Piper's Vale Community Primary School

Piper’s Vale Community Primary School Raeburn Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 0EW

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Standards of work are not high enough, especially in reading and writing. In reading, pupils’ understanding of the information in the texts they are reading is not well developed.  Teaching across the school is inconsistent and this means that pupils do not make sufficiently good progress in their learning.  Many pupils do not get enough work done in lessons because they work too slowly or are not given enough time to practise skills, such as writing. At times, work is too easy for some and too hard for others.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities who are also disadvantaged make slow progress in their learning.  Teaching assistants are not consistently well used and do not provide the most effective support.  Provision in the Reception classes is not good enough to ensure that enough children are ready for the level of work they will need to do in Year 1 in literacy and numeracy.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The activities children undertake in Reception do not provide enough challenge, especially for the most able, or help them enough with their early reading, writing and numeracy skills.  Not all leadership roles are well developed, which slows the development of the school.  Leaders gather much information about the school’s work but do not analyse it all well to give a clear idea of the impact they are having.  Subjects across the curriculum are not used well enough to help pupils widen skills in areas such as writing, being able to argue or explain a point, or analyse and question information.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders have established a calm and positive ethos within which pupils grow in confidence and are enthusiastic about learning.  School leaders know the school well and what they need to do to improve it. The pace of improvement is now accelerating.  The most able pupils in Years 5 and 6 are making good progress and reaching high standards in mathematics.  Pupils across the school behave well and are enthusiastic about learning. They are kept safe at school and feel safe while there.  The pastoral care for pupils is strong. They are well looked after and cared for. Safeguarding procedures are robust.  The Nursery provision is good and children get a good start to their education there.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the quality of teaching so that pupils, including different groups of pupils, make consistently good progress by ensuring that: – the most able pupils are consistently challenged in lessons – work for the least able and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is set at the right level and that they have the right resources and support to help them to learn – pupils get enough work done in lessons – younger pupils are able to work more effectively on their own and are not overly dependent on adults – provision in the Reception classes is as good as it is in the Nursery.  Raise pupils’ standards of work, especially in reading and writing, by: – giving pupils more opportunities to develop longer pieces of writing in English and other subjects, especially history, geography and science – ensuring that pupils develop better understanding of the texts they are reading – giving pupils work in other subjects that strengthens their ability to think and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

develop stronger skills of analysis, reasoning and questioning.  Improve the quality of leadership by: – developing the roles of all leaders so that they support the headteacher and deputy headteacher to drive improvements across the school more effectively – improving the leadership of the early years so that expectations are high enough in Reception – assessing the impact of the school’s work more effectively – making sure that teachers provide consistently good feedback when they mark work, in line with the school’s expectations, so that it helps pupils to improve more rapidly – ensuring that information is sifted through with more care so that staff and governors receive succinct, better analysed and clearer information to inform their work.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Not all leadership roles are fully effective. Some leaders are relatively new in post, and the school also has a significant substantive vacancy in its senior leadership team. Consequently, developments have not been promoted as fast as leaders and governors would have liked. Consequently, the school’s provision and standards have not been improving quickly enough.  The school produces a considerable amount of detailed information but not all of this is consistently well evaluated to identify the impact of the school’s work or to provide more useful information to support the work of staff or to inform governors. The special educational needs area of the school’s work, for example, provides much information but this does not give staff working with pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities a clear and quick enough understanding of how they need to support these pupils.  The school’s wider curriculum is still being developed and established. While the main

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

requirements are covered, subjects across the curriculum are not being used effectively enough to develop systematically pupils’ writing, or the skills common to most subjects such as critical thinking, evaluation and analysis.  The headteacher and acting deputy headteacher are working well together to accelerate the pace of change and to embed consistent and effective implementation of policies and practices. They have clear expectations of what they wish to see in terms of the quality of teaching, and provide good feedback and support to teachers to help them meet the high expectations they have set.  School leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and know, for example, that there is more to do to improve the quality of teaching across the school.  The regular checking of teaching informs plans for staff development so that training is well tailored both in terms of the areas that require improvement but also in terms of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

the needs of individual staff members.  While the quality of marking and feedback is improving as a result of the actions leaders are taking to ensure that the school’s policies are followed, pupils are not receiving consistently good guidance and support to help them to improve their learning more systematically.  The pupil premium funding is used particularly well to support pastoral care and improve pupils’ attitudes and behaviours for learning. Specialist support, such as for speech and language, is also an area where pupil premium funding is used well to make a difference to pupils.  The school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities, visits and visitors to enrich the main curriculum. These help to widen pupils’ experiences and support their personal as well as academic development. Pupils are taught about important values, and good attention is given to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

Hence, pupils are prepared effectively for life in modern Britain.  The primary physical education and sport funding provided by the government is used effectively to provide, for example, regular coaching and after-school sports activities.  The local authority has supported the school in developing its plans for improvement and in providing training for staff. It has also taken an active role in helping the school to secure its future as an academy.

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Governance of the school

 The governing body is effectively engaged and involved in the work of the school. For example, one of the governors takes responsibility for safeguarding, visiting the school regularly to oversee how well policies are put into practice, and reporting back to the governing body. Members of the governing body are linked to different strands of the school development plan so that they are able to check on progress more robustly.  Governors conduct the headteacher’s performance management effectively and make careful decisions about pay awards for staff, linking these to performance.  The governing body receives a considerable amount of information and sometimes this does not provide governors with a clear enough picture of key messages about the school and pupils’ performance. Nonetheless, governors do ask challenging questions about the school’s work and its performance.  Governors provide a good strategic steer for the school’s future development. They

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Governance of the school

have worked with the school and the local authority to seek academy status for the school and a multi-academy trust that can provide the right support and additional capacity to help the school to improve quickly.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school has a strong culture of care, and staff are vigilant when it comes to looking after pupils. They know what to do if they have any concerns because they are well trained. Specialist staff employed by the school provide very good guidance and support to other staff on a day-to-day basis.  The systems and procedures are well established, and the school’s pastoral manager maintains a good oversight of these to ensure that they are consistently applied by all across the school. The school acts quickly and decisively to keep pupils safe.  Parents who have been supported by the school are fulsome in their praise of how effective the support for them and their children has been.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching across the school is inconsistent. In particular, the work pupils are given is frequently not well matched to their needs and abilities. At times it is too hard for some, usually low-attaining pupils or those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or too easy for others, usually the most able.  The amount of work that pupils get done in lessons is variable. Overall, though, pupils do not routinely get enough work done and this means that they are not practising regularly enough the skills they need to develop to raise their standards of work.  Sometimes, pupils are not given enough time to complete work. During discussions with a group of pupils who have special educational needs, they indicated that they felt that they often needed more time, especially to finish written work.  Resources are not always carefully enough chosen to ensure that these are pitched at the right level for the needs of lower attainers and pupils who have special educational

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

needs and/or disabilities. Teaching assistants at times give too much help to pupils where they would benefit from being challenged more.  Across the school, teachers provide a clear idea of what they expect pupils to learn, breaking the learning down into key steps or success criteria to help pupils understand the purpose of the lesson.  In mathematics, teachers now systematically provide work at a range of levels for pupils of different abilities. In Years 5 and 6 in particular, the work for the most able pupils is well planned and challenging. Thus, it enables them to make good progress.  Increasingly, good use of practical equipment is helping pupils to learn more effectively in mathematics.  Teachers provide pupils with good opportunities to read out loud and to read a range of texts, not just in English, but in other subjects as well. For example, pupils in Year 2 were enjoying reading about key historical figures such as Sir Thomas Wolsey and Sir

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

Alf Ramsey. However, the language in the texts was not broken down enough for some pupils to grasp the full meaning of what they were reading.  Phonics is well taught and, as a result, pupils across the school are able to break words down to say or speak them correctly. Pupils of all abilities read out loud correctly and most read fluently, especially the most able pupils, who add good levels of expression when they read.  Lower attainers are confident when reading texts at the right level for their abilities and maintain a reasonable flow in their reading. Pupils are less confident about explaining the texts they are reading or answering more in-depth questions arising from the texts. This is the case even for some of the most able pupils, especially lower down the school.  Good relationships between pupils and adults mean that pupils behave well, are keen to learn and readily work with others. Teachers are effective in enabling pupils to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

discuss their ideas with each other. Pupils readily clarify and develop their ideas further, as well as using time well to think about their work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils demonstrate good social skills. They are warm, friendly and welcoming. Pupils respect one another, as well as adults and visitors, and are unfailingly polite, for example, holding doors open for others. They do this not just for adults but also for their fellow pupils as well.  Pupils are enthusiastic about school, and about learning, especially when it takes good account of their needs and interests. They say that they really like mathematics and enjoy reading. However, younger pupils in particular are not always good at working on their own or working out how to move forward if they get stuck with work.  Pupils develop good skills in working with others. Those from different backgrounds get on well together and mix effectively both in lessons and around the school. Overall, pupils are developing a good sense of right and wrong. They understand the need for

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Personal development and welfare

rules and know the school rules well.  The school works effectively to develop pupils’ sense of fairness. Consequently, pupils know that racism is wrong and that they need to exercise care when using words relating to specific lifestyle orientations.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They behave well in lessons and focus on their work well most of the time. Occasionally, when lessons become less interesting, some pupils lose concentration or go off task.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school is consistently good and this helps to create a calm atmosphere.  Bullying is rare and pupils confirm that this is the case. They are confident that adults will deal with any issues of bullying should they occur. Pupils are also confident about going to speak to staff should they have any concerns or worries.  Pastoral support within the school is a real strength both for pupils who have additional needs and those who might be at risk from others. The support for families, where this is needed, is comprehensive. It helps parents both to cope during challenging periods and to provide more effective support for their children.  Pupils are given good training on personal safety so that they know how to keep

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Behaviour

themselves safe, including when they are using computers and the internet. The school environment is safe, and pupils and their parents feel that they are safe in school.  While attendance has improved to become in line with the national average this academic year to date, it has been below average over the last three academic years. For some groups, such as disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, attendance remains lower than for others. The school is working very hard to continue to improve attendance, especially among groups where it is lower.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Standards of work are not high, especially in reading and writing, though these are improving. Pupils’ skills of comprehension and their understanding of the texts they read are not sufficiently well developed. This was evident in the most recent key stage 2 test results where reading results were particularly low when compared with results nationally.  Writing standards are variable, with some good examples of extended writing, for example in pupils’ writing journals, especially in key stage 2. However, progress in writing across the school is uneven and pupils do not get enough practice in writing longer pieces of work, including in other subjects across the curriculum.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not making consistently good progress. This includes, in particular, disadvantaged pupils who also have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The most able are not challenged consistently enough to ensure that they fully make

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

the good progress over time of which they are capable.  While pupils who speak English as an additional language and those from minority ethnic backgrounds are doing comparatively well, they could do better still. Nonetheless, pupils who are beginners in English develop their English language skills quickly. This enables them to make good progress in learning more widely.  In subjects across the curriculum such as science, history and geography, pupils are making good progress in developing their knowledge. They are not establishing as well the deeper understanding of the topics they are studying. This is because not enough emphasis is being placed on developing the skills to think through the topics they are covering, such as critical analysis, reasoning and questioning.  The school has accelerated pupils’ progress in mathematics. Leaders are developing a better understanding of number work and which method is best to solve the problems

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

pupils are working on. Pupils are making up for ground lost in the past. Leaders are well focused on getting pupils to work more quickly when solving problems.  The most able pupils in Years 5 and 6 are making strong progress in mathematics and are achieving high standards of work as a result. In other subjects and year groups, the most able pupils often work well and make reasonably good progress, but this is not consistent across the school or for all most-able pupils.  The most able disadvantaged pupils are making good progress and attaining expected or better standards. They often achieve better than others in the school. In national tests at the end of key stage 2, they performed particularly well in mathematics when compared to other most-able pupils nationally. In writing, their performance was in line with that of other most-able pupils nationally, and close to this group nationally in reading.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Standards in phonics are in line with the national average, and pupils make good progress in this area. Consequently, they make good progress in learning to read and are usually good at working out how to say words that are new to them when they come across them in their reading.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children do not develop their literacy and numeracy skills enough while in Reception and as a result are not sufficiently well prepared for Year 1.  Provision and teaching in the Reception classes do not provide challenging enough activities to help children make good progress in their early writing and number work. The most able children are not extended enough, especially to develop their reading to a higher level.  The outdoor area is not used as well as it could be to develop children’s reading, writing and numeracy skills in the Reception classes.  While there is a good range of practical activities, these are not planned in such a way as to provide deeper learning or to enable the most able children to get more from the activities in order to extend their thinking. In addition, adults do not use questioning consistently well to develop children’s thinking and learning in Reception.  Leadership of the early years has not ensured that expectations of staff and children in

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Early years provision Requires improvement

the Reception classes are high enough, especially in relation to the development of literacy and numeracy skills. School leaders are working with the early years leader to develop and improve leadership and provision.  The provision in Nursery is good, and children make good progress in their early development and learning. The activities provided are tailored carefully around the needs of individual children so that teachers can get the most out of them. This also means that the most able children in Nursery are challenged effectively and any disadvantaged children receive good support.  In Nursery, adults interact well with children and carefully extend their learning across all areas. The outdoor area is used well to promote children’s learning and make it interesting and exciting for them.  Across both Nursery and Reception, phonics is well taught so that children are learning effectively about the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they represent.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children also develop good personal and social skills across the early years and, in this respect, they are well prepared for the next stage of education. Children are welcoming, and readily talk about what they are doing.  Children behave well and enjoy the range of activities provided for them. They engage effectively with their learning, especially in Nursery where they all become very absorbed in the activities they are doing.  Children begin with skills, knowledge and understanding that are below the levels expected for their ages. By the end of Reception, their attainment remains below national expectations, especially in literacy and numeracy.  Children are safe in the early years because they are well looked after.  Links with parents are well established, and parents are keen to be involved in their children’s learning.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address ad.pipersvale.p@talk21.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–4 December 2014

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the pupil premium and sport premium funding.  Piper’s Vale is larger in size compared with other primary schools nationally. There are more girls than boys on roll, though this varies among different year groups.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average.  The majority of pupils are White British. However, a higher proportion are from minority ethnic backgrounds or speak English as an additional language compared with most schools nationally.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above average.  The school met the government’s floor standards for 2015. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics

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Information about this school

by the end of Year 6.  The school has just received confirmation that it can go ahead with plans to become an academy in April 2017. It will join an existing multi-academy trust when it becomes an academy.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed learning in all classes. A number of these observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other members of the senior leadership team, subject leaders and other middle leaders. They also met with the chair of the governing body and a parent governor, and a local authority officer.  Members of the inspection team spoke informally to pupils in lessons and around the school as well as holding discussions that were more formal with two groups of pupils.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading in lessons and by taking some out of lessons to check how well they were developing their reading skills.  In carrying out the inspection, the inspection team took account of 17 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View). One member of the team also spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team took account of the responses to an Ofsted questionnaire completed by 26 staff.  Members of the team observed the work of the school. They looked at the school’s improvement plan, a range of policies and procedures, documents relating to the work of the governing body and the arrangements for ensuring that pupils are safeguarded. Documentation reviewed included records of assessment information relating to pupils’ attainment and progress, behaviour and attendance. The school’s website was also checked.

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Inspection team

Gulshan Kayembe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Anne Fisher 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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