Lyng Primary School

Lyng Primary School Horton Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands B70 7SQ

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher, school leaders and governors have successfully improved teaching since the last inspection so that it is now good. As a result, pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, and their attainment is rising.  Leaders check on how well pupils are doing regularly and provide effective help for any pupils who need it, so they quickly catch up with their classmates.  Other adults supporting the learning of individuals and groups of pupils ensure that activities meet their needs well. As a consequence, these pupils make good progress.  The well-designed curriculum and forest school provides pupils with memorable experiences that engage and enthuse them.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, so that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe, including when using a computer on the

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This is a good school

internet.  Pupils develop good personal and social skills. Their positive attitudes to learning contribute to their good progress. They are proud of their work, which is neat and well presented.  Children achieve well in the early years because of effective teaching and an exciting and inviting environment. They enter Year 1 as confident learners.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Sometimes the work set for pupils does not make them think or work hard enough, particularly that given to the most able.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their mathematical skills across the curriculum.  Teachers do not consistently follow the school’s marking policy to ensure that pupils’ work improves.  The role of subject leaders in monitoring and improving teaching are not yet fully developed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching and increase pupils’ progress further by: setting more demanding work, especially for the most-able pupils to extend their learning ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to practise their mathematical skills in other subjects making sure that teachers enable pupils to improve their work by consistently following the school’s marking policy ensuring that subject leaders play a fuller role in improving the quality of teaching.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has a clear and determined vision for further school improvement. He has gained the confidence of staff and has successfully introduced plans to improve the quality of teaching. The systems for tracking pupils’ progress are robust and, together with the work in pupils’ books, show that achievement is improving rapidly.  Staff are held to account for the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. The leadership team makes good use of information from regular monitoring of teaching, and cross-reference these observations with checks on pupils’ work to develop teachers’ skills and improve teaching. However, not all teachers follow the school’s marking policy to ensure that pupils improve their work.  Leaders at all levels have been coached well in how to use performance information to improve pupils’ progress and attainment in each year group. They use this information effectively to identify any

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

underachievement and provide support, so that pupils quickly catch up with their classmates. Middle leaders, however, are not fully involved in checking the quality of teaching in their subjects.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development successfully. This means that the school is a calm, orderly environment where pupils with different backgrounds and from different cultures mix happily together. Children take part in an annual ‘Britishness day’ where they develop their understanding of British values. As a consequence, pupils are being well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The curriculum is vibrant. Pupils enjoy topics that appeal to their imagination, for example, ‘The Romans’ and ‘Ancient Egypt’. Topics start with exciting events, such as a visit from a Roman soldier to stimulate pupils’ interest. Forest school is part of the curriculum so that pupils benefit from the experience. A wide

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

range of other clubs and activities, such as educational visits to museums and a residential break in Wales, enhance pupils’ experiences further.  Pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well. For example, these pupils benefit from additional small-group teaching and one-to-one support, and assistance to ensure that they can participate in school activities such as class visits. The progress of these pupils is speeding up and gaps in achievement with their classmates are closing.  Primary physical education (PE) and sports funding is used effectively to increase teachers’ expertise by working with a PE specialist to develop their skills. The school now provides a much wider range of sporting opportunities and inter-school competitions such as the Black Country Swimming Gala. Pupils’ participation in after-school clubs such as cricket and dodgeball has increased. As a result, pupils develop

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

healthier lifestyles and better physical well-being.  Leaders value the support and challenge they have been given during the regular visits by local authority advisers. This has helped the school improve since the last inspection.  The governance of the school Governors have improved their effectiveness in holding the school to account, and supported the school in moving forward since the last inspection. They have an increasing knowledge about the school’s performance compared with other schools and how well different groups of pupils achieve. Governors find out about the school through visits to classes. Governors carefully monitor the school’s finances, including the extra funding for disadvantaged pupils and how it is helping them to achieve better. They ensure that leaders take action in the event that any teaching is weak. Governors assess their own training needs to get the best balance of skills to help the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The governors complete their work through well-organised committees and fulfil their statutory duties effectively.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The headteacher has ensured that all staff and governors have read and acted on the latest guidance on keeping children safe. The school works successfully with its key partners to ensure that all pupils are safe and cared for well. The school helps parents and carers understand the importance of adopting safe practices such as using the internet safely.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching is now good, resulting in pupils making good and sometimes rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because school leaders have improved teaching practice across the school.  The effective teaching of reading has ensured that pupils can build words effectively and understand what they are reading well. Pupils took pride in demonstrating their reading skills to the inspectors and showed that they understood the text effectively.  Good teaching in mathematics ensures that pupils grasp concepts quickly and are able to solve a range of problems. Teachers use and explain mathematics vocabulary well so that pupils understand more clearly what they are trying to do. For example, in a Key Stage 2 lesson, pupils made good progress adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. However, pupils are not given enough chances to use their mathematical skills in different subjects.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers ensure that pupils master the basic skills of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Pupils use these skills well when writing for different purposes. In a Key Stage 1 lesson, pupils demonstrated good skills and enjoyment in writing imaginative diary accounts of a scary story.  Other adults work skilfully with groups or individual pupils in lessons. They provide effective support and adapt learning materials to meet the needs of the pupils they are working with. As a consequence, these pupils speed up their learning and keep up-to-pace with their classmates.  Teachers use their subject knowledge well and make regular reference to pupils’ past learning. They use questioning effectively to challenge pupils to think through questions and explain their answers in detail. Good use is made of ‘talking partners’, encouraging pupils to discuss questions together and develop their thinking skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Occasionally there is insufficient challenge for some pupils, especially the most able. As a consequence, work set is too easy for pupils and it does not make them think deeply enough.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils have good opportunities to take on extra responsibilities, for example as ‘buddies’ for younger pupils or as ‘Lyng sports ambassadors’ organising activities at play and lunch times.  Pupils have good social skills and strong moral values. This is because they have frequent opportunities to work together in lessons and they develop good levels of mutual respect as a result.  Pupils learn to take responsibility and consider their role in society. They help others by raising funds for charities such as Pudsey Day. These events often involve making and selling items, which helps them to learn about the value of money.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, such as when cycling and on roads, and railway safety. They also have a good understanding of the dangers posed by the misuse of the

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Personal development and welfare

internet.  Pupils understand the different types of bullying such as name-calling or physical bullying. They say that bullying is rare, and that when it does happen it is dealt with swiftly.  The breakfast club is well organised and gives pupils a nourishing start to the day as they relax, play games and complete homework tasks.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are courteous, respectful and friendly. They have positive attitudes to learning. In lessons, pupils listen attentively and work well on their own whether in pairs or small groups. They appreciate the support of their teachers and one pupil said, ‘Teachers help us with our work if we get stuck.’  The school is effective in dealing with pupils with behavioural difficulties. Pupils with poor behaviour have been subject to some fixed-term exclusions. Through the school’s support and guidance, the behaviour of these pupils has improved markedly.  Pupils are proud of their work and school. They present their work to a high standard and wall displays are of a similar quality. Pupils take a leading role in the design, production and upkeep of the ‘Lyng Museum’ artefacts. These showcase the exciting historical topics that pupils study from the Stone Age up to the Second World War.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and arrive on time. Attendance has improved over time and is now average. Persistent absenteeism has reduced with effective action to engage parents.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ achievement has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Last year, at the end of Year 6, pupils’ progress was above that of all pupils nationally in reading and similar to that of other schools in writing, although it was not as strong in mathematics. Pupils’ attainment rose to just below average.  Pupils’ progress was strongest at the end of Year 2 where attainment rose to broadly average. Work in pupils’ books and school records show that the large majority of pupils in year groups are making expected progress, and increasing numbers are making better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The most-able pupils make good progress and higher proportions are exceeding the expected standards for their age this year in reading, writing and mathematics compared with last year. Effective targeted support has made sure that lower-attaining pupils’ progress is improving and most are making expected

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Outcomes for pupils are good

progress from their starting points.  Last year, pupils who had special educational needs or disability did not make as much progress as they should have done at the end of Key Stage 2. This weakness has been addressed and the school now meets this group of pupils’ needs well. As a result, these pupils are making good progress that is in line with other pupils.  The school has successfully improved the progress of the increasing numbers of pupils who speak English as an additional language who arrive during the school year. This is because their learning needs are identified and responded to well, so that they settle quickly.  The results of the most recent Year 1 phonics (linking letters with sounds) screening check show that pupils make a good start in understanding the sounds that letters make. Pupils enjoy reading, both for pleasure and to find information. Older pupils are enthusiastic readers, have favourite authors and

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Outcomes for pupils are good

recognise the features of a good story.  Pupils write at length in different subjects, such as history and science, and they develop their writing skills well. Their grammar, spelling and punctuation are of a good standard. Pupils are confident speakers and are good at listening, because they regularly discuss their ideas together in lessons.  A successful focus on the teaching of mathematics has accelerated pupils’ progress rapidly in this subject. Pupils are skilled in numeracy, have good knowledge of number facts and enjoy solving practical mathematical problems. Pupils, however, do not have enough chances to apply their numeracy skills in other subjects.  Last year, gaps in the attainment of disadvantaged pupils closed in all key subjects at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The school’s effective work to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils has paid off, and gaps in attainment and progress between different groups have closed or are closing rapidly across all

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Early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of the early years is good. The early years leader has established effective links with parents and pre-schools. As a result, children settle quickly into the Nursery and Reception classes and grow in confidence and independence.  A majority of children join Nursery and Reception with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age. Communication skills are underdeveloped for a majority of children and increasing numbers speak English as an additional language. By the end of Reception, all children including disadvantaged children have made good progress from their starting points and enter Year 1 as confident learners.  Children enjoy a wide range of exciting indoor and outdoor experiences. Adults work well with children. They ask lots of questions and invite them to explain what they are doing. This means that children grow in confidence with their communication skills and learn well.

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Early years provision is good

 Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Adults check children’s learning and development frequently and find out what stimulates and interests them. This information is used to make learning interesting and fun. All children are excited about learning letters and numbers. Children are given lots of opportunities to write about topical themes, such as Mr Wolf’s pancakes. Sometimes, however, tasks are too easy for the most-able children.  Children are safe and happy in the settings. Adults ensure that children have many opportunities to develop good social skills. Consequently children’s behaviour is good. They cooperate well with each other, taking turns as appropriate. Children are safeguarded well.

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School details

Unique reference number 103968 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 10002500

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School details

This inspection 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 478 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bill Knight Headteacher Andrew Fowler Telephone number 0121 531480 Website www.lyng.sandwell.sch.uk Email address andrew.fowler@lyng.sandwell.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3–4 October 2013

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is above average. This is additional government funding to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and those looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below average.  The proportion of pupils who arrive or leave other than at the normal starting points is higher than average.  Early years provision is part time in Nursery and full time in Reception.  The school provides a breakfast club.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum standards expected nationally for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 25 lessons, three of which were seen jointly with the headteacher and two with the deputy headteacher. In addition, inspectors listened to pupils read and examined their work in books.  Inspectors took account of the 34 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body, a local authority representative and school leaders.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current and recent progress, planning of work in different subjects, leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and the safeguarding of pupils.

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Inspection team

Steve Nelson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Helen Quinn Ofsted Inspector Maneer Samad Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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