Corinthian Community Primary School

Inspection Report Corinthian Community Primary School

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104530 Unique Reference Number Liverpool LEA 277176 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 Inspection dates Ms Sara Morrissey HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Inigo Road School address Primary Type of school Liverpool Community School category Merseyside L13 6SH 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0151 2285806 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0151 2803243 Fax number 408 Number on roll Mr J Stone Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr G Crockett Headteacher 29 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277176 19 October 2005 - 3 to 11 20 October 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Corinthian Community Primary school is larger than average with 394 pupils on roll aged between 3 and 11. Most pupils come from the Old Swan and Broadgreen areas of Liverpool. The vast majority of pupils come from white British backgrounds and English is an additional language for only a small number. The proportion of pupils with additional learning needs is broadly average and a lower than average number have statements of special educational need. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is slightly above average. Since the last inspection, the school has experienced significant changes in its senior leadership and an extensive building programme has improved facilities for pupils. A Children Centre is currently being built to complete plans for an extended primary school from September 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Corinthian Community Primary is a good school, offering outstanding provision for pupils' personal development and well-being. The headteacher leads the school well and has generated a shared purpose amongst all staff to ensure that pupils become confident learners who enjoy coming to school. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses and school leaders have worked hard to ensure that pupils achieve well. As a result, standards have improved and are above average by the time the pupils complete Year 6. Pupils are well cared for and supported. Provision for social, moral, spiritual and cultural education is outstanding, strengthened by the wide variety of extra-curricular activities. The quality of teaching is good overall, although the school is aware that there are areas for improvement. Senior leaders recognise that teachers' assessments are not consistently accurate across the school and that information

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Grade: 2

collected about pupils is not always well used to help teachers plan lessons and check that all pupils make good enough progress. The Foundation Stage provides a good start to the pupils' education; they gain good social and learning skills as a result of a rich and well delivered curriculum. Overall, the school has improved since the last inspection, gives good value for money and is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils' attainment in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 1 is assessed accurately. • Use information about pupils more consistently to support planning and to check that all make good enough progress as they move through the school. • Act swiftly to tackle the weaknesses identified in the quality of teaching to bring it in line with the best.

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Grade: 2

Standards achieved by pupils have improved since the last inspection and are above average by the time they leave school. Senior leaders have identified teachers' assessment of pupils' attainment at the end of the Foundation Stage to have been too generous in the past. This explains the apparent underachievement, particularly in writing and mathematics, at the end of Key Stage 1. In lessons, pupils make at least satisfactory progress by the end of Year 2 from starting points that are below average overall. Most pupils make good progress during Key Stage 2 and the overall trend shows that standards have improved every year since the last inspection except in 2004 when results were lower than expected. Results achieved in 2005 show that the school exceeded its targets, reaching standards that are above national averages and the best ever achieved. Pupils with additional learning needs make very good progress

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Grade: 2

and the proportion of pupils achieving higher levels has improved in mathematics and science, although in English, standards are lower as writing remains a weakness. 2 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils enjoy coming to school; they feel safe and confident in the support that they receive. Pupils get on well together and there is mutual respect between adults and pupils, who respond positively to teachers' consistent expectations of behaviour. Attendance is satisfactory but the school recognises that too many pupils take holidays during term time and is working with parents to remedy this situation. Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is outstanding. Pupils gain in self-confidence, social skills and an understanding of life beyond school as a result of the wide range of opportunities that are provided such as residential visits including trips abroad. Healthy eating is encouraged and the school has the Liverpool Healthy Schools and the Sport England Active Mark Gold awards in recognition of its very good provision for encouraging

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Grade: 1

children's development of healthy lifestyles. There is a strong sense of community in the school because pupils are given opportunities to contribute positively to it and the wider community. Pupils are proud to be members of the school council and believe that they have a voice in school matters that will be heard.

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Grade: 2

The school has accurately identified the strengths in teaching and learning, and areas that need to be stronger. Two teachers have been trained as lead learners and good practice is shared across the school. Where teaching is good, teachers' subject knowledge means they teach confidently and adjust the style as necessary to carry learners along in an enjoyable and productive way. Teachers ensure that those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have work very well matched to their requirements. Resources, including information and communication technology (ICT) are used effectively to support learning. As a result, standards achieved by pupils have improved since the last inspection and are above average. Where teaching and learning are not as effective, the challenge for pupils to succeed is not as strong, particularly for the more able. This is because information about pupils is not used consistently

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Grade: 2

to help teachers' planning or to check that pupils make good enough progress over time. The school is rightly focusing its attention on improving pupils' achievement in writing and is also taking steps to help them become more independent learners by self-checking their work. The school also realises that approaches to teaching reading and writing, for example, have varied in the past between Key Stages 1 and 2, partly because the pupils have been taught on different sites. This is now improving. The school has begun to ensure that its satisfactory assessment approaches are strengthened, by examining how accurately teachers assess pupils' levels in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 in comparison with national expectations. 3 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

The curriculum meets requirements and is designed to offer all children the opportunity to succeed. Gifted and talented pupils have specific opportunities to extend their learning, for example, specialist support helps them to excel in music. Governors are reviewing their policy on sex and relationships education but, in the meantime, lessons in personal, social, health and citizenship education and science contribute very well to pupils keeping healthy and safe. An extensive range of sporting opportunities builds pupils' self-esteem and confidence as learners. Visits out of school, visitors and residential trips enrich the curriculum extremely well. Pupils enthusiastically take part in activities in the community and beyond, regularly raising over ¯1,000 on each occasion for a good number of charities. They enjoy the opportunity to be involved in projects which develop their teamwork and independence. Very close links with

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Grade: 2

local high schools help pupils to see their education as a continuous process.

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Grade: 2

Care and support are central to everything that the school does and pupils benefit greatly. Parents rightly speak highly of the school's care for their children and value their partnerships with the school. Breakfast and after-school clubs contribute to high quality care that pupils appreciate. Child protection procedures are good; risk assessments are thorough. Very good links with outside agencies help to meet children's diverse needs. Classroom support assistants are effective in promoting progress, although in some lessons their skills are not consistently used to best advantage. Well established links with secondary schools help prepare pupils for the next stage of their education. Although guidance is good overall, assessment procedures are not consistently accurate enough to support planning. Consequently, individual targets for learning and feedback to pupils about the quality of their work do not always give

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Grade: 2

them clear guidance about how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has led the school well through a period of significant change in senior leadership and accommodation, with good support from the deputy headteacher. He has provided clear direction to ensure that pupils are well cared for and supported, creating a climate in which they feel safe and confident to take responsibility for their learning. The headteacher understands the strengths and weaknesses of the school; he has accurately identified priorities and associated training needs to support school improvement. His effective management of an extensive building programme has improved the quality of the learning environment, which is appreciated by both parents and pupils. 4 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 Subject leaders understand their responsibilities, although not all have developed the skills to fulfil them. They do not all have an accurate picture of achievement across

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Grade: 2

the school because information collected about pupils has not been used consistently to check their progress. Recently appointed Foundation Stage managers have accurately identified priorities for action to tackle inconsistencies in the initial assessment of pupils. The governing body knows the school well and has worked closely with the headteacher to plan strategically so that changes have been managed effectively and for the benefit of the pupils. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within the school because of the links that they have established with different subject areas and by holding the school to account through monitoring the school improvement plan. The school has a clear vision for its future and has good capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Overall

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

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for welcoming us to your school, we enjoyed our visit and were very pleased to be able to talk to so many of you about your work and what it is like to be a pupil at your school. We were impressed by how friendly staff and pupils were and that everyone seemed to enjoy being at school. We also admired your new buildings which help make the school a bright and cheerful place in which to learn. Your school does a number of things well and I have listed them below. - Your teachers have worked hard to ensure that you do well by the time you reach the end of Year 6. - Your teachers care for you very well and make the school a safe place to be - your parents' letters tell us that they share this view. - Teaching in your school is generally good which makes learning enjoyable. - Your curriculum is interesting and, as you told us, the extra events and activities arranged by the school are popular with many of you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

- Your school is led well and everyone, including the governors, is committed to doing their best for you. The purpose of the inspection is to help your school improve. We have agreed with your school that there are some areas where improvement is needed. These are to make sure that: - all teachers know exactly how much each of you understand and know - information about you is used by all teachers to check how well you are doing and plan to help you learn even more successfully - all lessons are taught as well as the best ones so that you are always challenged to do as well as you can in interesting and helpful ways.

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