailed checks are made on their suitability to work in a school. Records of these checks are meticulously maintained by the school business manager.  School staff ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe at all times both in school and in the wider world. Pupils have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.  Members of the school council have worked successfully with children in school to ensure the school site is litter free.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching throughout school is not consistently strong enough to help all pupils attain high enough standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  The most able pupils are not challenged enough in lessons to learn well. For example, one pupil who had completed his work in mathematics was then asked to support a pupil who was struggling, instead of being given harder work to complete.  The level of challenge in learning tasks is generally matched well to the ability of pupils. Pupils were observed making strong progress in a mathematics lesson where they were challenged well in their learning about clocks and telling the time accurately.  On occasions, marking is regular and identifies what pupils should do to improve their work. This quality of marking is, however, not consistent throughout the school.  Occasionally, pupils’ progress slows when the movement between learning activities and the carpet

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

session at the end of lessons is not managed effectively. This also inhibits a check on how well pupils have learned during the lesson.  The level of support provided in lessons by teaching assistants and other adults supports learning very well. This enables pupils, such as disabled pupils and those with special needs, to achieve well in their learning. One pupil was observed successfully using a clock to identify specific times of the day because of the skilled way in which the teaching assistant questioned him about hours and minutes. In addition, skilled questioning from staff enables them to assess how well their teaching is helping pupils learn.  Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well in lessons to support learning. It is used particularly well towards the end of many lessons, when groups of pupils are brought together to check how well they have learned during the lesson.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Many teachers assess how well pupils are learning whilst lessons progress. In one lesson observed, pupils were moved into groups which provided them with a greater level of challenge when they had completed their learning tasks.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards attained by pupils at the end of Year 2 have declined since 2012 in writing and mathematics because teaching over time is not consistently strong. In 2014, standards at the end of Year 2 were well below average.  At the end of Year 2 in 2014, the gaps in standards attained by disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in school and all pupils nationally increased markedly from the previous year. In reading, disadvantaged pupils were over two terms behind other pupils in school and nearly four terms behind all pupils nationally. In writing, disadvantaged pupils were just over two-and-a-half terms behind other pupils in school and over three terms behind all pupils nationally. In mathematics, disadvantaged pupils were nearly two-and- a-half terms behind other pupils in school and just over two terms behind all pupils nationally. In school, gaps have been growing wider since 2012 in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disadvantaged children make similar rates of progress to other children in early years. Throughout Year 1 and Year 2, however, school data show they make less progress than other pupils in school. School data also show that, progress is stronger in mathematics that in reading or writing.  Standards attained by the most able pupils are not high enough and school predictions based on accurate school data show they are likely to fall again in 2015. This is because the most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently to achieve well in all lessons.  Around a quarter of children who were well prepared to join Year 1 from early years in September 2012 left the school before the end of Year 2, partially explaining the lower standards in 2014.  In the 2014 national screening check on the sounds which letters make, pupils in Year 1 attained higher standards than other pupils nationally and this was also the case for disadvantaged pupils. This shows

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

pupils are able to read well in Year 1.  Current school data, which is confirmed by inspection evidence, shows that achievement is now improving across the school. Standards, particularly in reading and writing are predicted to be much higher in 2015. In addition, although it is too early to see the full impact of the various support programmes in school, pupil premium funding for example, there is no doubt that these initiatives are beginning to have a positive effect on achievement, including the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.  Throughout the school, the majority of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the progress expected of them, with many exceeding this because of the well-managed support provided by highly-skilled teaching assistants.

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The early years provision is good

 Most children join early years with skills and knowledge which are below those broadly typical for their age. From their individual starting points, the majority of children make strong progress in early years and, as a result, are well prepared to enter Year 1.  The quality of teaching is good. This led to more children in 2014 leaving early years with a good level of development than is found nationally. This proportion increased by 13% since the previous year because of the strong leadership and management of early years.  Staff work very successfully with disadvantaged children and help them to make similar rates of progress to other pupils. In 2014, disadvantaged children reached similar levels of development in most areas of learning to other pupils, so there were no significant learning gaps.  Children settle into the nursery well because of the support provided by staff. Children, particularly those

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The early years provision is good

who are disadvantaged, gain greatly from their experiences in the ‘Forest School’ during their time in early years. In the ‘Forest School’ environment they learn well through play, in an outdoor area, which helps them to become confident and independent, promoting good progress in their learning.  Most staff have high expectations and challenge children well so that they make fast progress in their learning. However, school data show that, occasionally, the most able children are not challenged effectively enough to make even more progress in their development.  Children are excited and well motivated to learn in a stimulating learning environment. They behave well when in nursery and reception at all times and enjoy their learning. For example, a group of nursery children were observed excitedly learning about colours and shapes using a game like ‘Twister’ with a number of adults who were supporting their learning well.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years is well led and managed. Staff work well as a team and as part of the wider school. Close links exist with colleagues in Year 1 and the transition from early years to Key Stage 1 is seamless. Children therefore get a good start to the next stage of their education.

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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 117733 Local authority North East Lincolnshire Inspection number 448810

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 323 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Date Headteacher Liz Jeffrey Date of previous school inspection 25 May 2010 Telephone number 01472 230230 Fax number 01472 230230 Email address headteacher@qma.nelcmail.co.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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