Setting

Mr Andrew Gallagher Headteacher Claremont Primary and Nursery School Claremont Road Off Hucknall Road Nottingham NG5 1BH

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Nursery School

Following my visit to your school on 21 April 2015, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and the time you took to discuss behaviour in your school.

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Nursery School

The inspection was a monitoring inspection carried out in accordance with the no formal designation procedures and conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about behaviour at the school.

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Evidence

Inspectors considered evidence including:

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Evidence

 observations of pupils’ behaviour and of their attitudes to learning in lessons  observations of pupils’ behaviour throughout the day, and discussions with pupils  documentary evidence  discussions with school leaders and staff.

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Evidence

Having evaluated all the evidence, I am of the opinion that, at this time:

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Evidence

Leaders and managers have taken effective action to improve behaviour and secure consistently positive attitudes to learning. Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T: 0121 679 9154 Direct E: aidan.dunne@serco.com

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Context

Claremont Primary and Nursery School is a larger-than-average primary school, with 420 pupils on roll. It is situated in an area of high social and economic deprivation. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is higher than the national average. There is a high proportion of pupils from ethnic minorities. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is much higher than average. There are around 34 different languages spoken by pupils. There are fewer pupils with disabilities and special educational needs than average. There is a high proportion of pupils who have joined the school during the school year from other countries or other schools.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The headteacher and senior leaders have acted swiftly to address the weaknesses in behaviour identified in the last inspection report. As a result, boisterous and sometimes dangerous playtime behaviour has been eliminated. This is because the school has invested wisely in a range of well-thought-out and exciting playground apparatus. All play areas are supervised well. However, some mid-day supervisors do not always challenge poorer behaviour by some older boys effectively enough.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils demonstrate very positive attitudes towards their learning. They settle quickly into lessons and little learning time is wasted. That is because teachers encourage good organisation and routine. All pupils conduct themselves sensibly in the narrow corridors and stairwells. The staff are consistently positive and calm when dealing with the pupils. They show the pupils how to behave well. As a result, pupils are polite and self-assured.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school’s behaviour policy is well-thought out and effective. The school rules place a strong emphasis on rewarding good behaviour. Pupils understand that there is zero tolerance of poor behaviour. The policy has been particularly effective in improving the behaviour of pupils who have previously been excluded from the school. The behaviour policy is consistently applied by all staff.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Senior leaders ensure that all behaviour incidents are recorded by staff. The number of racist and homophobic incidents recorded this year is high. That is because the staff are vigilant and record the incidents conscientiously. Such behaviour is tackled effectively. As a result, very few of the pupils involved repeat the offence. Senior leaders do not analyse behaviour incidents frequently or systematically enough. This means that they are not always using the information about behaviour in the school to inform their planning as well as they could.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance, while still being below average, is improving rapidly. The school has placed high value on good attendance. The competition generated between classes to get the best attendance is proving a successful incentive. The proportion of pupils persistently absent from school is now well below the national average. Exclusion data show that there are very few repeat offenders. The numbers of fixed-term exclusions are reducing quickly. The school’s records demonstrate that work with outside agencies to reduce the risk of exclusions is rigorous.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The work of the family liaison officer and school counsellor is effective. Pupils talk positively about the help they receive from these support staff. Pupils also say that they feel very safe in the school. While many pupils said that if they had a concern or a worry they would speak to a teacher or the headteacher, some were unsure as to what they could do or who they could speak to, if they had a problem. Leaders are addressing this issue. Parents are actively encouraged to engage positively with school. However, sometimes language barriers prevent some parents from working fully with the school. The website and weekly newsletters are inaccessible to parents with little or no English.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

School leaders, including governors, have developed a strong culture of respect and tolerance across the school. This has resulted in a strong sense of belonging amongst all members of the school community and improved behaviour.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Ensure that school leaders measure and analyse the impact of their work to improve behaviour on a regular basis.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Develop more strategies to improve parental engagement, in order to support pupil behaviour and progress, especially for parents who do not read or speak English confidently.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Develop the training for support staff, in order to help them to manage pupils’ behaviour effectively at break- and lunch-times

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the Director of Children’s Services for Nottingham, to the Secretary of State for Education, the Chair of the Governing Body. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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