Stanway Fiveways Primary School

Stanway Fiveways Primary School Winstree Road, Stanway, Colchester, CO3 0QG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 Achievement has weaknesses in writing and mathematics. This is because pupils are not clear about how to reach the next level of skill in these subjects, so too few pupils make better than expected progress.  Teachers do not always challenge the most-able pupils successfully. As a result, too few reach the higher National Curriculum levels of attainment in writing and mathematics.  Some pupils do not know how to apply their mathematical skills so that that they can solve complex problems.  Occasionally early years staff do not use children’s targets effectively.  The school does not explain clearly to parents how to help their children, or whether their children have made good progress or not from Year 1 to Year 6.  Leadership requires improvement because, although subject leaders create plans about how to improve outcomes in their area of learning, these lack detail. As a result, they do not enable staff to

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

give the right support to pupils who are struggling.  Teachers do not check carefully on attainment in spelling, grammar and punctuation. As a result, pupils’ skills in these aspects are underdeveloped.  Staff do not present information clearly to governors, therefore, they cannot see which groups of pupils are making slower progress.  Leaders check closely on the quality of teaching, but do not encourage staff to take responsibility, and gather evidence, to show that they have met their targets. As a result, a few do not improve their teaching skills successfully.

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The school has the following strengths

 Good leadership from the new headteacher means the senior leadership team is beginning to work together well to improve the school.  Children make good progress in the early years and so standards are above average by the start of Year 1.  The teaching of reading is good throughout the school. This is partly because staff develop pupils’ understanding of letters and the sounds that they make (phonics) effectively.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good because staff guide and care for them thoughtfully.  Pupils are safe in school. They say that they feel safe and parents who responded to the questionnaire agree.  Attendance is improving faster than in other schools.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team visited 20 lessons, some jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. As well as observing lessons, inspectors also scrutinised pupils’ records of progress and the work in pupils’ books in many year groups. They heard some pupils read and attended two assemblies.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team, subject leaders, other staff with responsibility for areas of the school’s work, and with pupils. The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body.  Inspectors analysed responses from 74 parents to the Ofsted on-line parental questionnaire (Parent View), and one recent survey by the school.  Inspectors took into account 38 completed staff questionnaires.  The inspection team observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documentation, including records of pupils’ behaviour and the school development plan. They looked at leaders’ records describing

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Information about this inspection

the school’s success in improving teaching, minutes of governors’ meetings and at documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Jackie Cousins, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British. Fewer than average are from minority ethnic groups or speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding is average. This is additional funding for pupils in the care of the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  Children attend the early years on a full time basis.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator both took up their leadership posts in September 2014. The mathematics leader joined the school in April 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement and the impact of teaching by providing all teachers with high quality training in how to:  challenge the most-able pupils successfully  ensure more pupils make better than expected progress  improve pupils’ use of spelling, punctuation and grammar  help pupils to apply their mathematics skills effectively to solve complex problems  use individual children’s targets more methodically in the early years to develop their skills  make sure that all pupils understand how they can improve their work and reach a higher level of skill in writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by making sure that:  subject leaders draw up plans in detail to ensure that all year groups make good progress  leaders check more carefully on pupils’ progress in spelling, grammar and punctuation and ensure that staff present information for governors more clearly so that they can easily see which groups of pupils are making slower progress  all teachers gather evidence to show that they have met their personal targets and improved their teaching skills  staff help parents to understand more clearly how to help their children and receive better information about their children’s progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject leaders who are new to their role do not create plans to improve their area of learning effectively. This means that some subject leaders are not clear how to help year groups who are making slower progress to improve.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff check pupils’ achievement regularly in reading, writing and mathematics but do not closely monitor their progress in spelling, grammar and punctuation. As a result, pupils’ skills in spelling, grammar and punctuation standards are below average.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders observe teachers teaching and they agree targets to improve the impact of their work. The leaders are regularly involved in managing staff performance. However, teachers do not collect evidence that they have met their personal targets in between formal observations. This means that a few staff do not improve their skills as efficiently as they could.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents are keen to support their children but they say that they do not know enough about how to help them. They would like to know more about how much progress their children are making.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher’s strong leadership means improvements are helping pupils to make better progress in some aspects. The senior leadership team have formed a valuable partnership with the headteacher. Staff speak highly of the new headteacher and all that he has achieved in eight months. All the staff are proud to work at the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and staff create a friendly atmosphere in the school where teaching is improving, pupils behave well, concentrate in lessons and come to school regularly. A member of staff gives good support to pupils’ well-being. Pupils from all backgrounds work together successfully. The school treats everyone equally fairly and does not permit any discrimination.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school uses the pupil premium funding more effectively this year than last year. Consequently, the gap between pupils supported by this extra funding and the rest has reduced considerably this year. Pupils receive extra tuition in small groups or pairs and more of the disadvantaged pupils take part in after- school activities.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The pupils learn a wide range of subjects. Staff teach reading skills well and help pupils to make steady progress in learning to write and use mathematics. Many topics planned capture their imagination. They said that they really enjoyed learning about life in Victorian England because practical activities and trips made the project interesting.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school uses the primary sports funding wisely. New equipment and specialist tuition from sports coaches enable pupils to learn new skills such as squash. Recently, the school’s netball and football teams were successful in local sports competitions. This is because staff had developed their ball skills methodically.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils learn well about cultures and beliefs in other parts of the world, such as those found in the continent of Africa. The school links assemblies and class sessions well, for example, teaching about Ramadan in lessons after an assembly has introduced the festival. The pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain well. They understand how British democracy works. They know their school council representative carries their ideas to meetings where their fellow pupils discuss ways to improve the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding procedures and policies meet requirements. Many staff have first aid qualifications for adults and early years children. All staff have completed basic child protection training. The school records the checks required on staff carefully. It uses risk assessments rigorously to keep pupils safe in and outside of school.  The local authority works effectively to improve the school. As a result, some staff have observed good practice in other schools, others have refined teaching and the governors have developed their role.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governors know the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They know that progress in the early years is good because leadership is rigorous and staff use checks on children’s learning well.  Governors are dedicated to improving the school’s outcomes. They know about the impact of teaching because they use data appropriately to track performance. However, the data they receive does not allow them to identify quickly where groups of pupils are doing less well, because leaders do not present it clearly. This means they are not clear about which groups of pupils need further support or monitoring.  Governors carefully manage the performance of the headteacher. They know that leaders provide staff who are not performing effectively with good support to improve their teaching skills. Staff who perform successfully are rewarded with pay rises or extra responsibilities.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite and thoughtful young people. They get on well together in the classroom and outside at break times. The pupils, staff and governors all agree that behaviour is good.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They work hard in lessons and enthusiastically share their work in books. This is because staff encourage pupils to take pride in their work.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are confident and willing to try new experiences because staff support them well. They plan sessions that allow pupils to experiment. The pupils have time every day to think about issues which affect them, which increases their self-esteem and ability to manage their worries and concerns successfully.

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Behaviour

 Pupils respect each other. They are tolerant of others and handle others’ feelings thoughtfully. In a lesson observed, older pupils read each other’s work astutely and offered them comments to help them improve their work.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The pupils say that they are safe in school and parents agree. This is because staff watch and guide pupils carefully in school and during break times. Bullying does not often occur and pupils say that staff sort it out effectively on the rare occasions it does happen. The pupils say that they really value the member of staff who supports and mentors them if they have any concerns.

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Safety

 Pupils know how to keep themselves safe on the internet. They say the school takes cyber-bullying seriously. Regular safeguarding sessions take place for pupils, which ensure that they know how to handle any incidents that may worry them.

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Safety

 Attendance is improving and punctuality is good. Senior staff methodically monitor attendance. Pupils’ attendance rates have risen by 3% in the last two years, which is faster than the national increase.

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Safety

 Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe in and outside school. Fire drills occur regularly and so pupils know what to do if there is an emergency. They know how to cross the road safely and courses develop pupils’ road safety successfully when they are cycling.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching does not always challenge the most-able pupils effectively. This is because staff have not received enough training on how to do this. Occasionally, teachers plan work to match the abilities of the main group of pupils, and do not provide more-challenging tasks to stretch the most-able pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 A few pupils do not know how to reach the next stage of development in reading and mathematics. This is because teachers do not always show pupils effectively how to improve their work. This means some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers help pupils to make steady progress in learning to write. They successfully encourage pupils to use a suitable range of vocabulary to make their work interesting. However, teachers do not teach pupils with sufficient rigour how to develop their spelling, grammar and punctuation skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress in mathematics requires improvement. Teachers show pupils how to use the four rules of numbers securely. However, they do not give pupils enough help to use their basic skills successfully to solve complex problems. This holds a few back from reaching the higher National Curriculum levels in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers expect a great deal from pupils when they read and comprehend texts. The teaching of reading is a considerable strength of the school. From the early years to Year 6, pupils use their reading skills to work out what might happen next in a story. The pupils say that they like discussing characters and plots in detail. In 2014, results for Year 1 were above average for the phonic screening check. This is because teachers develop pupils’ phonic knowledge methodically.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff develop positive relationships with pupils. Classrooms are pleasant places to work. This is because pupils’ respond quickly to teachers and support staff. Teachers use questions thoughtfully and so pupils learn to explain their thinking. Teachers help them to carefully discuss ideas in pairs and then share their ideas with others, which extends their speaking and listening skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff carry out checks on pupils’ attainment regularly and they accurately assess each pupil in the key skills. They use this information with mixed success to inform lesson planning in order that work is always matched to pupils’ capabilities. The teaching of pupils with a disability or who have special educational needs is beginning to improve and so a few more pupils are catching up and filling gaps in their knowledge.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of the most-able pupils requires improvement because inspection evidence shows that currently a smaller proportion than average are working at the higher National Curriculum levels of attainment in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, Year 2 results were below average. Some pupils made good progress from their starting points, but not enough. Pupils achieved better in reading and mathematics than in writing. This year, the school is beginning to improve the teaching of literacy but inspection evidence shows that attainment again this year is still weak in Year 2 for writing. This year the gap between those who receive the pupil premium funding and the rest in the school has reduced and is down to one term in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, Year 6 attainment was average overall. Attainment in spelling, punctuation and grammar was below average. An average proportion of pupils reached the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, progress, including for pupils who speak English as an additional language in Year 6, requiring improvement in reading, writing and mathematics. Inspection evidence demonstrates that this academic year too few pupils are making better than expected progress in writing and mathematics. Their progress, including that of pupils from minority ethnic groups, varies from class to class.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Last year the progress made by disadvantaged pupils required improvement. In 2014, the gap in attainment between those who receive pupil premium funding and others nationally was six terms in reading and writing and five terms in mathematics. The gap between those supported by the pupil premium funding and others in the school was seven terms in writing, six terms in reading and five terms in mathematics. This year a very small number of pupils in Year 6 receive this extra funding but they have made better progress and the gap between these pupils and others in the school has nearly closed.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to others in the school. This is because the school appropriately meets these pupils’ needs. The special educational needs coordinator suitably watches these pupils’ progress and adjusts their programme of learning if they are not making as much progress as is expected. The new programmes of learning have not been in use long and so they have not had a full impact on these pupils’ progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Provision in the early years is better than in the rest of the school because better leadership leads to good teaching. Children start school with a typical level of skill in most areas of learning, but they have some gaps in their knowledge particularly in writing and mathematics. They achieve well and their attainment in 2014 was above average. Inspection evidence confirms that again, this year, children in the early years are working at above expected levels of understanding.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good and so children make good progress. Teachers carefully check on what children do and do not know when they start at the school. They keep a close eye on how successfully staff are filling gaps in children’s knowledge. Occasionally, staff do not use individual targets for children effectively to ensure that they reach even better levels of skill.

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The early years provision is good

 Children behave well and work hard in the early years. The staff guide children thoughtfully to think about how their actions affect others. This encourages the children to be considerate. The children are safe and secure. As a result, they concentrate and become more confident.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management are good. The leader and staff work productively to improve the ways they work with children. They use the outside area astutely to broaden children’s experiences and make learning easy to remember. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1.

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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 114764 Local authority Essex Inspection number 462114

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 313 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Cross Headteacher David Bridge Date of previous school inspection 4 June 2013 Telephone number 01206 574849 Fax number 01206 574849 Email address admin@stanwayfiveways.essex.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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