Aldermoor Farm Primary School

Aldermoor Farm Primary School Acorn Street, Stoke Aldermoor, Coventry, CV3 1DP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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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This is a good school. Select

 The determination and drive of the headteacher, and the very effective senior leadership team, have ensured that teaching and achievement are consistently good.  Achievement is good overall. Pupils make good progress, often from starting points that are well below those typical for their age. Disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those pupils who are new to English, receive consistently good support that enables them to achieve well.  Children in the early years are taught and cared for very well. They make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and at all other times. Pupils are polite, well behaved and respectful to adults and each other.  The school is a safe and secure place in which pupils feel at ease. Pupils know how to stay safe, especially when it comes to safety on the internet.  Excellent pastoral care underpins pupils’ sense of

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This is a good school. Select

feeling safe and supported. The school is particularly effective at supporting pupils with social, emotional and behavioural needs.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very successfully. Pupils learn to value and respect everyone equally, regardless of race, ethnicity or belief. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.  Vulnerable pupils and their families are supported sensitively and highly effectively. Pupils’ attendance and parental engagement with school have improved considerably as a result, so that attendance is now above the national average.  Pupils in the additional resourced provision make good progress because the work is tailored precisely to their specific learning needs.  The governing body is effective at holding the school to account for the achievement and safety of the pupils.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ attainment in writing is not as good as in reading and mathematics.  In a few lessons, teachers do not fully enthuse or challenge pupils and so learning is slower.  There are too few opportunities for pupils to apply English and mathematics skills in other subjects.  Teachers’ marking is not consistently effective in helping pupils to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils learning in 21 lessons. Several of these observations took place together with members of the school’s senior leadership team. The inspectors also made shorter visits to a number of other lessons and school activities. They attended an assembly, examined pupils’ written work and listened to pupils read.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and staff. Inspectors also met the Chair and other members of the Governing Body, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors checked pupils’ behaviour at break times, lunchtimes and as they moved about the school during the day. Inspectors discussed pupils’ work with them in lessons, heard pupils read, and met more formally with them in groups to discuss particular aspects of their experiences at the school.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation. This included the school’s self-evaluation, the

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Information about this inspection

minutes of governing body meetings, records of lesson observations and the management of staff performance, information on pupils’ progress, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  Questionnaires were returned by 53 members of staff, whose views were also considered.  There were only seven responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, which is too few to be taken into account. Inspectors did take account of the school’s recent parental survey. Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day and to some parents by telephone, at their request.

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Inspection team

Michael Appleby, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school is expanding. It changed to be three-form entry in September 2014.  The Nursery class has 24 places in the morning and 24 places in the afternoon. Children attend part time.  There are three Reception classes, which children attend full-time. There are two classes in Years 1 to 6.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above average. The largest groups are Black African and White British, and the remainder from 10 other ethnic groups. There are 39 different home languages.  About half of the pupils speak English as an additional language. This proportion is well above the national average. Many of these pupils arrive at the school speaking little or no English.  The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school other than at the normal times is high. About one quarter of pupils who start at the school leave before the end of Year 6. In the current academic year, 66

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Information about this school

children joined and 47 children left the school.  The school includes specially resourced provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. This Enhanced Support Unit for pupils with autism provides for nine children in Years 1 to 6. These pupils are included in mainstream class lessons on a part-time basis.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority) is well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2.  The governing body has been reconstituted since the previous inspection.

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Information about this school

 The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement by ensuring that:  Pupils’ writing skills are more strongly developed through exposure to inspiring texts and good modelling by teachers  all teachers plan and teach interesting lessons that engage and enthuse pupils so they make more rapid progress  teachers’ marking clearly informs pupils what to do to improve, and teachers check that pupils act on the guidance they are given  pupils have more opportunities to apply and consolidate their English and mathematics skills in other curriculum subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 The determined leadership of the headteacher is at the core of this improving school. She works closely with other senior leaders to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning, pupils’ behaviour, and the safety and care of pupils continue to improve. The team ensures that pupils who join the school from other schools, and those who arrive with little or no English, are quickly assessed and integrated into the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior, subject and other middle leaders make regular visits to classrooms to observe lessons and check pupils’ work. This evidence is used effectively to assess what needs to be done to improve pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The family support workers, senior managers and staff have developed very positive relationships with parents and carers. They successfully engage with the more hard-to-reach families and provide an exceptional level of support and guidance, as well as links to other services. These actions have contributed to the rise in attendance, which is having a very positive impact on the progress and attainment of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and staff successfully promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This ensures that pupils show care, consideration and respect for others. Staff continually promote key values, such as equality, fairness, tolerance and helping others. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is well planned and provides pupils with many memorable learning experiences. It has been appropriately focused on the development of key literacy and numeracy skills. The school has pupils from many faiths and cultures, and these are celebrated and used effectively to promote tolerance and respect for others.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s provision for pupils’ welfare and its safeguarding arrangements are both good. The staff and governing body ensure the school is a very safe and secure learning environment. Statutory safeguarding requirements are met in full.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of the pupil premium funding to provide disadvantaged pupils with additional support, particularly in speech and language development, literacy and numeracy. As a result, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils in English and mathematics is as good as and sometimes better than that of other pupils in the school. The additional funding ensures that disadvantaged pupils have full access to all the learning opportunities the school provides.

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The leadership and management are good

 All pupils have the same good opportunities to succeed and enjoy full access to the learning opportunities the school provides. There is no evidence of discrimination in any aspect of the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is rigorously checked and support provided so they make good progress from their starting points.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership of the Enhanced Support Unit for autism is outstanding. The leader and staff work together closely to ensure that autistic pupils receive the support they need and their progress is constantly reviewed. This helps them to achieve well and to be integrated into mainstream school activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has used the primary physical education and sport funding well to increase pupils’ participation and skills, and to improve teachers’ expertise in teaching physical education. The school has employed a specialist teacher of physical education who teaches all the classes. This has resulted in improved fitness levels among the pupils and more opportunities to take part in competitive sports.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has a good understanding of the school’s performance and provides good advice and support. There are regular meetings to review the school’s performance and improvement.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of the school’s assessment and attainment data and what its tracking of pupils’ progress tells them about pupils’ achievement compared with other schools nationally.  Governors have an accurate and well-informed view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are actively involved in the school’s self-evaluation process, including on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. They provide increasingly challenging support for the school in its drive to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching. Governors are ensuring that there are close links between teachers’ performance and their pay, promotion and training.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors are asking increasingly probing questions of the headteacher at meetings to get a clear understanding of the impact on pupils’ achievement of staff training and financial expenditures such as the pupil premium and sports funds. As a result, they have a clear understanding of the allocation of the pupil premium funding and its impact on pupils’ progress.  The governing body ensures that all safeguarding requirements are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This is the case throughout the school, from Nursery to Year 6. Pupils treat each other and adults with respect, and form good relationships. They are polite and courteous.

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Behaviour

 As one pupil explained, ‘Everyone helps each other and we don’t leave anyone out.’ Pupils play together harmoniously at playtimes, and lunchtimes are calm and sociable occasions. Pupils who join the school partway through their primary education are welcomed and fully included and supported by both staff and other pupils, so they settle quickly and feel part of the class.

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Behaviour

 The school’s records indicate that pupils’ behaviour is typically good over time and any incidents are dealt with quickly and effectively.

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Behaviour

 Pupils understand the school’s rewards and sanctions system. The school’s policy for behaviour is applied consistently by all staff, and this results in the very orderly learning environment.

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Behaviour

 There is very effective support for pupils who find good behaviour difficult, particularly for those pupils who attend the Enhanced Support Unit. Leaders are very successful in helping teachers, pupils and families with strategies to support pupils who experience difficulties with their behaviour.

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Behaviour

 Pupils generally concentrate well and listen attentively to their teachers and each other. Pupils work together well and willingly help each other. The school takes every opportunity to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Leaders provide regular opportunities for reflection about right and wrong, working together and the importance of understanding people of other faiths and backgrounds; this helps pupils to develop tolerance, respect and friendships.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has improved to be above the national average as a result of the school’s successful actions to encourage better attendance and tackle persistent absenteeism. Parents are made fully aware of the importance of their children’s full attendance. Pupils are punctual, both to school and to lessons.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Safeguarding processes are rigorous and fully meet statutory requirements. Access to the school is secure and all visitors are appropriately checked. All staff are rigorously vetted prior to appointment.

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Safety

 Leaders and other staff are highly skilled at identifying any pupils at risk of harm and taking appropriate actions to ensure that these pupils are kept safe and are given the support they need. All staff are well trained to recognise and respond to any safeguarding or safety concerns that arise. Records show that leaders are meticulous in following up incidents in order to ensure pupils are safe and well cared for.  Staff carry out regular risk assessments to ensure that the school is a safe place for pupils and checks made prior to off-site visits are robust. The site is secure and well maintained.

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Safety

 Pupils know about the different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. They say that there is very little in school. They say that the staff quickly sort out any disagreements or problems, and school records confirm that this is the case. The school teaches e-safety well, and pupils explained clearly how to keep themselves safe when online.

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Safety

 The well-managed breakfast club provides pupils with a calm and productive start to the day, a healthy snack, and good opportunities to develop social skills. At the after-school club, pupils enjoy a range of activities in a caring and secure setting.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is now consistently good and, consequently, all groups of pupils make good progress. The school’s records of leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching show that it has steadily improved over the past two years. Inspection evidence confirms this view.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers successfully encourage good attitudes to learning. Relationships are very positive. Pupils want to please their teachers and so do their best in lessons. Teachers expect pupils to work purposefully, share ideas, and to listen to others and respect their views.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language benefit greatly from the good teaching and additional support they receive and so they make good progress in learning English. Children who arrive at the school with little or no English are assessed quickly and are given well-targeted support.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well. The teaching of phonics has been improved through staff training and the introduction of a new approach to teaching this key skill. New reading resources have been provided to engage readers’ interest, especially that of boys, and this is ensuring that pupils make faster progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work in books shows that writing is taught increasingly well. The school has improved the teaching of writing since the last inspection. The good training provided for staff, and leaders’ and teachers’ careful monitoring of pupils’ writing, have had a positive impact on the progress of pupils, especially since the beginning of this academic year.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although teachers provide some opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy skills in other subjects, this is not done frequently enough. Teachers do not always show pupils how to improve their writing through good modelling or the use of inspiring texts. In some lessons where this does happen pupils make outstanding progress. This was seen in a lesson about Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, where the teacher’s knowledge, performance and effective use of questioning resulted in outstanding learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of mathematics is good and pupils make good progress in the development of their mental and written calculation skills and their knowledge and use of number. However, pupils are not given enough opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in their work in other subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The pupil premium funding is used very effectively to supplement teaching support and resources for pupils for whom the funding is intended. This helps to make sure that the progress of these pupils is similar to or better than that of their classmates in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to ensure that all pupils receive the support they need during lessons so they understand what is being taught and can complete their tasks. Adults’ well- planned and effective support ensures that pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs, and those whose first language is not English, all make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work is marked regularly but teachers’ comments are not always effective in helping pupils understand how to improve. Not all teachers make sure that pupils respond to the comments or correct their mistakes, and this limits the impact marking has on improving pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children from all backgrounds get off to a good start in the early years classes and make good and sometimes outstanding progress. Progress for all different groups of pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since the last inspection, leaders have focused successfully on improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ achievement. Key Stage 2 test results from 2013 and 2014 show that pupils from a range of different backgrounds make good progress from their low starting points. This includes pupils from different ethnic backgrounds, those who speak English as an additional language and those pupils who benefit from the pupil premium funding. School data and pupils’ current work confirm that most pupils make good progress throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the words of one pupil, ‘It doesn’t matter where you’re from or your background, you can succeed and be successful in your life.’ Pupils’ positive attitudes contribute to the good progress they make at school. In 2013 and 2014, the proportion of pupils who made the expected rate of progress in reading, writing and mathematics during Key Stage 2 matched the national figures. The proportion of pupils making more than expected progress was above the national figure for reading and mathematics and in line for writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment data from 2014 for pupils leaving at the end Key Stage 2 show that the proportion of pupils attaining the expected levels in reading and mathematics was in line with the national average, while writing was below. However, the results of those pupils who were in school for Years 5 and 6 show that attainment was in line with the national average for reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in reading and mathematics was in line with the national average, while writing was below average. These results, and the standards of pupils’ current work, represent good achievement in relation to pupils’ starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils develop a love of reading very early in their time in school, and are able to read fluently and with evident enjoyment by the time they leave. At the end of Key Stage 2, in 2014, pupils’ attainment in reading was close to the national average, which represented good progress from their low starting point when they started school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because teachers assess their needs carefully and provide them with effective support. The carefully targeted teaching they receive in lessons or in small withdrawal groups ensures that these pupils are set appropriately challenging tasks and so they learn effectively.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in the Enhanced Support Unit make good progress. The support provided and the work set for them is well targeted to their individual needs. The staff are very skilled and effective in managing their sometimes very challenging behaviour. This enables these pupils to attend and successfully take part in lessons with other pupils in their classrooms.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is improving following the introduction of a new published scheme of work and a reorganisation of the teaching of early reading skills. The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been below the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are at early stages of learning to speak English, particularly those who are new arrivals, make good progress in learning the language. The teaching and support provided by the school helps them to quickly develop their vocabulary and understanding of English. By Year 6, this group of pupils are making faster progress than their peers. Their attainment was above that of their classmates in 2013 and 2014.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In Year 6, in 2014, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils was similar to their classmates in reading and mathematics, with writing being about six months behind. In 2014, when compared to all pupils nationally, these pupils were six months behind in reading, 16 months behind in writing, but at the same level for mathematics.  The most-able pupils in the school make good progress in each year group. Inspectors were able to confirm this through the evidence they saw in lessons and in the pupils’ workbooks.

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The early years provision is good

 The Nursery and Reception classes provide children with a good start to school life, where they thrive and make good progress. Most children start the Nursery class with skills and knowledge that are well below those typical for their age, particularly in communication, language and social development.

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The early years provision is good

 About half of children join the Reception classes speaking very little or no English. The majority of children enter the Reception class with levels of development that are below that which is typical for their age. Although these children make good progress, the proportion achieving a good level of development is below the national figure. They start Year 1 with below-average skills and understanding, but their confident and positive attitudes enable them to catch up and make good progress in Key Stage 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years setting is a productive, safe and happy place. Staff work effectively as a team and use their detailed knowledge about what each child knows and can do to arrange activities that move their learning forward. Adults take every opportunity to develop the children’s’ language and social skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Children from all ability groups and backgrounds, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress. The children in both the Nursery and Reception classes make particularly fast progress in their social and emotional development, and their reading and writing. Around half of the children achieved a good level of development in 2014, which represented good progress from their very low starting points. Current assessment data shows that the proportion is likely to be higher for the current cohort of children.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of the early years provision are good. The leader has an accurate understanding of the quality of the school’s early years provision and of children’s achievement. Children’s progress is measured frequently, and teachers use this information to plan interesting activities that build on children’s skills and knowledge.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff pay careful attention to safeguarding and child protection, and they ensure that all pupils are safe and well cared for. All staff are trained to the appropriate level for their posts, including in paediatric first aid. Children respond well to the expectations set by staff and so they behave well and feel safe. They show good behaviour for learning by listening well to each other and adults, talking confidently about their ideas and playing cooperatively with others.

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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 103681 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 462586

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 476 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Tait Headteacher Ann Stacey Date of previous school inspection 9 July 2013 Telephone number 02476456272 Fax number 02476636213 Email address admin@aldermoorfarm.coventry.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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