Earlsdon Primary School

EARLSDON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Mrs Rowena Onions OIN: 18354

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EARLSDON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 24 th – 26 th September 2001

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EARLSDON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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EARLSDON PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary 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. Earlsdon Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Earlsdon Avenue North Earlsdon Coventry Postcode: CV5 6FZ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April 1997 Earlsdon Primary School - 4

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Team members

18354 Rowena Onions Registered inspector 13911 Julie Gallichan Lay inspector 22729 Robert Arnold Team inspector 11402 Tom Gorman Team inspector

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Team members

Evenlode Associates Ltd 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Earlsdon Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Earlsdon Primary School is a school of above average size, with 410 pupils on roll. The school caters for pupils from the age of four to eleven years, with a broadly equal number of boys and girls. There are 15 pupils for whom English is an additional language, four of whom are at an early stage of learning English. This is above the national average. The school is situated close to the centre of Coventry and draws from the surrounding residential area. The local housing is a mixture of council, privately rented and privately owned property, but is predominantly the latter. The percentage of pupils taking free school meals is below the national average at six per cent. The pupils enter the reception class with a range of attainment, but overall, this is above average. There are 63 pupils (15%) currently identified on the school’s special educational needs register. This is below the national average. Four have statements of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

special educational needs. The school has pupils with a range of special needs, most of these have mild learning difficulties, but some have more severe and complex learning or behavioural difficulties. The school site and buildings present a number of challenges. Accommodation is cramped, particularly outside classrooms and the school site is very small for the number of pupils on roll.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Earlsdon is a good school. It is effective in ensuring that pupils attain very good standards in English and mathematics. The quality of teaching is good overall and English and mathematics are taught very well. The school is very well led and is well placed to improve still further. It gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

 Pupils attain very good standards in English and mathematics.  The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics at Key Stages 1 and 2. Teaching assistants make a very valuable contribution to the education the pupils receive.  Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They like school and they develop good relationships and personal skills.  The school is very well led by the headteacher and key personnel. They are well supported by all staff and the governing body.

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What could be improved

 Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in science. *  The plans the school has to improve the education it provides are this year not detailed enough to lead the work effectively. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. * Science has been identified by the school as needing improvement and is included in the current school development plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good improvements since the last inspection:  Standards in English and mathematics at Key Stage 2 have risen significantly and in 2001 the school received a DfEE award for significant improvement in results.  All the issues in the last inspection have been addressed. There is now a comprehensive programme of inservice training for teachers and teaching assistants. No lapses in subject knowledge were observed during the inspection in any subject. Pupils of different abilities are given suitable work in English and mathematics lessons. The school assessment systems are very good in English and mathematics and teaching is well monitored in these subjects. The quality of planning is also improved. In these aspects, however, there remains a need to improve systems used in science.  The overall consistency and quality of teaching has improved. Earlsdon Primary School - 7

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

1998 1999 2000 2000 English A A A C well above average above average A B mathematics A A A A average below average C D science A A B C well below average E

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

During Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress. They have attained increasingly good standards over the last few years and last year the school was in receipt of a DfEE award for this improvement. Results in the 2001 national tests (for which there are as yet no national comparisons), show that standards were maintained in English but had dropped a little in mathematics. Inspection evidence is, however, that the school is maintaining its very good standards in both subjects and that pupils are achieving well. The school has expended considerable effort in setting targets for pupils’ attainment, basing these on good data analysis, and the targets set have been met. At both key stages, pupils with special educational needs are enabled to make good progress and most achieve good standards for their levels of ability. Much energy has been put into assisting pupils of higher ability to make good progress and to achieve well. The

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

school is, however, aware that the most able of these pupils could progress faster and achieve even more. Pupils for whom English is an additional language are well supported and make good progress both in English and other subjects.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

Children enter the school at the age of four with above average attainments overall. They have particularly well developed communication skills. They make sound progress during their first year in the school and the majority attain above average standards by the end of the year. In 2001, by the end of Key Stage 1, pupils had made good progress and attained very good levels of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. Taking into account their above average attainments when they enter Year 1, pupils achieved well. This is an improvement over results in 2000, when pupils attained well below average standards in reading and writing and below average standards in mathematics. The improvement is, in large part, because the school identified the need to improve and made successful efforts to do so.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

End of key stage assessments in both 2000 and 2001 show that pupils do not achieve as well in science as they do in English and mathematics. Inspection evidence supports this and shows that pupils, particularly those of higher ability, do not do as well as they could in science at either key stage. The school had identified the improvement of science as a priority in the current school improvement plan.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. The pupils like school and enjoy lessons. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils behave well in class. They are polite to adults, generally respect each other, and work well together. Behaviour around the school is very good. It is a tribute to the school and to the pupils that they manage to move around the restricted space sensibly and safely. Playground behaviour is good. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils begin to take responsibility for themselves and for others at an early stage and they develop this ability well as they get older. Attendance Good. Attendance is above the national average. The level of unauthorised absences is below the national average. Earlsdon Primary School - 8

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Satisfactory Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

In the foundation stage, the children are settled quickly and effectively into school routines. The teachers create a warm and secure atmosphere in the classes, which means that children rapidly develop the self- confidence they need to enable them to learn in school. The teaching of these important personal and social skills is good. The children are provided with a good range of different activities that promote learning and ensure that they are actively involved. Planning, however, does not show clearly enough what children of different abilities are expected to learn. Children’s work from the past year shows that this sometimes results in insufficiently high expectations, especially as the year develops.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Overall, the quality of teaching and learning in Key Stages 1 and 2 is good. The teaching of English and mathematics is, however, very good. Most pupils are very well managed. Good relationships are quickly established and pupils are confident and enthusiastic learners. In English and mathematics in particular, teachers take great care to ensure that pupils of different abilities are set work that is demanding and which promotes the successful learning of skills and knowledge. Pupils are interested in their work and work hard. This assists them make good progress. Teachers make very good use of well phrased questions to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding and to encourage deeper thinking. A particularly strong feature of teaching in the school is the use that teachers make of the teaching assistants available to them. These assistants provide skilled support for pupils and are instrumental in ensuring that they

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

make good progress. The majority of pupils with special educational needs receive good teaching and very good teaching in English and mathematics. As a result, these pupils learn well, develop good self- esteem, and the vast majority are close to achieving nationally expected levels by the time they leave the school.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum that is enriched by good use of visits, visitors and ‘focus’ weeks. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Most pupils are assisted to make good progress. The school, however, lacks sufficient specialist support with regard to a very small number of pupils with more complex difficulties. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Pupils are assisted to learn English and to make appropriate progress in other subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The school makes careful provision for helping pupils to develop mature attitudes. Provision for moral, social, spiritual and cultural development is good overall. Provision for moral and social development is very good. How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory. The school has suitable child protection procedures and takes appropriate action to ensure the health and safety of the pupils. Assessment is well used in helping teachers to plan work in English and mathematics, but is not as effectively used in science. Earlsdon Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher has shown very good leadership in leading a school in which standards in English and mathematics have risen significantly and in which a good number of other improvements have been made since the time of the last inspection. In this, she has been very well supported by the deputy headteacher and a number of other key staff. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well and are very supportive of the school. Through the information they seek and are provided with, they are very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The school has comprehensive and effective systems for checking, evaluating and improving the education provided in English and mathematics. Although there is an awareness of strengths and weaknesses

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Aspect Comment

in other areas, the current planning for improvement is not good enough to ensure that prompt action is taken towards clearly identified goals. The strategic use of resources Good. Good use has been made of funds in improving standards in English and mathematics in particular. The school applies the principles of best value well. Senior management and governors use information available to them to compare the effectiveness of the school with other similar schools and are beginning to consult with parents about their perceptions of how the school could be improved.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 That children like the school.  The progress the children make  That children behave well in the school.  The quality of the teaching.  That the school expects children to work hard  The way the school is led and managed  The way the school helps children to become mature and responsible.  The information the school provides.  How closely the school works with parents.  The amount of homework pupils get.  The range of activities provided outside lessons

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The team agrees with parents’ positive views. It is the team’s opinion that homework is well organised and that a suitable amount is given. There is a small but satisfactory range of extra curricular activities open to younger pupils and a good range available for those in Key Stage 2. The governing body and headteacher are aware that some parents feel that the school does not do enough to work with them and they are now taking well considered action. This demonstrates the school’s wish to make their partnership with parents as strong as possible. The quality of the information provided to parents is very good. Annual reports are well written, the prospectus full and friendly and the governors’ report to parents both meets requirements and is informative. Curriculum information is regularly provided, however, in this respect, information could be further improved by adding a little more detail. Earlsdon Primary School - 10

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Pupils attain very good standards in English and mathematics.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. Children are provided with a secure education during their first year in the school, they make sound progress, and by the end of the year, they have maintained above average standards in their communication, language and literacy and in their mathematics skills. Most know the letters that represent sounds and they can form letters correctly. With various degrees of support, they can use this knowledge to write, for example, writing recipes for making porridge and writing about their experiences when visiting a local wood. Most can read simple texts, using their knowledge of letter sounds and the context of the story to help them read new words. In mathematics, they can add and subtract single digit numbers and can use simple measuring skills, for instance, to identify longer or shorter objects.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. Levels of attainment in Key Stage 1 were greatly improved in 2001 because the school identified the need to improve standards and made successful efforts to do so. This year, by the time pupils completed Year 2, most pupils could write independently, structuring their work according to its genre. They could, for example, write a recipe, a poem about the sea and a story based on the structure of ‘In the dark, dark, wood…’. Many could use sentence punctuation correctly and a few were able to punctuate speech accurately. They could spell correctly a range of known words and make good attempts at writing new words using their knowledge of phonics. Their handwriting was joined and legible. In mathematics, at the end of the key stage, pupils were comfortable with addition and subtraction with numbers to 100, and were able to operate both mentally and on paper. They had good knowledge of both 2 and 3 dimensional shapes and had

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

begun to look at more complex properties, for example, symmetry. They could use a range of metric measures to describe objects. They showed themselves capable of applying their mathematical knowledge to practical situations, for example, shopping activities.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. At Key Stage 2, the school has obtained increasingly good standards over the last few years and last year was in receipt of a DfEE award for this improvement. By the time the pupils left the school at the end of the last year (2001), they could write fluently, with good control over spelling, handwriting and punctuation. The current Year 6 pupils, even though they are only at the beginning of the year, are already close to the nationally expected level for the end of the key stage. In mathematics it is a similar picture, the current pupils are able to calculate mentally and on paper, using a variety of methods, most can, for example, mentally calculate 7/8 of 72 with speed and accuracy. They begin to be able to solve problems systematically and show good knowledge of the properties of shape, including aspects such as angles and rotational symmetry. They know and can use different metric measures and begin to relate these to imperial ones.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. At both key stages, the vast majority of pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are enabled to make good progress. Most pupils of higher ability make good progress and achieve well. The most able of these pupils, however, could progress even faster and achieve more. The teachers are aware of this and have begun to use the available data and information to identify a number of gifted or talented pupils. The school is currently seeking ways to promote these pupils’ learning.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. A number of factors have contributed to the success the school has in ensuring that pupils achieve well. Very good use has been made of the data obtained from the annual testing of pupils. This has been aimed at a number of different levels. Careful analysis of both overall results and results for individuals has allowed the identification of areas of strength and weakness in the subjects. This has enabled careful targeting areas for whole school development and improving standards show that this work has been successful. Much work has, for example, been done to improve standards of writing and inspection evidence shows that, although there remains room for further improvement, that standards are indeed rising. In addition, individual targets have been set for pupils and these have been translated into simple actions for a pupil to take. A pupil may, for example, be set a target of remembering to include some speech to enliven

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Earlsdon Primary School - 11 their story writing and to punctuate it properly. There are some good examples of teachers using these targets in their marking of a pupil’s work. In this way, all are fully informed about progress and the steps that need to be taken for further improvement.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. Over recent years, the English and mathematics co-ordinators have played a key role in improving work in their subjects. They have good knowledge of the education being provided and clear vision for how they wish it to develop further. They have managed and led successful inservice training to ensure that staff are comfortable with the content and teaching methods set out in the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. They have, in conjunction with the headteacher and the assessment co-ordinator, made the analyses of data set out above and they have ensured their usefulness. They have looked at teachers’ planning for the delivery of the subject and this has ensured that the planning is mostly of good quality. This represents an improvement since the time of the last inspection. When their subject has been the focus of school improvements, as English has been for the last year, they have made good use of

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

opportunities to watch other teachers in the school teach and there is a good system for sharing good practice and improving weaknesses.

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

and 2. Teaching assistants make a very valuable contribution to the education the pupils receive.

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

7. Teaching in the school has a number of important strengths. In Key Stages 1 and 2, in English and mathematics in particular, the tasks that pupils are set are well matched to their needs. Teachers take good care to ensure that pupils of different abilities are set work that is demanding and which moves their learning of skills and knowledge on quickly. In a particularly effective mathematics lesson, for example, pupils were learning about the use of doubling numbers in solving calculations efficiently. The activities provided broke the task down into a simple exercise for less able pupils and required more able pupils to complete the calculation and to explain how they had used doubling to help them. In this way, all pupils made very good progress. Teachers use a good range of methods to ensure that each pupil has opportunity to learn in the way that best suits them. In one English lesson, for instance, pupils were encouraged to use

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

experiences from a preceding drama lesson to help them both understand and use vocabulary in a poem they were studying. In the lesson, pupils read aloud, worked as a class to analyse the text and worked in pairs to identify verbs in the poem. This range of types of task created a very successful lesson. Teachers make very good use of techniques of questioning pupils. They skilfully use questioning both to check knowledge and understanding and to promote deeper thinking. Teachers take very good care to ensure that they have the subject knowledge they require to teach the subject in hand. A very good programme of inservice training for both teachers and teaching assistants has been put in place. No lapses in subject knowledge were observed during the inspection. This is an improvement since the time of the last inspection. Most pupils are very well managed. Good relationships are quickly established and pupils are

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

8. A particularly strong feature of teaching in the school is the use that teachers make of the teaching assistants available to them. These assistants are used to great effect in a variety of ways. They provide skilled support for pupils who have difficulty, either in concentrating, or in understanding during whole class sessions, providing sensitive reminders or extra explanation when needed. They show good knowledge of literacy and numeracy in particular and are able to use this to teach or support pupils during independent working sessions. They are also sometime effectively used to assist more able pupils to clarify and extend their thinking. During the inspection, very successful partnerships between teachers and teaching assistants were evident. In one class, for example, the ‘double act’ between a teacher and teaching assistant when teaching pupils to write a recipe kept the pupils (and the inspector!) amused and on task. This

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

greatly assisted the pupils’ concentration and their learning of the skills required.

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

9. The majority of the pupils with special educational needs receive good teaching and very good teaching in English and mathematics. As a result, these pupils learn well, maintain good self esteem and the vast majority are close to achieving nationally expected levels by the time they leave the school. The school has, however, a very small number of pupils with more complex and Earlsdon Primary School - 12 severe difficulties. The teachers and teaching assistants make very good efforts to ensure that these pupils are integrated as far as possible into the full work of the class. There is no lack of will to provide the best possible situation for these pupils. The school, however, is lacking in sufficient support and detailed specialist advice as to how these pupils are best managed and educated. Therefore, there are occasions when these pupils are not as effectively managed as possible and on occasions, their behaviour disrupts the learning of the rest of the class.

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

10. Good care has been taken to create a good learning environment for the pupils. Despite the restricted space, resource areas like the new school library and the information and communication technology room add greatly to the teachers’ ability to provide an all round curriculum for the pupils. The library in particular, is a real asset in assisting pupils to become independent in their learning and the facility for them to use computers to extend the information available through use of the Internet is already providing some more able pupils with ways of extending their learning. The regular staffing of the library by a parent allows the library to be used as fully as possible. Displays of pupils’ work are very well used to further enhance the environment and to ensure that pupils feel that their efforts are valued. The plethora of displays of pupils’ work in art indicates that standards in art and design are very good. The sketches of

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

Victorian artefacts completed by Key Stage 1 pupils are, for example, of high quality, as are the pupils’ efforts in using the techniques of artists such as Monet, Turner and Lowry to influence their work. This aspect of art was criticised in the last inspection report and is another example of the positive way in which the school has responded to this inspection.

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

11. In the foundation stage, the children are settled quickly and effectively into school routines. The teachers create a warm and secure atmosphere in the classes, which means that children rapidly develop the self-confidence they need to enable them to learn. The children quickly show an ability to be independent and during the inspection, when some had only been in school a week, were already moving around the school without an adult’s help. The teaching of these important personal and social skills is good. Teachers’ planning and samples of completed work from the previous year group as well as lesson observations show that teaching in the reception year is satisfactory. The children are generally very well managed and are provided with a good range of different activities that promote learning and ensure that the children are actively involved, for example, through the acting out of the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Planning shows that

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The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1

the children are given the opportunity to engage in all the required aspects of learning.

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Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They like school and they develop good

11. Pupils’ attitudes to school are very good. They like school and participate fully in the activities provided both in class and outside lesson time. Attendance at school clubs is good with, for example, fifty pupils attending the school choir. In class, pupils do as they are asked and work hard to complete their work in the time available. As a consequence, pupils often complete good quantities of work in quite short periods of time and this assists them to make good progress. Pupils are enthusiastic about sporting activities and say they greatly enjoy physical education lessons and the wide range of sporting clubs available. They would like to see opportunities extended, but understand that the restrictions placed on the school by the lack of playing fields and a full sized hall makes this difficult to fulfil.

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Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They like school and they develop good

12. Pupils behave well in class, they are polite to adults and generally respect each other and work well together. Behaviour around the school is very good. It is a tribute to the school and the pupils that they manage to move around the restricted space, to use very small cloakrooms and to negotiate full staircases sensibly and safely. Mass movements, such as those before and after playtime and to and from assemblies are managed speedily and with minimum fuss. Behaviour in the small playground is also remarkably good. Although there is a normal amount of boisterous behaviour, pupils are sensitive to the need to restrict their play to allow for the safety of others.

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Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They like school and they develop good

13. This need to modify behaviour and to consider the needs of others assists pupils to become responsible people. Older pupils spoke of the need to be more careful at lunchtime because smaller pupils were in the playground with them. The very positive attitudes are assisted by the Earlsdon Primary School - 13 very good scheme by which older and younger classes and pupils are paired for both educational and social activities. This provision, along with personal and social education, which includes activities such as class discussions (circle time), combines to make the school’s social and moral education of the pupils very good. Classes and phases in the school are fully involved with the drawing up of rules and promises and older pupils are clear as to the need and the reason for these, in order to allow each individual his or her full rights. Circle times and assemblies are well used to allow pupils the opportunity to think and talk about aspects of their lives and

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Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They like school and they develop good

development, for example, to fully understand the power of words to hurt or to please others. These aspects of the pupils development relate very well to the behaviour policy drawn up to assist the consistent approach to pupils seen throughout the school and to the clear system of rewards and sanctions used.

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Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They like school and they develop good

14. All adults in the school provide very good role models for the pupils. One very positive aspect of the very good working relationships seen between teachers and teaching assistants is that these provide a very good day to day demonstration to show pupils how effective working together can be. From an early age, pupils display an ability to work well together in pairs, for example, Year 2 pupils sensibly discussed predictions about what might happen when they bent, twisted or pulled an object. They work together equally well in larger groups. The same class, for example, were able to work as groups of five or six to investigate the objects given and sort them by whether the objects could be changed or not. Pupils also display an increasing ability to work independently both in school and when undertaking personal projects for homework.

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Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work. They like school and they develop good

15. The pupils’ interest and involvement in school life is promoted by the curriculum provided for them. The basic curriculum fulfils statutory requirements and is enriched by a number of other activities. Good use is, for example, made of visits and residential trips. The youngest pupils greatly enjoyed their trip to the woods, Year 4 pupils had gained a good deal of historical knowledge and enthusiasm from a visit to Bosworth Field just prior to the inspection and residential trips for older pupils are greatly looked forward to. Visitors to school also extend the curriculum provided, as do the ‘focus’ weeks, such as health education, art and book weeks. The school provides a good range of extra curricular activities for older pupils and a small but satisfactory number for younger ones.

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The school is very well led by the headteacher and key personnel. They are well supported by all

16. The headteacher has shown very good leadership in leading a school in which standards in English and mathematics have risen significantly and in which a good number of other improvements have been made since the time of the last inspection. The planning for this improvement has been effective and has been well carried out. Good systems have been put in place to allow the school to become increasingly self evaluative and to ensure that it can run smoothly and efficiently. As a result, the school is aware of areas in need of development. Staff and governors speak very highly of the way in which the headteacher has developed a sense of ‘team’ and the way that this has enabled staff to work together for the good of the pupils. To this end there has been very good use made of performance management targets for both the headteacher and the teachers. These targets are closely linked to the identified school priorities as

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The school is very well led by the headteacher and key personnel. They are well supported by all

well as to individual professional development needs.

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The school is very well led by the headteacher and key personnel. They are well supported by all

17. A number of key staff have been instrumental in the recent school developments. The co- ordinators for English, mathematics and assessment have worked very hard and very productively to assist the improvements in these subjects. The special needs co-ordinator is very well organised and manages the education provided for these pupils, including the work of many of the teaching assistants, well. The deputy headteacher provides very valuable and valued support for the headteacher. She has ably run the school during the recent secondment of the headteacher. The successful running of the school during her period of absence provides further evidence that the school has robust systems and good teamwork.

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The school is very well led by the headteacher and key personnel. They are well supported by all

18. The school benefits from an effective governing body who play an important role in the management of the school. The governors are interested and informed about the school and Earlsdon Primary School - 14 understand fully the need to challenge as well as support. They are aware of the strengths and the weaknesses of the school and are proud of the former and wish to assist the school in improving the latter. They play a full part in the successful financial management of the school. Together with the headteacher and staff, they have compared the performance of the school with others, have looked carefully at aspects of spending where the school’s spending pattern differs from local schools and have begun to consult parents as to their perceptions of the school. In these ways, the principles of ‘best value’ are well embedded in the school.

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The school is very well led by the headteacher and key personnel. They are well supported by all

19. The governing body and headteacher have over the last year become increasingly aware that some parents feel that the school does not do enough to work with them. As a result, a number of actions have been taken or planned. The school has set up a new system to record the communications they have with parents and has changed the way letters go home to parents to try to minimise those lost in transit. Prior to the inspection, the governing body had prepared a questionnaire to seek parents’ views about the communication systems and hopes through this to further improve the partnership with parents. The quality of the information provided to parents is very good. Annual reports are well written, the prospectus is full and friendly and the governors’ report to parents both meets requirements and is informative. Curriculum information is regularly provided, however, in this respect information could be improved by adding a little

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The school is very well led by the headteacher and key personnel. They are well supported by all

more detail. It is the opinion of the inspection team that all these measures demonstrate the school’s wish to make their partnership with parents as strong as possible.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in science.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

20. End of key stage assessments at Key Stage 2 in both 2000 and 2001 show that, although pupils perform better than most pupils nationally, they do not reach the standards achieved in similar schools and that comparatively, standards achieved in science are not as high as they are in English and mathematics. This is particularly true of more able pupils. In Key Stage 1, standards rose in 2001 from their low level in 2000 and most pupils attained the average level. As in Key Stage 2, however, fewer pupils than might be expected reached the higher level (Level 3). Inspection evidence shows that pupils, particularly those of higher ability, do not do as well as they could in either key stage. The school was aware of this situation before the inspection took place and had identified the improvement of science as a priority in the current school improvement plan.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

21. The quality of the teaching of science is satisfactory throughout the school, but is not as good as the quality of teaching seen in English and mathematics. Many of the positive generic aspects of teaching, for instance pupil management, use of teaching assistants and resources are evident in the teaching of science. Science teaching is not as successful, however, because planning in science does not fully assist teachers to hold high enough expectations. At present, the school is using the national scheme of work for science, but is failing to sufficiently adapt this to reflect the higher than average abilities of Earlsdon’s pupils. Although current planning identifies what will be learned by the majority week by week, it fails to clearly identify different objectives for the end of each unit of work for pupils of different abilities. In addition, although teachers are careful to plan different activities for pupils of different abilities in each lesson, they fail to

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

identify the different levels of learning that they expect to result. Consequently, some pupils do not achieve well enough.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

22. Although the co-ordinator has begun to analyse the results of the end of Key Stage 2 tests and to identify areas of relative weakness, the school has yet to identify a way to extend its very good English and mathematics assessment and data systems to science. There is a need to put in place a manageable system for monitoring the performance of individuals and groups and for passing this information from teacher to teacher as the pupils progress through the school. Up to the present time, the science co-ordinator has had little opportunity to monitor the teaching of science and insufficient monitoring of planning and pupils’ work has taken place. The co- ordinator has thus been unable to draw from information about the subject to identify what, when Earlsdon Primary School - 15 and how aspects of the subject will be improved. Current development planning for the subject is unsatisfactory because, despite the subject being the focus of the school’s work in the present

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

academic year, there is no detailed action plan in place.

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The plans the school has to improve the education it provides are this year not detailed enough to

23. Over recent years, the school has rightly concentrated its efforts to raise standards on the national priorities of English and mathematics. These developments have been well handled and substantial improvements seen. It has also productively linked school improvement with performance management for teachers. As a result, however, the previously well conceived system of development planning has fallen into abeyance. This has meant that a normal cycle of monitoring a subject before it becomes a school focus, drawing up an action plan with clear actions, target dates, costs, responsibilities and expected outcomes has not occurred. The development of science, for example, remains unplanned even though the academic year has now started. However, despite the inadequacies in the detail and in the prompt implementation of development planning, the school has clearly identified areas for improvement that accurately

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The plans the school has to improve the education it provides are this year not detailed enough to

24. The lack of a sufficiently detailed action plan is also currently inhibiting the governors from monitoring the school more systematically. Although governors visit the school both formally and informally, the visits are not organised to be spaced throughout the year so that the governing body can monitor in an ongoing way the progress the school is making towards its stated aims.

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The plans the school has to improve the education it provides are this year not detailed enough to

25. In part because the former approach to school improvement has lapsed and in part because teachers’ energies have been channelled towards English and mathematics, the role of other subject co-ordinators is not sufficiently well developed. Although co-ordinators have received training in their role, the school’s systems have not encouraged or expected them to monitor their subject in years when it is not a school priority. Thus, some co-ordinators are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the education provided in their subjects and they are not sufficiently well prepared for drawing up a plan of action when their subject becomes a school focus. Earlsdon Primary School - 16

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

26. In order to further improve the education provided by the school, the staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve attainment and achievement in science by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Putting into place a planning system that clearly identifies what pupils of different abilities will learn over a unit of work and each week.  Ensuring that proper adaptations are made to the schemes of work used to allow for the above average profile of ability of the pupils in Earlsdon School.  Putting into place systems for assessing pupils’ attainments, for monitoring the information obtained and for using it to inform both whole school action to improve achievement in science and the day-to-day planning of lessons.  Putting into place a subject action plan for the improvement of science

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the way the school manages its own self-evaluation and development by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

 Devising and using a school development plan that clearly shows what, when and how improvements will be made.  Identifying and monitoring the costs and outcomes of such actions.  Putting into place systems by which co-ordinators can monitor and evaluate the quality of education provided in their subjects even when they are not a current priority of the school. Earlsdon Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 26 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 13

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 1 10 7 7 1 0 0 Percentage 4 38 27 27 4 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 410 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 24 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 63

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 15

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 15 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 4.6 School data 0 National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Earlsdon Primary School - 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 28 31 59

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 21 19 22 level 2 and above Girls 27 28 28 Total 48 47 50 Percentage of pupils School 81 (85) 80 (95) 85 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 20 21 19 level 2 and above Girls 28 28 27 Total 48 49 46 Percentage of pupils School 88 (78) 83 (98) 78 (98) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 32 27 59

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 29 28 31 level 4 and above Girls 23 23 24 Total 52 51 55 Percentage of pupils School 88 (91) 86 (88) 93 (88) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 23 28 27 level 4 and above Girls 23 23 26 Total 46 51 53 Percentage of pupils School 71 (71) 76 (71) 81 (93) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Earlsdon Primary School - 19

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 8 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 2 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 2 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 297 White 1 0 Any other minority ethnic group 38 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.2 Financial year 2000-2001 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 27:1 Average class size 30 £ Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 767,681 Total number of education support staff 9.8 Total expenditure 787,779 Total aggregate hours worked per week 186 Expenditure per pupil 1,898 Balance brought forward from previous year Balance carried forward to next year 8,390

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1.5 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. Earlsdon Primary School - 20 Earlsdon Primary School - 21

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 51 43 5 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 31 59 7 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 54 17 6 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 31 51 11 5 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 46 40 6 7 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 50 41 4 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 26 48 13 7 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 36 48 7 3 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 44 50 3 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 26 46 17 5 7

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