Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School

Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School Inspection report

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131113 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire Local Authority 328554 Inspection number 15 July 2009 Inspection date Colin Lee Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 124 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Robert Dewsbury Chair Craig Gibbens Headteacher 1 July 2007 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Broadcloth Lane School address Trowbridge BA14 7HE 01225 355511 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 15 July 2009 Inspection date 328554 Inspection number 01225 355512 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 15 July 2009 Inspection date 328554 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is smaller than an average primary school. The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds, with 16% from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. More than half of the pupils have some form of learning difficulty and/or disability, including significant numbers with profound and multiple learning difficulties or behavioural, social and emotional problems. This proportion is well above the national average, as is the proportion eligible for free school meals. The school makes provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in its Reception class. There is an independent pre-school on site.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. It is maintaining a steady improvement in the quality of education it provides and has several good features. These include the pupils' personal development and well-being and the care, guidance and support provided for pupils and families. The headteacher leads the school well and his drive and enthusiasm have created a strong sense of teamwork. The collective determination to move the school forward is shared by the pupils. Many of the older pupils in particular talk about how the school has improved while they have been there and they are right. They are justly proud of the efforts they are making to improve things like their progress, their behaviour and the school environment. Pupils generally achieve satisfactorily in relation to their starting points. These are well below the expected levels when they enter the Early Years Foundation Stage. The high proportion in

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Grade: 3

each year group with learning difficulties and/or disabilities affects the overall picture of achievement and standards. This is the case in the current Year 6, where standards are well below average in English and mathematics and below average in science. This has temporarily slowed down the school's good improvement in national test results in recent years. Nevertheless, it represents satisfactory progress for a group of pupils who slightly exceeded the targets set for them. Targets for all year groups are challenging and based on the high expectations that the school has of the progress that pupils should make each year. This means that across the school as a whole there is a gradual improvement in basic skills which, alongside good social development and experience of enterprise-related activities, prepares pupils satisfactorily for the next stage in their education and for their future lives.

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Grade: 3

The good outcomes in pupils' personal development and well-being reflect the strong emphasis placed on pupils' personal, social, health and citizenship education. Pupils' enjoyment of school is obvious. Behaviour and relationships are good. Pupils thrive on responsibility and the opportunities they have to make a difference to their community. Their contribution to both the school and the local community is good. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Some aspects are good and even outstanding, but inconsistencies in other areas are slowing down some pupils' progress. Teachers and teaching assistants work well together and the work of teaching assistants is a significant reason for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities making good progress. Standards and achievement are highest in science. This is due to teachers providing practical tasks for small groups, with an emphasis on pupils applying their knowledge, working together to plan their

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Grade: 3

work and solve problems. This matches the general approach to learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. In both cases there is significant progress in pupils' speaking and listening skills, which are very weak when children start school. In contrast, there are too few planned opportunities for pupils to develop speaking and listening in other subjects. This is holding back some pupils' achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. Within a curriculum that is satisfactory overall, teachers are starting to plan activities for pupils to develop basic literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects but this provision is inconsistent. There is also variation in teachers' planning of work that is sufficiently challenging for the comparatively few more able pupils. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall, with subject leaders and the governing body becoming more involved and effective in their contribution to strategic planning. The

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Grade: 3

school has made significant progress since the removal of special measures in July 2007, which 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009 points to good capacity for further improvement and an ability to sustain the success with which it has addressed areas for development identified by the previous inspection.

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Grade: 3

A rigorous induction process enables children to settle quickly into early routines. Staff work closely together and parents and carers say how they appreciate the strong home-school partnership that fully involves them. There is appropriate concern for children's welfare and this age group is satisfactorily led and managed. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with knowledge and skills generally far lower than the levels expected of four-year-olds. They make satisfactory progress overall and good progress in speaking, listening and social skills. They leave the Early Years Foundation Stage well below average in aspects of their language and mathematical development but they are close to reaching average standards in the other areas of learning. Behaviour is good and children develop very positive attitudes to work which are reflected in their obvious enjoyment of everything they do. They talk enthusiastically about their experiences.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum provides a satisfactory balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities, although the children have too few opportunities to be actively involved in planning their own learning. Systematic observations and assessments of children's learning are used effectively to plan the next steps for each child.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Plan the development of pupils' speaking and listening skills in order to provide a foundation for further improvement in reading and writing. ■ Raise standards in English and mathematics by giving more opportunities for literacy and numeracy skills to be applied in other subjects. ■ Improve the achievement of more able pupils by ensuring they work on tasks with suitable challenge. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory, but which have areas of underperformance, will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Past variations between year groups in rates of progress are gradually being eliminated. Improved tracking of pupils' progress and learning is producing a quick response to any situations where individuals are falling behind. This checking of progress and taking action to help pupils catch up is smoothing out the rate of progress over time. It is also helping more pupils to achieve the challenging rate of annual progress that the school expects and to get nearer to the standards expected of those of their age. There is still work to do. Reading and writing are held back by weaknesses in pupils' spoken language. Where there is strong emphasis on subject vocabulary, as in science throughout the school, progress is good and writing standards are improving rapidly. Some teachers place a similar focus on mathematical language, with plenty of opportunities for pupils to talk to partners about, for example, how they arrive at answers

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Grade: 3

to calculations and this also helps progress. This, however, is not consistent and neither is the provision of activities such as problem solving that help the application of mathematical 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009 knowledge. The more able pupils in particular are held back by not having this type of extension activity.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are very appreciative of the fact that their views are listened to. At one time, many felt that too many other pupils did not behave well enough. This has now changed. They are encouraged to think for themselves about their relationships with each other and the behaviour code that they want everyone to keep to. The vast majority try hard to behave well and this is seen in the positive attitudes to learning in lessons and their enjoyment of school. Another strength is pupils' cultural development. This is particularly good because they have many opportunities to learn about their own and other cultures. They are very well prepared for life in a multicultural society. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. Their understanding of safe practices in and out of school is similarly good. Attendance is satisfactory. Many pupils have a good record but the persistent absences of a small number of pupils keep

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Grade: 2

the attendance rate below average. The school council rightly feels it is making a difference to the school. Many pupils say how much they appreciate their views being listened to. They also welcome their frequent involvement in local community events, such as taking part in local festivities and charity fund-raising events.

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Grade: 3

There are variations in the quality of teaching and learning across the school. Where weaknesses are specific to individual teachers, effective monitoring and guidance by senior staff is gradually increasing these teachers' effectiveness. Teachers ensure that the purpose of lessons and key learning objectives are explained and understood by pupils. Targets are set for individual pupils in literacy and numeracy. Pupils are generally well motivated by these targets but they are not referred to often enough by some teachers while the pupils are working. From an early age, pupils are encouraged to reflect on the quality of their own and others' work. They do this constructively, recognising good features and suggesting where improvement is possible. Such self and peer assessment is often perceptive. It is a good feature of the quality of learning and contributes well to the pupils' overall progress. Pupils' work is generally matched satisfactorily

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Grade: 3

to the needs of pupils of different abilities, although some more able pupils are not being moved quickly enough on to work that is sufficiently challenging.

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Grade: 3

Pupils are taught a broad, balanced curriculum. Many aspects of the curriculum are used successfully to promote aspects of personal development such as knowledge about healthy lifestyles and cultural development. There are plans to make learning more exciting and interesting for pupils by linking subjects together in topics. This planning, which includes opportunities for literacy and numeracy skills to be applied and developed in topic work and other subjects, has been completed but is not yet being implemented sufficiently. There is better use of information and communication technology (ICT) across the curriculum, resulting in good ICT skill development. The curriculum is enriched well by regular educational visits and 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009 theme days and there is a good range of popular clubs providing learning opportunities outside the school day. The curriculum is also enhanced by input from visiting specialists such as sports

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Grade: 3

coaches and artists. Pupils' work in the creative arts is particularly enriched by these experiences and pupils talk with pride about the large murals they have painted around the school.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good pastoral care for its pupils. Safeguarding procedures comply with all requirements. Risk assessments and child protection procedures are rigorous. Pupils say they feel safe in school and all members of the school community show the high levels of concern for pupils' welfare. This support contributes significantly to pupils' learning and personal development. The school also works tirelessly to provide pastoral care where it can support a family. Many strategies are used successfully to support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and meet their often complex needs. There is also good support for the few pupils at an early stage of learning English, both within the school and from outside agencies. Good academic guidance is based on thorough assessment and tracking of pupils' progress. For all pupils, the guidance provided by marking of their work is detailed and informative. This

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Grade: 2

gives pupils clear indicators of how their work can be improved.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher's drive and determination are motivational for all members of the school community. They share his clear view of the school's strengths and areas for development. The school's self-evaluation judgements are largely accurate, suggesting the school knows itself well. The governing body now has a stability that has been lacking in the past. This, together with the new chairperson's purposeful leadership, is enabling governors to become increasingly involved in monitoring and evaluating the school's performance. Although each member of staff has a range of responsibilities for subjects and areas of work, a new approach to subject leadership is being trialled. Staff work in small teams to collectively review provision in a group of subjects and plan for improvement. This shares staff workloads effectively but, being a new arrangement, is only just starting to show impact on pupils' achievement and standards. The

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Grade: 3

school recognises the need to link action plans for a subject's development more closely to the main targets in the school improvement plan. The school benefits from many productive partnerships with educational and community organisations. There is a strong commitment to community cohesion that impacts well on the pupils' understanding of the contribution they can make to the school, local, national and international communities. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 July 2009 Dear Children Inspection of Longmeadow Primary School, Trowbridge BA14 7HE Thank you for making us welcome in your school and for talking with us so willingly. We thoroughly enjoyed joining you in lessons and seeing you at work. We think your school gives you a satisfactory education overall and some things are good. This is what we particularly appreciated.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Most of you are making at least satisfactory progress and you are doing especially good work in science. ■ You behave well in lessons and at play and lunchtimes.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You understand well the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You say how much you enjoy the opportunities you have to take on responsibility, such as being a school councillor or working together to paint the murals, and this is a good contribution to the life of the school. ■ You make a good contribution to your local community and this is appreciated by people in the neighbourhood. ■ You say you feel safe in school and this is because all the adults do a good job in looking after you and making sure that you are safe and get help whenever you need it. ■ The headteacher leads the school well and all the adults, including the governors, are working hard to improve the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ We have three recommendations to help your school to get even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You need more opportunities to practise speaking and listening.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Lessons in many subjects can be used more for you to improve your literacy and numeracy skills. ■ We want those of you who find work easy to be given even harder work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We hope you will carry on enjoying learning and helping your teachers to make Longmeadow Primary an even better school. Yours faithfully Colin Lee Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School, 15 July 2009

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