Coleridge Primary School

Inspection Report Coleridge Primary School

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106837 Unique Reference Number Rotherham Local Authority 287620 Inspection number 7 °8 February 2007 Inspection dates Alan Hardwicke Reporting inspector

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

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Coleridge Road School address Primary Type of school Rotherham Community School category South Yorkshire S65 1LW 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01709 828988 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01709 829409 Fax number 205 Number on roll (school) Mr David Catherall Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs M Leather Headteacher 26 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287620 7 °8 February 2007 3°11 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Coleridge Primary is an average sized school which moved into new, purpose-built accommodation in September 2006. Most of its pupils are of White British origin. Recently, there has been an increase in the numbers of pupils from Eastern Europe. These pupils have a range of language and literacy needs. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is much higher than in most schools. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is also high. The school has held the ActiveMark award for sports for several years. A new children's centre will be opening shortly on the school site, providing a range of services for children before they enter the Foundation Stage.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Coleridge is a good school which provides good value for money. Improvement since the last inspection has been good and the school is now well placed to make further improvement. This is because of its good leadership and management. All managers have a clear, shared understanding of how to improve standards and provide for the varied needs of pupils. Children start school with standards that, overall, are well below the levels expected nationally and their social and literacy skills are particularly low. Good provision in the Foundation Stage gets them off to a solid start, particularly in their communication skills; overall, this good progress continues right through the school. By the end of Year 6, standards are just below average in English and mathematics, but not enough pupils reach high standards. The good achievement overall is because of good teaching. Teachers' marking, however, is variable, and does not always make clear how well

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Grade: 2

pupils are doing or how they can improve. The school works outstandingly well in partnership with others to promote pupils' well-being. Personal development is good. Because of the school's commitment to pupils' families, and all those who live around the school, pupils are able to make outstanding contributions to the community. The school council was actively involved in developing the new building; for instance, in consulting and deciding on facilities and colour schemes. Pupils learn to be considerate and quickly become courteous and well behaved. They develop a good understanding of world cultures. Pupils' opinions and ideas are sought and acted upon. This inclusion helps them all to become confident. Pupils feel safe and harmonious relationships are the norm. However, a significant minority of pupils regularly comes to school late and this has a negative effect on their achievement. As yet, strategies for improving punctuality are not sufficiently effective.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Recent improvements in information and communication technology ensure that it helps pupils' learning in many subjects. Visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities enrich the basic curriculum and contribute well to pupils' personal development. Safety is a high priority and pupils are well cared for. The school knows itself well and evaluates its performance accurately.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English and mathematics so that more pupils attain the higher levels. • Ensure that the marking of pupils' work gives them clear guidance on how well they are doing and what they should do next to improve. • Improve pupils' punctuality so that all can take full advantage of learning opportunities. 2 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Grade: 2

When they start school in the Foundation Stage, the attainment of most children is well below average, particularly in social and literacy skills. They make good progress throughout the school to achieve standards which are just below average by the end of Year 6. Achievement is good throughout the school for all groups of pupils, apart from higher attainers. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language are fully included and this helps them to achieve well. The school has responded well to the recent arrival of Eastern European children with limited language and literacy skills, providing them with appropriate support. In national tests at the end of Year 6, standards have very largely been just below the national average for several years. The current Year 6 pupils are on track to meet or exceed the challenging targets set for them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy coming to school very much. They settle down well and quickly learn the school's Golden Rules. They usually behave well and respond positively to encouragement. They are eager to learn and persevere very well with activities. They are particularly good at working together as 'talking and learning partners'. Attendance levels are satisfactory and improving but a small minority of pupils persistently arrives late for school. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall with social development outstanding, as reflected in the first-class relationships forged between pupils and with adults. Pupils have an increasing knowledge of healthy lifestyles and embrace the new healthy eating options provided by the school. They recognise hazards to their safety because the school provides lots of visits and visitors to reinforce safety messages. Senior leaders actively encourage pupils to work together to advise in the day-to-day running

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Grade: 2

of the school. Empowering others is a strength of leadership that extends to pupils. They grasp every opportunity, even consulting and choosing colour schemes throughout the new building. 'Peer mediators' have recently been introduced to encourage pupils to help each other even more. They take their duties very seriously and have a very positive impact on the orderly nature of the school and playground. Such skills make an invaluable contribution to pupils' future well-being.

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Grade: 2

There quality of teaching and learning is strong throughout the school, although its effect on raising attainment, particularly for more able children, has yet to be fully felt. Teachers are good at encouraging positive attitudes. Very thorough planning and 3 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007 the particularly good relationships teachers and other adults have with children ensure that lessons are interesting and enjoyable and that pupils' behaviour is good. Pupils particularly appreciate opportunities to learn outside the classroom, on residential visits or planned projects outdoors. One child said, 'I really enjoyed the trip to Salcombe, we all got really wet!' Teachers in the Foundation Stage make very good use of the outside environment to offer a large variety of well-resourced activities. These encourage young children to learn well across all six areas of learning. All teachers

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Grade: 2

regularly assess their pupils' learning. The school is very good at drawing on the resources provided from outside agencies, such as the local Education Action Zone and the Multi Agency Support Team, who can provide appropriate in-class and individual and/or group teaching support. Such teaching is skilfully focussed on meeting individual needs and boosts the performance of the pupils involved.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well balanced with a rich variety of experiences. The basic curriculum is enriched by a very good, high quality variety of after school clubs and activities. Residential trips are particular favourites among pupils and offer valuable opportunities of new activities and social settings. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported. Teaching assistants and other specialist staff, some from outside agencies, provide these pupils with daily opportunities to learn with their peers. They make equally good progress. Similarly, there is good provision for pupils for whom English is an additional language. The school's quick response to the changing composition of this group has been exemplary. The Education Action Zone provides a good programme for gifted and talented children.

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Grade: 2

This is a caring school where pupils are given good guidance and support. The school works very well with outside agencies to ensure that consistent care and support is given. Robust systems have been developed to support the needs of pupils, their families and the local community. The school works outstandingly well with parents and other agencies. Pupils say they feel safe and happy in school and, because of the very good pastoral care provided, pupils behave well and develop positive attitudes to their work. All aspects of child protection, risk assessment procedures and other health and safety measures are in place. Academic support and guidance are good overall although, in some classes, marking of work does not give pupils a clear idea of how well they are doing or what they need to do next in order to improve. Targets in English and mathematics are clearly set and pupils are regularly asked to check if they

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Grade: 2

are meeting them. 4 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Grade: 2

The keynote of the school's leadership and management is teamwork. The senior leadership team work very well together and have been successful in promoting a shared commitment to the well-being of every child. The school was too modest in its evaluation of leadership and management. Leadership is good overall. It has been consistent and rigorous. The school's motto of 'It takes a community to raise a child' is embodied in all its work. The imminent opening of the children's centre has been very well planned for, in order to extend the school's commitment to care. The school's managers have worked methodically to build systems which enable them to identify areas for improvement. The school is part of a local Education Action Zone and the well-planned use of this link has provided good benefits to pupils. The period during which the old school was demolished and the new one built presented a considerable challenge to the school's managers. Disruption to pupils' learning was

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Grade: 2

successfully minimised and learning opportunities well used. The governing body carries out its statutory duties conscientiously. It is working to develop its role as 'critical friend' of the school and has increased the amount of time spent by governors in school. Recently, however, opportunities for governors to go on training courses have been limited and the need for more training is recognised. 5 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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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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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 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 disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

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. 7 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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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 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can 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? 8 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school and for telling us about all the interesting things you do. Yours is a good school where all the teachers and other staff work hard to make your lessons interesting and enjoyable. Because you like your lessons and work hard, most of you do well in your work. We thought the way you helped to decide how to make your new school more attractive was very good. You know how healthy eating and exercise are good for you. You told us you enjoy the visits you go on and the visitors who come into school. Your mums, dads, carers and other people who live nearby think that your school is good, and we agree with them. You understand the Golden Rules and this helps you behave well in lessons and around the school. There are lots of ways for you to become more responsible as you get older, such as being a peer mentor or a school councillor. All these things make your school a good place in

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

which to learn. We have asked your teachers to help you do even better and reach even higher standards, particularly in English and mathematics. We also want them to help you, when they mark your books, by always telling you what to do to improve your work. You can help, too, by thinking about how hard you are working and whether you can do even better. There is another thing that some of you can do and that is to come to school on time every day. Don't forget - if you come late you can miss all sorts of important and interesting things! 9 Inspection Report: Coleridge Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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