Morland Church of England VA Primary School

Morland Church of England VA Primary School Morland Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 0LH

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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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 Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have not fulfilled their duties to effectively safeguard pupils.  Governors have not held senior leaders to account; they have too readily accepted what leaders have told them. As a result, they do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.  Additional funding is not used effectively to improve the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.  Arrangements for the management of teachers’ performance have lacked rigour. Until recently, teachers have not been held to account for pupil outcomes.  Opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in subjects other than English are not well developed. As a result, progress is limited.  Pupils are not taught well enough to develop the skills they need to understand texts that are more difficult.  Teachers’ expectations of what the most able pupils should achieve are too low. As a result, not enough of them achieve higher levels in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

reading, writing and mathematics.  Early years provision requires improvement because children’s progress is not consistently good. Children, including the most able, are not always suitably challenged and assessment is not wholly accurate.  Some pupils do not take pride in their work or embrace the ‘Morland’ values.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The new headteacher has an accurate view of the main strengths and weaknesses of the school and has the support of the staff, governors and parents.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their attendance is consistently above the national average.  There is a wide range of opportunities offered to pupils to develop their social and cultural understanding.  The teaching of phonics is strong in key stage 1 and built on well in key stage 2.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Immediately improve safeguarding procedures and processes by ensuring that: – statutory guidance and all key documentation for safer recruitment are in place – personnel records and the single central record are appropriately managed and maintained – risk assessments are fit for purpose so that they identify potential risks and how they will be minimised – procedures for managing sensitive information are robust.  Improve leadership and management by: – increasing the leadership capacity at all levels and ensuring that all leaders fulfil their responsibilities – accurately evaluating the school’s performance – making sure that regular checks are made on the quality of teaching and learning and that timely action is taken to bring about improvement and eliminate gaps in pupils’ learning – ensuring that teachers give pupils high-quality, stimulating work that engages their interest and sets high expectations for what they can achieve

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– ensuring that core values become part of everyday life throughout the school – governors holding senior leaders to account and interrogating the information they receive about the school’s performance, including pupil progress and the quality of teaching – ensuring that leaders, including governors, monitor the impact of pupil premium funding so they can identify the difference this makes in improving the progress of disadvantaged pupils.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment by: – developing a consistent approach to the teaching of reading, and increasing pupils’ love of reading – ensuring that teachers give pupils sufficient opportunities to practise and develop their writing skills and ensure that the presentation of their written work is of a high quality – ensuring that the most able pupils, including most-able disadvantaged pupils, reach the higher standards by raising expectations of what they can achieve

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– improving the quality of teaching in early years so that more children make better progress in reading, writing and number. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders and governors have not ensured that all the statutory safeguarding requirements are met. Government guidelines to recruit staff safely have not been followed because not all references and identity checks were requested. The school’s single central record of checks on staff fails to meet requirements. Checks have not been made on teachers having the right to work in the UK.  Leaders’ evaluation of the quality of education is not accurate. This has reduced their ability to identify the precise priorities and plans necessary to improve the school. As a result, improvement has been limited.  The management of teachers’ performance has not been well organised. Teachers have not had targets linked to the school’s improvement priorities. As a result, they have not been held to account for the quality of teaching, or the outcomes achieved by pupils  Leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of teaching does not focus on the quality of pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

learning. Teachers are unsure about what they need to do to improve pupils’ progress.  The curriculum is not adapted to the needs of the pupils. Tasks are too often set which fail to engage or challenge pupils. Teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to practise their basic skills when they learn in a range of subjects. As a result, progress in all curriculum areas is limited.  Senior leaders do not use the additional pupil premium funding with sufficient precision. While the actions taken clearly make the school a more inclusive environment for disadvantaged pupils, the additional funding does not have sufficient impact on their achievement.  Although the new headteacher has an accurate understanding of the school’s current position and has made a number of improvements, it is too early to judge the impact of these actions.  Middle leaders responsible for key subjects within the school have a good

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

understanding of the actions needed to bring about improvement. However, they have not yet had sufficient impact on improving outcomes across all subjects.  The school offers a range of extra-curricular activities including residential trips and visits to places of interest. Music and drama are an integral part of the life of the school. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to take part in performances, and speak highly of their performing arts lessons. Their social and cultural understanding is developed well.  The school makes effective provision for pupils’ spiritual and moral development. It welcomes regular visits from the local clergy. Assemblies are an opportunity to display and discuss the ‘Morland values’ that include fundamental British values. There are also a range of opportunities throughout the week for pupils to discuss and explore a range of topical issues. This results in pupils being prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The school website is not monitored closely. Governors have not ensured that published policies are accurate or updated. There are no details of the phonics scheme the school follows or the reading scheme used at key stage 1.  The physical education (PE) and sports premium funding has been spent appropriately. It provides opportunities for pupils to participate in a wide variety of PE and sports events during the school day and after school. Pupils enjoy taking part in competitions with other schools.  The special educational needs coordinator ensures that all additional funding is spent effectively. Because of a change in the way that additional support is deployed, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are now making better progress from their starting points.  Only recently has support provided by the local authority been effective, for example in developing the outdoor environment in the early years and supporting the new

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

headteacher. Prior to this, advice and guidance from the local authority has either not been sought or heeded.  Parents are very positive about the work of the school. The majority who responded to the Ofsted parent view questionnaire would recommend the school to other parents.

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Governance of the school

 Governors do not monitor and evaluate the impact of their work effectively. The governing body does not yet have the necessary expertise to monitor the school’s work and hold the headteacher to account.  Governors have not ensured that the arrangements for safeguarding are effective. This has led to shortcomings in both the safer recruitment of staff and in implementing statutory safeguarding responsibilities.  Governors know how the pupil premium is spent. However, they are unsure about how well the funding is helping to make a difference to the achievement of pupils who are disadvantaged.  Recent changes to governance have resulted in individual governors providing more- focused support and challenge. Increasingly governors are not solely relying on the information the headteacher provides to ensure that they check the leaders’ work. For example, subject leaders are now invited to governors’ meetings to report on pupils’

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  The management of sensitive information lacks rigour and appropriate checking systems.  The school’s single central record of the checks made on staff and visitors is not kept in order and fails to meet requirements. Checks made on new members of staff are incomplete and do not always include obtaining references or identity checks regarding the right to work in the UK.  Leaders do not always ensure that appropriate risk assessments are undertaken when pupils take part in educational visits and activities away from the school site. As a result, not all potential risks are identified and understood.  Staff receive child protection training but it has not always been comprehensive. The designated lead for safeguarding is well supported by the pastoral manager. Procedures are now more secure to protect vulnerable pupils from harm.  Leaders work closely with other agencies and take timely action to act on concerns.

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Safeguarding

Systems within school for recording and storing information have now been strengthened.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is too variable. Pupils’ different starting points are not always taken into account, so expectations of what they can achieve are not high enough. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils.  Teachers are not routinely using assessment information to help them to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge or to help pupils practise and master key skills. Insufficient regard is given to what pupils already know and what they need to learn next. Progress in subjects other than English and mathematics is not monitored and evaluated effectively.  Teachers do not check pupils’ understanding in lessons thoroughly enough. This means that sometimes teachers do not pick up on pupils’ misconceptions or lack of understanding. As a result, some pupils, especially the most able, do not develop their skills and understanding as quickly as they could.  The curriculum does not inspire pupils to learn. Too often, pupils are given work to do

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

which does not challenge them. When activities do not engage their curiosity, pupils lose interest. This leads to a loss of concentration and so slows their learning. New opportunities to extend learning at home have been welcomed by parents and pupils, particularly those to explore topic work.  Teaching of science is improving. In key stage 1, examples of fair testing and practical work were observed. However, the science curriculum in key stage 2 lacks the challenge necessary to ensure that pupils make enough progress.  Additional staff are most effective when they are clear about their role and training has given them the knowledge to move pupils’ learning forwards. In some instances, a lack of training hinders their ability to support pupils’ progress.  Pupils’ reading skills are not developed well enough in key stage 2 and too few reach the highest standards. There are no clear expectations for how reading records are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

used or for how they are used to forge links with parents to promote reading at home. The most able pupils are reading texts that do not sufficiently challenge them to develop and use their skills.  The teaching of mathematics is variable. Recently, more problem-solving and reasoning activities have been introduced across the school and there is evidence of pupils successfully completing these tasks. However, there is also evidence that pupils continue completing similar calculations, often getting most correct, yet they are not moved on to attempt tasks that are more difficult.  Pupils in key stage 2 are not challenged to develop the quality of their handwriting because teachers do not meet the expectations set by the school’s handwriting policy. Pupils also make frequent spelling errors and do not use punctuation and grammar correctly. As a result, they are not developing the skills they need to write well quickly

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

enough. Opportunities to write at length are often limited to pupils’ work in literacy lessons.  Teachers have good subject knowledge of phonics. Consequently, all children and pupils achieve well in phonics. Older pupils who have not benefited from this expertise struggle more to read unfamiliar words so do not achieve as well in their reading.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Older pupils in key stage 2 have a good understanding of e-safety and the dangers associated with the misuse of the internet and social media sites. However, younger pupils in both key stages 1 and 2 are less confident in identifying the associated risks.  Pupils have an understanding of promoting equality and valuing diversity. Pupils are able to talk about how they should treat people who are different to themselves but reported that sometimes pupils in school do not respect each other.  Some pupils become prefects in Year 6 and take responsibilities around the school. However, there are limited opportunities for other pupils to develop their understanding of leadership skills.  Those pupils who spoke to inspectors, or replied to the online Ofsted survey, stated that they feel safe in school. They reported that adults deal effectively with issues such

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Personal development and welfare

as bullying when they are reported to them.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Most pupils behave appropriately in lessons. However, they lose concentration in lessons when the work is not challenging enough for them.  Pupils’ behaviour outside of the classroom is generally good. Most of them play together well in the playground and use the range of play equipment sensibly.  The school records incidents of unacceptable behaviour. While leaders keep appropriate records of such incidents, there is no detailed analysis of any trends in poor behaviour so that it can be addressed over time.  Pupils welcome visitors to their school. At times, some pupils do not display the respectful attitudes the school promotes.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and value their education. As a result, overall attendance is above the national average. Leaders and the pastoral care manager take a range of robust actions to support pupils and families to improve attendance where it is a

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Behaviour

concern. Leaders’ actions to improve punctuality have been less successful.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Pupils do not make strong enough progress. The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are not sufficiently challenged. As a result, too few of them reach the highest standards at the end of Year 2 or Year 6. In addition, those who fall behind do not catch up consistently well.  The number of children who reach a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has been below the national average for the past two years. Although there is an improving picture, there remains a significant difference between the achievements of different groups of children.  Pupils’ achievement in phonics has improved over the last two years. In 2016, the number of pupils who reached the expected standard in the national phonics screening check in Year 1 was above the national average. School records indicate a similar strong picture this year. Additionally, most pupils retaking the screening check in

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

Year 2 reached the expected standard.  At the end of key stage 1 in 2015, standards in reading and writing matched the national average. There was very little variation in the outcomes achieved by different groups of pupils. In 2016, standards fell for all pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders recognise they had not adapted to the increased demands of the national curriculum.  Current standards of work in the books of the Year 2 pupils indicate a pattern of improvement, particularly in writing. This is due to the focus on providing more stimulating reasons to write such as regular trips to local areas of interest and a structured approach to improving the range of vocabulary that the pupils use.  In 2015, pupils at the end of key stage 2 achieved above national average expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. All of the pupils made the expected progress in reading and writing and nearly all did so in mathematics. Over a third of the year group

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

exceeded the national standards. Disadvantaged pupils did similarly well.  Outcomes in 2016 were below the national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress was above the national expectations in reading and mathematics but below in writing. Writing has been a focus for the school and current standards of work show the number of pupils reaching the expected standard has risen. Current standards of work in the books of pupils in Year 6 indicate a pattern of improvement. However, too few pupils are writing at greater depth.  Information provided by the school shows that currently, in most year groups, pupils are making steady progress. The differences between the progress disadvantaged pupils make and the progress made by other pupils nationally are being diminished. However, in mathematics in Year 6, disadvantaged pupils are achieving less well than their peers are.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making better

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

progress from their starting points due to their needs being accurately identified and support being effectively targeted. The variable quality of teaching means that not all of them benefit from regular good-quality teaching that fully meets their needs.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Not enough children, including disadvantaged children, achieve a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year. Information provided by the school, supported by observations during the inspection, shows that just over half of the children have reached a good level of development. There are clear indications that provision and practice are improving in the early years. However, it is too early to see the impact of these actions on the proportion of children being well prepared for key stage 1.  The early years leader recognises the need to improve the quality of teaching, planning and assessment in the early years. More regular training, as well as focused support, has led to some improvements to the quality of teaching, particularly in the Reception classes.  The school’s baseline assessments indicate that children start school with levels of knowledge and skills below those typical for their age. The teaching of early reading

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Early years provision Requires improvement

and writing is not good enough to help the children catch up with other pupils’ nationally.  Adults communicate well with the children and ask relevant questions to determine children’s understanding. Sometimes adults do not reinforce learning and deepen children’s understanding further.  There are inconsistencies in the school’s assessment procedures, particularly in the Nursery. Staff have not yet developed an approach that provides an accurate picture of the progress children are making.  Children behave well, they work and play cooperatively. They are able to remain focused on tasks for sustained periods, cooperating well when undertaking small-group activities such as reading stories in the book corner, or playing basketball in the garden.  Children are happy. Relationships between adults and children are good and make a strong contribution to children’s enjoyment of their learning. Teachers and teaching

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Early years provision Requires improvement

assistants have established clear routines, which the children understand. As a result, children’s personal and social skills are well developed across the early years.  The outdoor environment, although limited in size, is now being utilised more effectively. This is resulting in increased learning opportunities to develop children’s writing and language skills.  All staff receive appropriate safeguarding training so they know what to do if they have any concerns about a child.  The school reinforces positive links between school and home by encouraging parents to share their children’s successes at home with school staff. This enables staff to celebrate the children’s achievements at school and children to develop positive self- esteem.

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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 admin@morland.suffolk.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well below average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to the national average.  Children attend two part-time Nursery classes and two full-time Reception classes. The vast majority of children transfer from Nursery to the Reception class.  No pupils attend any alternative form of education away from the school site.  The visit is the first section 5 inspection carried out since the school became a voluntary aided school in September 2014.  The new headteacher was appointed in April 2017 and had been in post for seven weeks at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the names of any phonics or reading schemes used in key stage 1 on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors spent time in lessons in all phases of the school. Some observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors scrutinised a number of pupils’ books while in lessons and looked at sample collections in more detail.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils from different abilities and backgrounds to discuss their learning and views about the school.  Inspectors listened to pupils read from every year group and discussed their reading with them.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s own self- evaluation, pupils’ performance information, school improvement planning, minutes of meetings of the governing body, external reviews, documents relating to safeguarding, the school’s own monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning, and attendance records.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, mathematics and

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Information about this inspection

English leaders, inclusion and safeguarding leaders, and the early years leader.  Inspectors spoke on the phone to the chair of governors and met with the safeguarding governor.  Inspectors met with pupils and talked to parents. They considered 47 text messages parents had sent to Ofsted. They also considered 15 responses from pupils, 36 from parents and 24 from staff to Ofsted’s online questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Liz Chaplin, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kay Tims 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

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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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