Corinthian Community Primary School

Corinthian Community Primary School Inspection report

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104530 Unique Reference Number Liverpool Local Authority 324067 Inspection number 18 November 2008 Inspection date Gill Jones HMI 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 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 400 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 58 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr J Stone Chair Mr G Crockett Headteacher 19 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Inigo Road School address Liverpool Merseyside L13 6SH

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3–11 Age group 18 November 2008 Inspection date 324067 Inspection number 0151 2285806 Telephone number 0151 2803243 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 18 November 2008 Inspection date 324067 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 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and one Additional Inspector. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: pupils' achievement; their personal development and well-being; the quality of care, guidance and support; and the effectiveness of the leadership and management. Evidence was gathered from: observing lessons; scrutinising school documentation and questionnaires completed by parents; and through discussions with children, governors, staff and the headteacher. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors found evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were justified. Such assessments have been included, where appropriate, in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average sized primary school situated in the suburbs of Liverpool. Most pupils who attend the school live locally in Tuebrook and Old Swan. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals is above the national average. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. A very small number of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. None is at the early stage of learning English. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below the national average. A very small number of these have a statement of special educational need. The school operates on two separate sites. The school's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS Ä Nursery and Reception) and the new Stoneycroft Children's Centre are on one site; Years 1 to 6 on the other. A new deputy headteacher started in September 2008. The school was without a deputy headteacher for the previous year. The school has gained several national awards,

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Description of the school

which include National Healthy Schools status, the Sports England Activemark and the Basic Skills Award. The school provides a breakfast, after-school and holiday club called 'Kids in Bloom'. A separate inspection report for this provision is on the Ofsted website.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Grade: 2

Corinthian Community Primary School is a good school. It has made steady improvement since the last inspection, particularly in the EYFS, which has benefited from the impact of the new, well resourced children's centre. Pupils achieve well. From starting points which are generally below average when they start school, most pupils leave at the end of Year 6 with standards that are above those reached nationally by 11-year-olds. Pupils are friendly and well mannered; they are proud of their school. Parents appreciate the excellent pastoral care provided by staff, saying the school helps their children to grow in confidence. The senior leadership team has been strengthened recently by the appointment of the new deputy headteacher. The headteacher and deputy headteacher work well together and share a clear vision for improvement. Staff are supportive of the new leadership team and relationships are good. The facilities in the children's centre are being used effectively for children and

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Grade: 2

families identified as needing additional support. Parents say that teachers are approachable and that their children are happy at school. Since the last inspection, the school has been successful in improving attendance to a satisfactory level. The school meets all the current statutory requirements to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of its pupils. Pupils' well-being and personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. They have positive attitudes and their behaviour in and around the school is good. Pupils contribute well to the local community, for example, through fundraising and singing at local community homes. The school council is effective and pupils influence decisions that are made, such as alterations to the playground. Pupils say they feel safe in school. They report occasional bullying, but say it is dealt with swiftly and fairly by staff. Pupils

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Grade: 2

are very clear about what is right and wrong and appreciate the good discipline in the school. The standards reached by pupils at the end of Year 6 have been above the national average since the last inspection. The school's information on the standards reached in 2008 shows they have dipped slightly. The leadership has identified the reasons for this and is taking appropriate action. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have been broadly in line with those expected nationally for seven-year-olds for the past three years. This represents good achievement. However, the proportion of pupils who reach the higher level (Level 3) is below that found nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. The quality of teaching is good. Teachers set high expectations for behaviour and academic achievement. Lessons are interesting and pupils are keen to learn. Excellent relationships between staff and pupils are a strong feature. Teachers use humour skilfully to engage pupils'

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Grade: 2

interest. In the best lessons staff explain the work clearly, set appropriate time limits and work alongside pupils well. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported effectively by teaching assistants. Where teaching is satisfactory, the pace of learning is slowed because pupils spend too much time listening to the teacher rather than practising their skills. Sometimes the work set does not always provide sufficient challenge for the more able pupils in particular. Teachers mark pupils' work regularly and pupils appreciate the positive comments they receive. However, not enough of the marking shows pupils how to improve their work and links are not often made to their learning targets. The school provides an excellent range of activities to enrich its good curriculum. Pupils appreciate the visits to the theatre, the drama groups and the residential visit to Colomendy. An excellent range of extra-curricular sports clubs is well supported by pupils and enhances

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Grade: 2

5 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008 their understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. The curriculum meets current statutory requirements and French is taught in all classes. An appropriate emphasis is placed on learning the basic skills in English and mathematics. In some subjects, particularly science, history and geography, an over-reliance on worksheets reduces the opportunities for pupils to practise their writing. They are not able to show teachers what they already know and, as a consequence, teachers' planning is not always focused sharply enough on meeting pupils' learning needs. Governors are committed to the school and the recent reorganisation of the committee structure is a positive step towards improving their knowledge. However, governors are not yet fully effective in holding the school to account. Partly, this is because the information they receive

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Grade: 2

does not always reflect the school's true priorities. For example, although underachievement in reading has been identified by the school in more than one year group, this is not explicit in the school improvement plan. Subject leaders are keen to improve pupils' achievement in their subject areas, but they do not yet use all the information available to them to ensure that all pupils make good progress in their subject areas. The school has made effective partnerships with other schools to improve the range of opportunities for its pupils. Community cohesion is well supported through effective use of the children's centre as a base for family learning activities. However, there are limited opportunities for staff to share and learn from the good practice found in the school, for example, from the EYFS. The overall good achievement of the pupils, together with the improvements made since the last inspection, demonstrate that the school continues to have a good capacity to improve.

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Grade: 2

Children start the EYFS (Nursery and Reception classes) at ages three and four with skills and abilities that are generally below those expected nationally. They quickly become confident learners and are happy to use all the excellent facilities, indoors and outdoors, available to them. After two years in the EYFS, most children have made good progress and are well prepared to start the National Curriculum in Year 1. Staff know children well and use their knowledge effectively to plan a curriculum that excites and engages their interest. Children are provided with a good range of opportunities to learn the basic skills in reading, writing and number through imaginative and creative play. Staff support children's learning well, questioning effectively to develop children's skills and understanding. Some children in Reception are already writing their numbers and letters well and are able to spell simple words. Assessment is good. Pictures of the children at work and

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Grade: 2

play are shared with parents in an achievement book. Parents are encouraged to keep a record of children's learning at home and share it with the school. Staff work well together and relationships are good. Opportunities for children to visit the main part of the school prior to joining Year 1 are well planned. The provision in the EYFS is led and managed well. Parents appreciate the excellent facilities and the creative way their children are encouraged to learn in Nursery and Reception.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all the available information on pupils' progress is used to inform the school's priorities for improvement and that these are shared and understood by all staff and governors. ■ Ensure that work planned for pupils always has an appropriate level of challenge and takes into account what individual pupils already know in order to help them to reach the standards they should. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008 ■ Provide more opportunities for staff to share good practice, particularly to improve the transition between the EYFS and Year 1. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008

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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?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Corinthian Community Primary School, Liverpool, L13 6SH You may remember that recently I visited your school with Mr Hewlett to carry out an inspection. Thank you for talking to us and for sharing your views. We listened carefully to what you said and this letter is to explain to you what we found. We judged your school to be good. You are provided with a good standard of education, overall. You are taught from a very young age to be well mannered and to treat others with respect. Your behaviour is good and we were impressed by the care you show to each other, for example, in being 'buddies' to children who are new to the school. You have positive attitudes to your work Ä even if you find it difficult, you persevere and are good humoured. The staff are very caring and look after your needs well. They provide a good range of visits and after-school activities, particularly the sporting clubs. It is evident from the trophies you have won that you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

enjoy sport and many of you are keen to be fit and healthy. We were impressed by the work achieved by the school council, particularly in changing the position of the climbing wall. That was very sensible. The money you raise for charities, especially the local Children in Need, shows how well you work together. Mr Crockett and Mrs Kelly know the school well. We have asked them to make the school even better by looking at your assessment results more carefully to guide their plans on what to do next to improve the school. We have also asked them to make sure that your work is always at the right level to give you just enough challenge Ä this is especially important when the youngest children move up to the main school. You can help your teachers by making sure you always try your very best. We enjoyed our visit to your school. Thank you for making us welcome. I wish you the very best for the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

11 of 11 Inspection Report: Corinthian Community Primary School, 18 November 2008

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