Fibbersley Park Primary School

Fibbersley Park Primary School Noose Lane, Willenhall, Walsall WV13 3BB

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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This is an inadequate school

 A large proportion of pupils in Years 1 to 6 are well below the standards expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. They are not making fast enough progress to catch up with their peers in other schools.  Until recently leaders have not taken effective action to stem the decline in standards evident at the end of Key Stage 2.  There is a large gap in the standards reached by disadvantaged pupils when compared with their classmates. This gap is not closing.  Governance is ineffective. Governors do not fulfil their roles and responsibilities and have not held the school to account for the decline in standards. They have an inaccurate view of their own work and of the weaknesses in the school.  Until recently teachers had an overly positive view of pupils’ achievement. This is because the school’s assessment information was inaccurate.  Some teachers and teaching assistants do not have high enough expectations of pupils. This

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This is an inadequate school

limits the progress that pupils make.  Teaching does not cater well enough for lower- ability pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability. As a result, these pupils make inadequate progress.  Pupils’ spelling and grammar in Key Stage 2 are weak.  Leaders and governors have not ensured that the teaching of British values is a well-planned part of the curriculum.  Behaviour requires improvement because cheeky and low-level disruptive behaviour from some older pupils is not dealt with appropriately.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have an accurate view of the school’s weaknesses and have made a positive start in implementing systems and procedures to address these.  Music is taught well and pupils make good progress.  Children in the early years make good progress because teaching is effective.  Procedures to keep pupils safe are effective.

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and accelerate pupils’ progress by ensuring that: – pupils in Key Stage 2 improve their phonics knowledge so that they can tackle unfamiliar words confidently and accurately – adults model good spoken grammar and correct errors in grammar in pupils’ written work – in mathematics, pupils do not overpractise the calculation strategies that they familiar with and are encouraged to apply these to problem solving and logic and reasoning tasks as soon as they are ready – there is consistency in the teaching of calculation methods – teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of what pupils can achieve by providing pupils with tasks that stretch their thinking – lower-ability pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability are provided with tasks, activities and resources that match their ability and enable them to make at least expected

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

progress – teaching assistants are deployed effectively in order to maximise the progress that pupils make – pupils are expected to apply their literacy skills when writing in subjects other than English.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the behaviour of pupils by ensuring that: – older pupils are expected by all staff to enter the school sensibly after playtimes and demonstrate appropriately calm behaviour in the corridors – lunchtime supervisors and teaching assistants in Key Stage 2 develop a range of strategies in order to deal with unacceptable behaviour.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: – governors understand and fulfil their roles and responsibilities – governors gain an accurate understanding of the weaknesses in the school and implement systems and strategies to hold the school to account for making improvements – pupil premium funding is used effectively and monitored carefully to accelerate the progress of the eligible pupils – assistant headteachers and teachers with additional responsibilities are empowered to lead their areas of responsibility and are held accountable for the impact of their work on pupils’ progress – leaders ensure that the recently implemented policies and procedures, including the school’s policy on providing feedback to pupils, have a rapid impact on pupils’ progress in Years 1 to 6 – pupils gain a good understanding of British values by making sure that this is planned strategically.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

External reviews of governance and of the use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 Since the last inspection in September 2012, leaders and governors have done too little to arrest the decline in standards at the end of Key Stage 2. They have not acted quickly enough to ensure that lower- ability pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability make enough progress. As a result, outcomes are inadequate and pupils are not well enough prepared to begin secondary school.  Leaders and governors have not ensured that the teaching of British values is well organised and strategically planned. As a result, pupils’ understanding is weak. Pupils are not as well prepared to take up their place in British society as they should be.  Until recently leaders and governors have not targeted the pupil premium funding sufficiently well to ensure that eligible pupils catch up with their peers. Pupils who are eligible for this funding are well behind their classmates and behind pupils in other schools. This year the headteacher has focused the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

spending more precisely and has invested in a range of training to enable teachers and teaching assistants to provide these pupils with more targeted support. The impact of this work is yet to be seen.  The headteacher has articulated and shared a clear vision of how the school needs to move forward. The weaknesses of the school are known and understood by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher and they are under no illusion about the enormity of the task ahead of them. They have methodically implemented systems and procedures, including rigorous appraisals, to improve the quality of teaching and accelerate the progress of pupils. Some improvements are evident; however, they have yet to fully impact on the progress of all groups of pupils. Their leadership is characterised by integrity and determination.  Some staff have been resistant to the high expectations of the headteacher and deputy headteacher and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

the changes that are being implemented. This has slowed the pace of the improvement. Nevertheless, three quarters of the staff questionnaires that were received during the inspection were supportive of the work of the leaders, with one quarter expressing some dissatisfaction with the leaders and managers.  Some teachers do not stick to the agreed school policy for marking and feedback and, as a result, pupils do not understand their errors or know how to improve their work.  The headteacher identified a number of urgent training needs when she arrived at the school and prioritised them appropriately. For example, teachers benefited quickly from training on the most recent national curriculum and on how to assess pupils’ work accurately. In addition, staff received training from the special educational needs coordinator on the responsibilities of teachers for the progress of pupils who have special educational needs or disability.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 An appropriate range of subjects is taught and pupils benefit from assorted trips to places of interest, fun activities and from visitors to the school. For example, pupils spoke to inspectors enthusiastically about a residential trip to Wales, and their learning associated with the book The Pig Heart Boy when they dissected an ox heart. Parents were also positive when speaking to inspectors about the range of opportunities provided for their children.  Pupils benefit from specialist music and art tuition. In addition, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths is appropriately developed. This, along with the varied curriculum, contributes well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The sports premium has been used appropriately to provide specialist physical education (PE) coaches to improve the quality of PE for pupils and to encourage them to be more active at lunchtime. More recently,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

a specialist teacher has been employed to ensure that teachers’ skills are enhanced in the delivery of PE lessons.  The local authority’s support for this school since the last inspection has been mixed. Its response to the review of governance in 2015 was too slow. This left the headteacher with weak governance and a lack of support for more than 12 months. However, regular accountability meetings were implemented with the headteacher and the governors as a result of the decline in standards at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014. Consequently, the local authority advisor has an accurate view of provision in the school.  The governance of the school – Governance is ineffective. Governors do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities or fulfil their statutory duties. For example, the headteacher’s appraisal was not completed until February this year, more than 12 months after she was appointed.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

– Governors have not acted with enough urgency to hold the school to account for the decline in standards. – After a review of governance in January 2015, which identified governance to be weak, too little action was taken to ensure that training was accessed or improvements were made. – Governors have not held the school to account for the use of the pupil premium funding. – However, the recently appointed Chair of the Governing Body has developed a positive working relationship with the headteacher and quickly gained a view of what needs to be improved.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Pupils’ safety is treated with the utmost importance. Procedures to recruit staff safely are well embedded. All staff have been trained to identify pupils at risk of harm, including those at risk of potential radicalisation. Any concerns raised by staff are taken seriously, acted upon quickly and recorded appropriately. Where necessary, parents, carers and other

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

agencies are involved to provide additional support and advice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate because it fails to meet the needs of lower-ability pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability. In many classes these pupils are not making enough progress.  Teaching is highly inconsistent between classes, subjects and for different groups of pupils. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve and the pace of learning is too slow. Expectations of pupils’ writing in subjects other than English are often too low.  Some teachers are not skilled at securing good learning for the lower-ability pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability. The tasks that pupils are given often do not match with their skills and abilities and they are not provided with appropriate resources to support them.  Teachers do not consistently correct pupils’ written or spoken grammatical errors. For example, pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

frequently write ‘we was’ instead of ‘we were’ and ‘should of’ instead of ‘should have’. In addition, some adults do not model correct spoken English. This reinforces pupils’ misconceptions.  Teaching assistants are not deployed effectively within the classroom to support pupils’ learning. Some take on more of a supervisory role rather than engaging with pupils’ learning. On occasions, teaching assistants are too quick to provide answers for pupils when they are finding something difficult. This is not the case in all classes, for example in the early years, where all adults effectively support pupils to further their skills and gain new knowledge.  In mathematics, teachers do not use the same methods of calculation. This causes pupils to be unsure about what is expected. In addition, pupils’ workbooks show that too little emphasis is placed on pupils applying their calculation skills in logic and reasoning activities. This prevents pupils from gaining breadth

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

and depth in their mathematical thinking.  Pupils’ workbooks show that, where teaching is effective, pupils are making good progress. This is most noticeable for the average-ability pupils and the most-able pupils. For example, pupils’ writing books in Year 6 showed that, since the beginning of the school year, pupils are using more ambitious vocabulary and punctuation and are able to write more complex and interesting sentences to engage the reader.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) in early years and Key Stage 1 is effective. Pupils quickly become confident to have a go at unfamiliar words and develop positive attitudes to reading. They apply their phonics skills in their writing. Pupils’ spelling in Key Stage 2, particularly that of the lower-ability pupils, is weak. They do not have the phonics knowledge to work out how to spell words correctly and often misspell commonly used vocabulary.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 Teaching in the early years is good. The classrooms and outdoor areas are inviting, purposeful and stimulate children’s imaginations. Adults are skilled at asking questions that make children think hard and they are attentive if provision needs to change according to pupils’ interest and abilities.  The teaching of music is a strength of the school. Pupils thrive on the opportunities to play together as a class orchestra and learn a range of instruments. Pupils in Year 4 were excited to perform ‘We Will Rock You’ using drums, flutes, keyboards and glockenspiels and proudly told the inspector that they could read the musical notation.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Some pupils do not understand what bullying is. They are not able to determine the difference between falling out, getting hurt or unkindness and being bullied. Pupils have a better understanding of cyber bullying because of effective teaching about how to stay safe when using the internet.  Pupils feel that they have adults that they trust and can talk to. The learning mentor has a pivotal role in supporting those pupils who are identified as having difficulties, in class and outside. Pupils are positive about the impact of her support.  The ‘well-being team’ works closely with multi-agency professionals to ensure that pupils and their families receive guidance, support and intervention at times when they may be vulnerable.  Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of the importance of making healthy choices about what

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Personal development and welfare

they eat and can explain the effects of exercise on their body.  Pupils are very smart in their uniform and are proud of their school. They are enthusiastic about many of the activities, trips and events that adults organise for them.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not consistent across the school.  Behaviour in the early years and Key Stage 1 is better than in Key Stage 2. Older pupils are boisterous and noisy when returning to their classrooms after playtimes and lunchtimes. They lack a sense of urgency to return to class, and loiter around their lockers.  Some older pupils lack a sense of courtesy and good manners when speaking to some teaching assistants and lunchtime supervisors. Inspectors observed pupils being cheeky, answering adults back and ignoring instructions.  In a minority of classes, pupils do not listen when the teacher is talking and do not demonstrate good learning behaviour.  A number of parents who spoke to inspectors expressed concern that poor behaviour at lunchtime is not dealt with well. Some pupils agree. Leaders are aware of this and training for lunchtime supervisors was

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Behaviour

due to take place the day after this inspection.  That said, however, the majority of pupils are friendly, polite and respond to adults’ instructions quickly. They know how to behave around the school and understand that their behaviour can have an impact on others.  Pupils like coming to school and as a result most pupils attend well. Few pupils are regularly absent from school. Despite the school’s work in this area, attendance remains below the national average for primary schools.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Too many pupils in Years 1 to 6 attain below the standard expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. This is particularly the case in writing in Years 3 and 4, where less than one third of pupils are on track to meet the age-related expectations at the end of the year. However, this underachievement is not limited to writing or to these year groups.  Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is highly variable in Years 2 to 6. In some year groups and subjects, for example in mathematics in Year 5 and writing in Year 4, less than half of pupils have made the progress expected of them since the start of the school year. Progress is better in writing in Year 6 and in reading in Year 1, where almost all pupils have made expected or better progress.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are making inadequate progress because teachers are not skilled in catering for their needs. In the past, these pupils have been assigned to teaching

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

assistants for much of their learning and have had too little access to teaching time with the teacher. Although the headteacher has changed this working practice, the impact on pupils’ progress is yet to be seen.  Lower-ability pupils are not making enough progress because too frequently they are provided with work that does not match their abilities, or do not have access to resources that help them with their learning.  In some year groups, the most-able pupils and those of average ability are making good progress. However, this is inconsistent between classes and subjects.  There is a wide gap between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and their classmates and there is no evidence of this closing. This is because the progress of disadvantaged pupils is slower than their peers and as a result they are falling further behind. This is not the case in the early years, where well- targeted support is reducing the gap quickly.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Outcomes from the Year 1 phonics check have steadily improved over the last three years and are now above the national average. This is because the teaching of phonics in the early years and Year 1 is well organised and effective. However, pupils in Key Stage 2 have not benefited from this effective teaching and as a result their spelling is weak.  Children in the early years make good progress from their starting points. Many children start in the nursery with communication skills that are below those typical for their age. As a result of focused teaching in this and the other areas of learning, children learn quickly and catch up with their peers. An increasing proportion of children reach the standard expected at the end of the Reception Year. At the end of 2015, an above-average proportion of children reached a good level of development.

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Early years provision is good

 Provision in the early years is good because the leader and her team are skilled at supporting children to learn new things. They focus on the children’s language development to enable them to effectively access all the areas of learning.  Teaching is consistently good. Staff are skilled at engaging children in activities and at using questioning to extend children’s learning. As a result, all children, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs or disability, make good progress.  The early years leader knows the strengths and the areas that need further improvement. She works with staff to collect and analyse a wide range of information about children’s learning that allows their progress to be tracked effectively. Staff check how well activities are helping children to learn and provision is modified to ensure that it meets children’s changing needs.  Adults have created well-organised, vibrant and fun spaces in which children can learn and play. Toys and

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Early years provision is good

equipment are plentiful, of high quality and capture the interest and imagination of the children. Children are challenged to work and think hard. They flourish and blossom in this environment.  Children settle quickly into the routines of the classroom and the expectations of the adults. They behave well and copy the good manners and polite behaviour modelled by the adults. They are confident to talk to their friends, teachers and visitors. They are proud of the things they create and are keen to share their successes. For example, children were very eager to show an inspector the ‘jungle area’, where they were working with torches and binoculars to find the hidden animals.  Adults take care to keep children safe. They have been well trained and are vigilant to the signs that children may be vulnerable to harm. It is evident that children feel safe and trust adults in the positive and warm relationships that exist and in the confidence that children show in and around the school.

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Early years provision is good

Parents agree that their children are safe, they feel involved in their children’s learning and are positive about the work of the school.  As a result of their time in nursery and reception, children have gained the confidence, skills and abilities to begin Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 10002600 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 134801

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 2–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 551 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alison Bruton Headteacher Michaela Crawford Telephone number 01902 366220 Website http://fibbersley.eschools.co.uk/website/home/8116 Email address postbox@fibbersleypark.walsall.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 September 2012

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  More than a third of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium funding (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or who are cared for by the local authority). This is higher than the national average.  Almost all pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is in line with the national average.  Early years provision takes the form of three full-time reception classes and two part-time nursery classes, including provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  The results of the Year 6 tests in 2013 were annulled by the Standards and Testing Agency due to allegations of maladministration.

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Information about this school

 The previous headteacher resigned in 2014 and the school was led by three assistant headteachers until the current headteacher was appointed in November 2014.  The Chair of the Governing Body has been in post for two weeks.

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Information about this inspection

 During the two-day inspection, inspectors observed lessons and conducted ‘learning walks’ around the school. Several of these were completed jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ current workbooks.  Inspectors spoke to pupils during lessons and at playtimes and lunchtimes. Inspectors also heard a number of pupils read.  Inspectors met with the Chair of the Governing Body, spoke to the local authority designated officer (LADO) and met with two representatives from the local authority. Meetings were also held with senior leaders and teachers with responsibilities for subject areas.  Inspectors analysed a range of documents provided by the school, including information relating to pupils’ attainment and progress, attendance, safeguarding and the checks leaders make on the quality of teaching.  The 33 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered. The views of parents

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Information about this inspection

were also gathered by speaking to parents at the beginning and end of the school day.  Inspectors took into account the 35 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Rachel Howie, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Richard Ellis Ofsted Inspector Lesley Else 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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