Queen Mary Avenue Infant School

Queen Mary Avenue Infant School Queen Mary Avenue, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 7SY

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The relatively new senior leadership team has taken swift, effective action to improve the quality of education. Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Governors have a good knowledge of the school. This equips them well to provide leaders with effective challenge and support.  Leaders have introduced new teaching strategies which are being consistently applied. These are having a positive impact on pupils’ progress and attainment.  Leaders have introduced a new tracking system which is enabling them to check on the progress that pupils are making. They use this information well to identify pupils that need additional support.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. It provides pupils with a wide range of engaging activities and experiences that promote a love of learning.  Staff value the opportunities they have for professional development and are continually searching for ways to further improve their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

practice.  Teachers and teaching assistants give clear explanations and use questioning well to extend pupils’ learning.  All staff are diligent in their approach to safeguarding. As a result, the culture of safeguarding is strong.  Vulnerable pupils are well supported, especially by the pastoral team. A range of effective strategies are used with individuals and groups to meet their social and emotional needs.  Pupils are well behaved. They are respectful, polite and friendly.  Recent improvements in early years have resulted in current children making good progress from typically low starting points.  The work of current pupils in key stage 1 shows that they are making at least good progress, especially in reading, writing and mathematics.  However, historical data shows that pupils, over time, have not reached age-related expectations in early years, in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1, or in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2.  The school is using many strategies that are having a positive impact on attendance and punctuality. However, absence and persistent absence remain higher than the national average for the last academic year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that attendance rates continue to rise.  Embed the recent improvements to teaching, learning and assessment so that progress and attainment for all groups of pupils continue to rise.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The recently formed senior leadership team is very effective. Leaders have an ambitious vision that has been communicated well to the whole staff team. This has generated a culture of high expectation.  Leaders have carried out thorough self-evaluation to identify strengths and areas for development. They have quickly and systematically worked to strengthen every aspect of the school. Their actions are having a positive impact on the progress and attainment of all groups of current pupils.  Senior and middle leaders regularly monitor the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. They identify strengths and areas for development, which are communicated to staff. The high quality of support and training has resulted in a rapid journey of improvement. Leaders constantly check to make sure that agreed policies and procedures are followed and that improvements are maintained and built on.  Staff value the way that leaders use professional development to encourage, challenge

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and support their improvement, whatever their role. They feel fully involved in decisions and know that every change is made for the benefit of the pupils.  Leaders have introduced an effective system to track the attainment of all pupils. This helps leaders to hold teachers to account for the progress that pupils make. It is also used to identify pupils who need additional support or challenge.  Support for the school, which is brokered by the local authority, has been welcomed by leaders. They have especially welcomed the evaluation of their actions and moderation of their assessment of pupils’ progress and attainment. The local authority is confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve without further support.  The school’s curriculum is effectively designed to ensure that pupils develop skills, knowledge and understanding in a wide range of subjects. Many subjects are taught

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

through carefully chosen year group topics that effectively engage pupils in their learning. Pupils are given a rich range of experiences, which helps them to develop spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.  Leaders ensure that good use is made of pupil premium funding to provide effective support for the many disadvantaged pupils in the school. The school is proactive in addressing potential barriers to learning by providing a range of help, including speech therapy and strong pastoral support. This work allows pupils to access learning and achieve alongside their peers in their classrooms.  The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well matched to their needs. The evaluation of support plans shows that effective strategies are used to ensure that these pupils make good progress.  The primary school physical education (PE) and sport premium is used effectively to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

improve provision and practice. Pupils have rich experiences during PE lessons. These experiences are enhanced through competitions and clubs.

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Governance of the school

 Governors know the school well. They have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the improvement journey of the school. They receive lots of information from school leaders and make regular visits to school.  Governors have supported the school through staffing re-structure and have secured strong leadership appointments. They also provide effective challenge. They were able to give numerous examples of how they hold leaders to account for their actions. For example, they constantly monitor the impact of actions to improve attendance.  Governors carry out their statutory duties diligently.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school keeps an accurate and up-to-date record of the checks made on all adults that work in school. All policies and procedures are fit for purpose.  All staff are well trained and receive regular updates. They know the risks that are prevalent in their locality and understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Records are clear and show that actions are taken in a timely manner. The school has a strong pastoral team that provides very effective support for vulnerable pupils. They involve external agencies quickly when there is a need. As a result, there is a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school.  Parents and carers say that their children are safe and well looked after in school. Most say that the school responds well to concerns they raise.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers and teaching assistants have a good and ever-developing subject knowledge. This is because of recent improvements to training and professional development. All staff know the school’s policies well and most consistently apply them.  Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of what their pupils can achieve. This can be seen in their thorough and thoughtful planning of lessons that engage and challenge pupils of all abilities. Time in lessons is used well.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. This is partly due to the work done to improve pupils’ behaviour, but is largely due to a well-planned curriculum with carefully chosen activities that engage and motivate pupils to try hard. Pupils’ concentration, stamina and resilience have improved and are now good.  Leaders have carefully considered the vocabulary that teachers and teaching assistants use in the teaching of phonics, English and mathematics. Subject-specific vocabulary is

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

now used consistently by adults and pupils. This is supporting pupils’ understanding.  Instructions and explanations are clear. These, together with good teacher modelling in most lessons, mean that pupils are able to understand the tasks they are asked to complete. High-quality questioning is used to assess pupils’ understanding. This allows teachers to recognise and address misconceptions.  The teaching of phonics is now systematic and thorough. Pupils are able to sound out and blend unfamiliar words and use this in their writing. Books are well matched to phonics knowledge. Pupils who are not on track receive lots of extra support and practice, which helps most of them to catch up.  Teachers assess pupils’ understanding in mathematics and provide support, practice and challenge that is usually at the right level each day. Teaching assistants are particularly well deployed during mathematics lessons to effectively support individuals

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

and groups.  Topics are well chosen to appeal to all pupils and help them to develop a love of learning. They give pupils lots of opportunities to practise and apply basic skills in English and mathematics in a range of different subjects.  Effective consultation with parents and outside agencies is used, together with bespoke assessment, to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. The support they receive is very effective.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are quietly confident, especially when they are in their classrooms. They are proud of their school and the work that they do.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They could explain the changes that have been made to their lessons, especially in reading, writing and mathematics, in recent times. They say that learning is now more fun because tasks are more interesting and challenging. They show resilience and say that they enjoy being given time to correct errors and make improvements to their work.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They could explain how they are taught to keep themselves safe from potential dangers associated with water, fire, roads, strangers and the internet.  Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of how to stay healthy. They could talk about how the activities at breaktimes, such as playing with the parachute, keep them

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Personal development and welfare

active every day. At lunchtime, they were able to distinguish between foods you can eat regularly and those that should be seen as a treat.  Support for vulnerable pupils is a strength of the school. Staff know pupils and their families well and are quick to provide them with the support they need. The pastoral team is well supported by senior leaders to be proactive in its work.  Pupils have opportunities to take on additional responsibilities. Some pupils have been democratically elected to act as school council representatives and some have been successful with their applications to become playground buddies. Other roles include classroom and lunchtime monitors.  School records show that bullying is rare. Pupils say that if it does occur, it is dealt with thoroughly. Pupils say that they have trusted adults who will listen and react appropriately, if they ever need support.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils show respect for adults and each other. They are polite and friendly, and most were keen to chat to the inspectors.  Pupils show a good understanding of the behaviour policy. Their behaviour in lessons, around school and on the playground is positive.  Leaders use a wealth of strategies to promote good attendance. These include rewards for pupils. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about tokens, certificates and the school attendance mascot teddy, SAM. One boy was very keen to say that he is an attendance hero because he is here, every day, ready and on time. Colour-coded letters home to parents each half term give praise for good attendance and make parents more aware of poor attendance. The pastoral team does lots of bespoke work with many families to support parents to improve the attendance of their children. There is a ‘walking bus’ that collects pupils and brings them to school.

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Behaviour

 Punctuality and attendance have improved and are continuing to improve. However, attendance remains below the national average for last year.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 In-school data and work in pupils’ books show that current pupils are making at least good progress across the curriculum. Many pupils are making better than good progress. The progress of disadvantaged pupils is broadly in line with that of other pupils. This progress is especially evident in reading, writing and mathematics, but can also be seen in other subjects.  This marked improvement in attainment and progress is as a direct result of improvements in teaching, learning and assessment, high expectations and the consistent application of new school policies.  School assessments have been checked by the local authority and have been found to be accurate. During the inspection, the school’s assessments were checked by speaking to pupils, looking at work in their books and listening to pupils read. Inspectors also found that the school’s own judgements are accurate.  Current data for pupils in Year 2 shows a marked improvement when compared with

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Outcomes for pupils Good

published data for 2018. Most pupils have made good or better progress over the year because of improvements in the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils working at age-related expectations in each of the three subjects at least matches the 2018 national average for the proportions reaching the standard.  Current data shows that more than 80% of pupils in Year 1 are well prepared to meet the required standard in phonics. Pupils who failed to meet the standard in Year 2 have also caught up. This is as a result of systematic teaching, together with regular opportunities for pupils to apply their phonics knowledge.  Pupils with SEND are well supported. This means that most are making good progress from their starting points.  Historical school and published data shows that over time, pupils have not attained well at the end of early years, in the Year 1 phonics screening check, or in reading, writing

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Outcomes for pupils Good

and mathematics at the end of Year 2. Disadvantaged pupils have not performed well when compared with other pupils nationally. This picture is not set to be repeated in the current year’s data.

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Early years provision Good

 Senior leaders have implemented a detailed plan that has resulted in rapid improvement in early years. Historical weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment have been addressed and teaching is now good.  Most children enter early years with skills and knowledge that are below and sometimes well below those typical for their age. Leaders have identified that communication and language are areas where children are often less well developed when they start at school. Provision has been carefully thought out to promote children’s language development effectively.  Adults often focus on helping children to use specific vocabulary accurately. Questioning is used well to extend learning, both during adult-led activities and when adults join in during child-initiated activities. Children are encouraged and supported to use skills such as inference and deduction. They are expected to explain their reasoning when answering questions.

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Early years provision Good

 Adults have warm relationships with the children in their care. Most children are well behaved and follow adult instructions. On the rare occasions when children display poor behaviour, it is managed well through timely intervention and praise.  The early years curriculum and provision are carefully planned to meet the needs of the children. Children enjoy their weekly star challenges. Adult-led activities are carefully chosen to engage children in their learning. Visits and visitors are used well to extend children’s experiences. Most children cooperate well with each other to play together and to share resources.  Classrooms and the outdoor area are well organised. Children are able to select resources independently to support their learning. All areas are number- and language rich. Children have lots of opportunities to apply their developing phonic knowledge.  Staff have positive relationships with parents. Parents and grandparents value the

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Early years provision Good

regular ‘stay and play’ sessions. These, together with topic outlines, help parents to support their child’s learning at home.  All statutory welfare and safeguarding requirements are met.  Current school data and children’s work show that the proportion of children working at age-related expectations has increased in both Nursery and Reception. The proportion of disadvantaged children working at age-related expectations has also increased. This is because current children are making good and often better progress in all areas of learning.  However, historically, attainment at the end of early years has been below national expectations. Although the proportion of children reaching a good level of development increased in 2018, it remained below the national average. Over time, the performance of disadvantaged children has been below that of other children nationally.

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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 bmanager@qma.nelcmail.co.uk

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized infant school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is higher than that found nationally.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The school runs a breakfast club for pupils each morning.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is slightly below average.  There have been numerous changes in staffing since the previous inspection. The new headteacher took up her post on a part-time basis in September 2018 and became full time in January 2019. A new senior leadership team was established in January 2019.  The school has had formal support from Humberston Church of England Primary School, a designated national support school. This support was brokered through the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups. Some of the observations were undertaken jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books alongside middle leaders.  An inspector met with five members of the governing body.  An inspector met a representative from the local authority and the national leader of education who has provided support for the school.  An inspector met with the school improvement partner.  A range of documents was scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation document, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings, records of checks on teaching and learning, and attendance and safeguarding information.  Inspectors met formally with a group of pupils, spoke informally to pupils in lessons and listened to some pupils read.  Discussions took place with staff about safeguarding and the support and professional

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Information about this inspection

development that they receive. Inspectors also considered the 32 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.  Inspectors considered the views of parents by meeting with some informally at the start of the school day, through the 77 responses to a recent school questionnaire and through the 31 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Chris Cook, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Elaine Watson 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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