Rood End Primary School

ROOD END PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 29 th September – 2 nd October 2003

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ROOD END PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Rood End Primary School - 2 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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ROOD END 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. Rood End Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Gender of pupils: mixed Number on roll: 402 full time pupils and 59 children in the nursery part time

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Rood End Road Oldbury West Midlands Postcode: B68 8SQ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 0121 5521866 Fax number: 0121 5621922

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr A. Vernon

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1 st February 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This large sized school is in an area that is more economically disadvantaged than many. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 42 per cent is well above the average. English is not the first language for 35 per cent of pupils and 98 pupils are supported through Ethnic Minority Achievement Grants. Ninety pupils are on the schools’ register of special educational need with ten pupils having a Statement of Special Educational Need, which is much higher than usual. Overall an average number of pupils join or leave the school other than at the usual time of admission although this is higher in some year groups. The attainment of children on entry to the school is well below average. A School Achievement Award was received in 2002. Rood End Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

21750 Mrs S E Hall Lead inspector English as an additional language. Information and communication technology. Art and design. Design and technology. 31729 Mr B Harrington Lay inspector 20301 Mr P Isherwood Team inspector The foundation stage. Science. Geography. Religious education. 10228 Mrs S Russam Team inspector Special educational needs. English. History. Music. 32301 Mr J Clements Team inspector Mathematics. Physical education.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Altecq Education Limited 102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucester GL53 7JX

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’, which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Rood End Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 10

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 10

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 14

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES

Community provision 20 Provision for pupils with autism

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OVERALL EVALUATION

All staff are caring and are fully committed to the pupils and the local community and they work hard to provide a safe and happy education for the pupils. However, this is a school that has lost its sense of direction and declined in several main areas since the last inspection. This is largely because there has not been a good enough overview of short and long term problems or enough strategic planning and rigour in school procedures. The school is not currently providing an acceptable standard of education. Standards are below, and are often well below average and the pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory over time. Leadership and management are poor. The school provides poor value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

 Leadership of the school is poor and there has not been enough clarity of vision and sense of purpose in strategic development.  Governance is poor and has not been effective enough in overseeing developments.  Planning and teaching for children in the Foundation Stage are good and the youngest children make a good start to their education.  Whilst teaching in the inspection week was often good, over a period of time teaching in Years 1 to 6 has been unsatisfactory.  Pupils in Years 1 to 6 do not make the progress that they are capable of and their achievement is unsatisfactory.  Standards are generally below average and often well below average when compared to similar schools.  Pupils’ behaviour is generally good in school and at play but many pupils are very passive and have unsatisfactory attitudes to their learning.  The school’s accommodation is unsatisfactory.  The school’s formal care, welfare, health and safety procedures are unsatisfactory.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

 The provision for pupils on the autistic spectrum is very good.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

Improvement since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The inspection of 1998 identified that whilst the school provided a broadly satisfactory quality of education the progress made since the inspection of 1995 was unsatisfactory. Whilst

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remain at least partially unresolved. There has been very good improvement in the

planning and teaching of religious education . There has been satisfactory improvement in information and communication technology and in improving schemes of work in other subjects in order to provide a balanced curriculum. However standards in English remain very low and not enough is done to enable the pupils to become fluent and confident communicators. The school now has some established assessment procedures but information is not used well enough to track the progress pupils make and ensure the highest level of challenge is provided. There has been poor progress in establishing a

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clear educational direction for the school and the systematic monitoring of progress

made towards development targets. The information provided in the school’s annual report to parents is now satisfactory but there are still some care and safety issues.

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In accordance with section 13(7) of the School Inspections Act 1996 I am of the

opinion, that special measures are required in relation to this school. Rood End Primary School - 7

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Year 6 results

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2000 2001 2002 2002

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Year 6 results

English E E E D Mathematics E* E E E Science E E E E Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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Because pupils are not challenged on a regular enough basis they do not all make the

progress they are capable of and overall achievement is unsatisfactory . Standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 have been well below national averages over a number of years. Standards improved against the national average from 1999 to 2001 but dipped in 2002. In 2003 standards fell significantly in Year 6 due to a variety of staffing and behaviour issues. When pupils with special educational needs receive additional support they make good progress and achieve well in relation to their abilities. When pupils at the early stages of English receive support they also make good progress and achieve similar standards to all other pupils. Whilst national test results indicate some differences in the attainment of boys and girls at different stages of the school this appears to reflect the natural abilities of certain year groups and there appears to be no significant

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Because pupils are not challenged on a regular enough basis they do not all make the

overall difference in the attainment of boys and girls.

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Because pupils are not challenged on a regular enough basis they do not all make the

Achievement in the Foundation Stage is good . Children enter the school with very limited language skills and many have spoken only their mother tongue at home. All children settle well to the school and because of good teaching in the nursery and reception classes they make good progress although few meet the expected Early Learning Goals for their age except in physical and creative development by the time they start Year 1.

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Because pupils are not challenged on a regular enough basis they do not all make the

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Staff act as good role models for the pupils and are effective in making clear to them the difference between right and wrong.

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Because pupils are not challenged on a regular enough basis they do not all make the

The attitudes of many pupils to their learning are unsatisfactory . Many pupils throughout the school are very passive and offer little in discussions and sometimes do not try as hard as they could. The behaviour of pupils is good both in school and at play. Even in the restricted playground areas pupils get along with each other well. However, last year the staff acknowledge there was a breakdown in behaviour in Year 6 with a large number of pupils excluded from school. Attendance is below average and several families take extended holidays for lengthy periods, which disrupts pupils’ education.

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period of time. Teaching is most effective in the Foundation Stage where it is

consistently good . Teaching of the youngest children is carefully planned and provides a good range of activities designed to encourage them to gain confidence and learn to communicate with their friends. Throughout the school staff manage the pupils well. Rood End Primary School - 8 Teaching in Key Stages 1 and 2 is unsatisfactory overall . During the inspection the quality of teaching was often good especially in Key Stage 2. However, the sample of pupils’ recent work and discussions indicate that many pupils have not made the progress they are capable of. This is largely because quite a lot of the work set has been the same or very similar for all groups of pupils and has not offered the right level of challenge to move all the pupils’ learning forward. Assessment information is not used well enough to track the progress pupils make and inform the planning of future lessons to ensure enough is expected of all groups of pupils.

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period of time. Teaching is most effective in the Foundation Stage where it is

The quality of the curriculum is satisfactory overall. Planning for children in the Foundation Stage is good but is limited by the lack of outdoor play facilities for children in the reception classes. Planning for literacy and numeracy activities is suitably based on national guidance. Whilst planning is generally satisfactory in too many lessons pupils sit inactively listening to adults , this affects their concentration and attitudes to learning. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. This is well planned and meets the differing needs of pupils well. The provision for pupils on the autistic spectrum is very well planned and effective. The external accommodation for the pupils is unsatisfactory as playgrounds are very small, they are all asphalt and not suitable for most physical education activities. The lack of consistency in staffing arrangement has made curriculum development difficult with almost 45 per cent of teaching staff changing in the last

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period of time. Teaching is most effective in the Foundation Stage where it is

The informal support of pupils is good and lunchtimes in particular are well organised and pleasant experiences for the pupils. However, the formal procedures and policies for the care of pupils are unsatisfactory . Not enough staff are trained in the required areas to protect pupils.

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period of time. Teaching is most effective in the Foundation Stage where it is

The links with parents and the community as a whole are satisfactory. The language school organised on Saturdays is well attended and the Sure Start provision for young children is effective and these projects support the work of the school well.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership is poor . There is a lack of clarity in rigorously pursuing improvement. The school has been slow to resolve all the key issues for development identified in the last two reports. The most senior staff have not always been able to prioritise that which is most important and lead the school forward in times of difficulty. The school has undergone an especially troublesome year in terms of staff absences and changes. Major behavioural difficulties were affected by more than 100 supply staff working in school during the year.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The governance of the school is poor . Whilst those governors in senior posts are clearly caring and supportive of the school they have not sought sufficient information to be well informed of the actual quality of provision in the school and have struggled to help shape the vision and direction of the school.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The management of the school is unsatisfactory . Whilst the school monitors the quality of teaching this is often descriptive rather than evaluative and not enough use is made of subject co-ordinators in directly monitoring teaching and learning in areas for which they hold responsibility. Whilst data is available on the performance of pupils this information is not used well enough to review patterns of achievement for different ethnic or gender groups or to support further action. Rood End Primary School - 9

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Links with parents are satisfactory overall. Parents are mostly satisfied with the quality of education provided and are pleased that their children like school. Most pupils like coming to school but some lack confidence in what they know.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are:  Improve the quality of leadership, governance and management of the school.  Raise standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology across the school.  Improve the tracking of achievement and the use of assessment information.  Improve the quality of teaching in order to offer a consistently high level of challenge to all groups of pupils.  Improve pupils’ attitudes toward and involvement in their learning.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

 Raise the levels of attendance to at least the national average.  Improve the formal processes for the care and support of pupils. Rood End Primary School - 10

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Overall standards are too low and pupils do not consistently make the progress that

they are capable of. Their achievement is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Standards are very low when children enter the school.  They make good progress in the Foundation Stage.  Pupils in Years 1 and 6 do not make enough progress and do not achieve well enough.  Standards in Years 1 and 2 are well below average in English, mathematics and science and below average in information and communication technology.  Standards in Years 3 to 6 are well below average in English and below average in mathematics, science and information and communication technology.  Pupils achieve well in religious education.  Pupils with special educational needs and those at the early stages of English make good progress when receiving additional help.

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Commentary

1. Children enter the nursery with very low levels of skill in all the main areas of their development. Many have had only very limited pre-school experiences beyond their family. Teaching is well planned to meet the needs of children with limited skills in English. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage, they learn well but do not achieve the expected goals for their learning in most of the recognised main areas because there is such a deficit in what they know, understand and can do when they enter school. Children enjoy their time in the Foundation Stage and their confidence grows so that they make good progress in their personal and social development. Those who have some skills in English develop their speaking skills well and those who are very quiet or who have limited knowledge of English begin to communicate with staff and their friends. Children also make good progress in their mathematical

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Commentary

development and their knowledge and understanding of the world. When they enter Year 1 children’s skills in areas of creative and physical development are slightly higher than in other areas and they achieve the early Learning Goals in these two areas of the curriculum.

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Commentary

2. The achievement of children with special educational needs in the nursery and reception classes is satisfactory. They make satisfactory progress because teachers quickly evaluate what additional help they require to enable them to learn effectively. In Years 1 to 6 pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactory standards and make satisfactory progress because they are given valuable help by the teaching assistants. Rood End Primary School - 11

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Key Stage 1

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2002

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Key Stage 1

Standards in: School results National results Reading 12.8 ( 13.7 ) 15.8 ( 15.7 )

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Key Stage 1

There were 54 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Key Stage 1

3. In the national tests in 2002 at the end of Year 2 standards in reading, writing and mathematics were amongst the lowest five per cent of schools in the country. When standards are compared to schools with similar numbers of pupils entitled to free school meals attainment was still well below the average of these schools. Whilst figures are not available for 2003 to compare achievement with schools nationally, information shows that pupils’ attainment was even lower than in 2002 in reading and mathematics but slightly improved in writing.

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Key Stage 1

4. Inspection findings are that standards at the end of Year 2 are well below average in English, mathematics and science. While teaching is carefully planned to reflect the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies the match of the work to pupils’ understanding is variable. Sometimes the work is too easy and sometimes too hard. Pupils do not always achieve what they are capable of. This is partly because staff are not making enough use of assessment information to track progress and highlight where teaching needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of the pupils. Not enough is expected of pupils, particularly those in the middle range of attainment. Inspection observations indicate there is no significant difference in the attainment of pupils from different ethnic groups but staff do not use the information they have to track possible differences. Not enough opportunities are planned to ensure pupils are active in their

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Key Stage 1

learning and pupils spend too much time sitting listening to adults, which affects pupils’ concentration and attitudes to their learning.

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Key Stage 2

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

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Key Stage 2

Standards in: School results National results English 24.3 (25.5) 27.0 ( 27.0) Mathematics 24.0 (24.8) 26.7 ( 26.6) Science 25.5 (26.0) 28.3 (28.3) There were 67 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Key Stage 2

5. In the national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 standards in English, mathematics and science have been well below national averages in the last few years. Some improvements were seen between 1999 and 2001, but in 2002 standards dipped in each of the core subjects. In 2003 standards fell significantly, especially in mathematics with less than half the pupils achieving the expected levels. This is partly explained by the many staff changes, which exacerbated the difficulties, caused by the poor behaviour of a number of pupils in Year 6. Overall more than 100 supply staff were employed in the school during the year with key problems in Year 6 and more than 26 per cent of class teachers left in the last year. Rood End Primary School - 12 6. Inspection findings are that standards in English are well below average at the end of Key Stage 2 and pupils do not achieve what they are capable of. Speaking and

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Key Stage 2

listening skills are poor and as they get older fewer pupils contribute their ideas to discussions. Reading and writing skills are also restricted. Standards in mathematics are below average and achievement is unsatisfactory. Pupils do not always have the confidence to use the skills that they have been taught to solve mathematical problems. Standards in science are below average at the age of eleven and pupils have a restricted knowledge base and many lack confidence in carrying out experiments and investigations.

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Key Stage 2

7. Throughout the school standards in information and communication technology are below average. While pupils often make good progress in lessons they do not have regular enough opportunities to practise the skills they are taught. Those pupils at the early stages of English make good progress when they receive additional support. The teaching of religious education is well planned and pupils throughout the school achieve well in this subject. Whilst it was not possible to inspect physical education in detail the parents are concerned, and inspectors agree, that the restricted accommodation limits the progress pupils make.

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Pupils’ behaviour is good throughout the school but some pupils in most classes

display apathy to learning and the attitudes to learning overall are unsatisfactory.

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Attendance is below the national average. Provision for pupils’ personal development

and for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Attendance is below the national average. Provision for pupils’ personal development

 Pupils' behaviour is good and relationships are very good.  Teachers attempt to maintain pupils’ interest during lessons but some pupils resist all efforts to involve them in their learning.  Pupils’ personal development is good. Lunchtimes provide good opportunities for pupils to share experiences and ideas.  Planned opportunities for reflection and consideration in religious education lessons aid the development of self-knowledge and engender spiritual awareness.  Cultural traditions are discussed and celebrated in lessons and assemblies.  The school rigorously monitors attendance and punctuality.  Some parents and carers pay little attention to the need for pupils to attend regularly and on time.

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Attendance is below the national average. Provision for pupils’ personal development

8. Most pupils are prepared to contribute to lessons but a significant minority in most classes are passive and make little or no effort to learn. While teachers try to involve pupils in their learning they miss many opportunities to capture pupils’ interest and imagination and overall the school does not stimulate in pupils a desire to learn. Pupils behave well in lessons and at play, and there is no evidence of any form of oppressive behaviour. In discussion most pupils say they enjoy coming to school. Lunchtimes are well considered and supervised and, even given the very overcrowded play areas, provide a pleasant experience for pupils. Relationships between pupils and with most adults are very good. The school has successfully introduced assertive discipline strategies, which are pursued by all staff and provide pupils with a clear idea of expectations of behaviour. This was partly as a result of the very high rate of

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Attendance is below the national average. Provision for pupils’ personal development

exclusions last year including the exclusion of a small group of parents.

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Attendance is below the national average. Provision for pupils’ personal development

9. Pupils undertake minor monitorial roles but there is no provision for them to develop their commitment to school life or their own learning. Assemblies and some lessons, especially religious education lessons for older pupils, provide opportunities for pupils Rood End Primary School - 13 to become aware of their own spirituality. These occasions also enable pupils to consider the responsibilities involved in living in a multicultural society. Different cultural traditions are discussed and celebrated in an effective manner and all pupils are fully included in the range of school activities.

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Attendance is below the national average. Provision for pupils’ personal development

10. The headteacher and administration staff have developed successful strategies to monitor and improve the rate of attendance from a very low base to one that is improving year by year. Parents and carers are becoming aware of the need for pupils to attend regularly but there is still a very high level of unauthorised absence and lateness.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 9 School data : 0.4 National data: 5.9 National data: 0.5 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Exclusions

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 159 22 2 White – Irish 2 0 0 White – any other White background 3 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 24 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 1 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 7 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 9 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 73 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 140 5 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 2 2 0

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Exclusions

Black or Black British – Caribbean 21 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 1 0 0

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Exclusions

Any other ethnic group 10 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 7 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. Rood End Primary School - 14 11. There was an unusually high number of white boys excluded from the school last year as a result of their poor behaviour. Such patterns of behaviour are not seen in other groups.

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The overall quality of education provided is unsatisfactory including teaching and

learning and accommodation. The curriculum is generally satisfactory.

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Teaching and learning

The overall quality of teaching and learning over a period of time is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good and the youngest children learn well.  Over a period of time teachers have not expected enough of pupils.  Staff do not make enough use of assessment information to carefully track pupils’ attainment and use this information to plan subsequent lessons.  Pupils are inactive for too long and they spend too much time sitting and listening to staff which affects their concentration and attitudes to learning.  During the inspection teaching in individual lessons was often good, especially in Years 5 and 6.  Staff make clear to pupils their expectation of good behaviour.

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Commentary

12. The quality of teaching in the nursery and reception classes is good and children learn well. Teaching and learning are carefully planned to meet the needs of young children well. Activities are organised to encourage children to develop their communication skills well and to learn by doing things.

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Commentary

13. During the week of inspection the quality of teaching was often good particularly in Years 5 and 6. This largely new group of teachers expects more of the pupils than can be seen in recent work. The sample of pupils’ recent work and discussions with pupils’ show that throughout the school over time teaching has often been unsatisfactory. Pupils have not been challenged enough over some time and many could achieve more than they have been doing. In the past setting arrangements have provided reasonable support for higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs and pupils at the early stages of English have received additional help. The sample of work shows that on too many occasions the same or very similar work has been planned for all groups of pupils. Not enough has been expected of pupils and this has not moved enough of them forward in their learning.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 54 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

0% 8 ( 15%) 29 ( 54%) 11( 20%) 6 (11%) 0% 0%

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

14. Whilst the school has a reasonable range of assessment information for literacy and numeracy assessment data is not used well enough by the most senior staff or class Rood End Primary School - 15 teachers to track the progress made and to find out if different groups of pupils achieve as well as others. For instance, the school is not sufficiently aware if achievement varies from one ethnic group to another or whether gender differences in attainment are long standing or simply cohort issues. There have been too many changes in recent assessment arrangements and there are few opportunities for the new assessment co-ordinator to work alongside colleagues to identify and make available the most useful range of information on a consistent and whole school basis. The tracking of achievement is not systematic enough.

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Commentary

15. Staff throughout the school make clear their expectations for good behaviour and this has a positive impact on learning by creating a calm working environment. However, in far too many lessons pupils from Year 1 onward sit for too long listening to adults. This means they do not develop active learning skills and they are not confident in using and applying what they know either in discussions or in investigative activities. Many pupils become passive learners, their concentration is affected and their attitudes to learning are not as positive as they should be.

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Commentary

16. There are effective strategies used by teachers and other adults to support the learning of pupils with special educational needs. Pupils’ individual education plans are used to ensure the work they are given to do is suitably matched to their individual needs. If pupils are withdrawn from class for additional help this is closely monitored to ensure they are not missing other important activities. However, assessment is not used well enough for reviewing the appropriateness of pupils being retained on the school’s record of special educational needs.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

curriculum including out of school activities. Accommodation is unsatisfactory.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

 The quality of access and opportunity the school provides for all pupils is good.  The curriculum for religious education is good and has improved significantly since the last inspection.  There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs.  Provision for the children in the nursery and reception classes is good although that for outdoor play is unsatisfactory.  The school has undergone a period of significant staff absence and change, which has hindered curriculum development.  The quality of the information and communication technology and physical education curriculum is adversely affected by shortcomings in the accommodation and lack of appropriate facilities outside.  Resources for religious education are good, but there are insufficient library and reading books and history artefacts.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

17. The curriculum is broad and reasonably balanced and fulfils all statutory requirements, which it did not do at the time of the last inspection. Children in the Foundation Stage take part in a good range of learning experiences that effectively develop their knowledge and understanding in all of the recommended areas of learning. A series of well-planned modules are linked closely to the areas of learning for children in the Rood End Primary School - 16 Foundation Stage but the provision for outdoor play is unsatisfactory for those children in reception.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

18. All pupils have equality of access to the curriculum, even though parts of the school are not easily accessible to wheelchair users. Curriculum support for pupils with special educational needs and those at the early stages of English is good. When pupils receive additional support this is well planned and they make good progress. There is now a system for devising and reviewing the policies for subjects and the schemes of work and these are mostly satisfactory. There has been good improvement in provision for religious education. The amount of time devoted to teaching literacy is not always used productively enough and has meant that too little time is given to other subjects such as music, and this has affected standards. Not all teachers have a clear understanding of the difference between teaching skills in art and design and those in design and technology.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

19. The basic skills of information and communication technology are used well by some teachers, but overall computers in the information and communication technology suite and those in classrooms are not used well enough. The programme for citizenship is being developed and the recently appointed curriculum enrichment co-ordinator has very good plans to promote this aspect of pupils’ learning further. The provision for extra-curricular activities is satisfactory and has a positive effect on pupils’ enthusiasm for school and for the creation of good social skills and relationships.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

20. The quality of teaching and of curriculum development has been severely affected by the numerous temporary and permanent staff changes. In the last two years 44 per cent of teaching staff left and more than 100 supply staff have taught in the school in the last year. This has had a particular impact upon curriculum development in Year 6 and Year 4.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

21. Because of limitations imposed by the unsatisfactory quality of the accommodation, teachers find it difficult to compensate for the barriers to learning which these create. Particular difficulties are encountered in the physical education curriculum with restricted hard play areas. The information and communication technology suite is inadequately furnished and ventilated. The computer suite and classroom computers are not used well enough to support cross-curricular work. Few classrooms have sinks and running water. The youngest children have inadequate access to outdoor play activities.

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The curriculum and resources are satisfactory. There is satisfactory enrichment of the

22. There is a good range of resources for teaching religious education but there are too few artefacts for history. The library is too small and has too few books and many class reading materials are old and unattractive especially for the youngest readers.

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personal support and guidance is satisfactory. The involvement of pupils through

seeking, valuing and acting on their views is unsatisfactory.

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personal support and guidance is satisfactory. The involvement of pupils through

 Not enough staff are trained to manage child protection procedures in Key Stages 1 and 2.  Risk assessments of the premises are carried out regularly.  There are very few opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning or contribute their views to the development of the school. Rood End Primary School - 17  Circle time is planned for all classes but Personal, Social, and Health Education, as a subject, is not timetabled.

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personal support and guidance is satisfactory. The involvement of pupils through

23. Teachers know their pupils well and respond appropriately to their academic and personal needs. The headteacher has received recent training in child protection and teachers in the foundation stage are familiar with the routines for dealing with any child protection issues that may arise. However, there are no formal procedures or training plans in place, to ensure that all teachers are familiar with the local guidelines for child protection. Risk assessment and first aid routines are appropriate. The school is generally a healthy and safe place for all pupils. The governing body and the caretaker carry out regular risk assessments of the school premises. The administration assistant has received training in first aid and cares for pupils who are unwell or injured.

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personal support and guidance is satisfactory. The involvement of pupils through

24. Most pupils have well-developed positive relationships with teachers and other adults in school with whom they can share their worries. But the school does not do enough to involve pupils in school issues. There is no pupils’ forum or School Council through which they can contribute their ideas to whole school development issues. Pupils undertake a range of minor monitorial roles but have no opportunity to become prefects or to otherwise influence the life of the school. In the playground and dining hall, older pupils care and supervise younger pupils, and provide friendship opportunities for new pupils and those who need encouragement to play. Lunchtime supervisors are alert to the needs of pupils and provide well organised play activities for younger pupils.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

There are satisfactory links with parents, the local community and other schools.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

 The school has regular contact with parents through termly consultation evenings and the Parent Teacher Association.  Parents receive a good selection of formal information about the school, although this is available only in the English language.  Progress reports are of variable quality. Those for Key Stage 2 pupils contain minimal commentary and provide little or no information as to what the pupils have learned.  A number of parents would not feel comfortable about approaching the school with a problem.  The school has limited links with the local community in that there are very few visitors to the school.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

25. There are good termly opportunities for parents to consult staff over the progress their children are making. The Parent Teacher Association holds a number of social and fund-raising events each year and provides the school with substantial funds to provide additional learning resources.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

26. There is a good range of information available to parents. Curriculum information is sent home each term for every subject, however, some parents do not feel that they are kept sufficiently well informed about their children’s progress. Within this multiracial community, the school only provides documents for parents in the English language. This is unsatisfactory where parents and their young children do not have a sufficient grasp of English and have undeveloped translation skills. The reports the parents receive of the work done and progress made are very variable and some are not helpful in indicating what support parents could give to their children. Rood End Primary School - 18 27. Parents further support their children’s learning by attending weekly class assemblies and the annual leavers’ assembly. School assemblies have been taken by representatives of local religions and by members of the emergency services. There

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

are very few opportunities taken to bring artists and other visitors into school to work with pupils and to enrich their learning through shared experiences. All pupils in Key Stage 2 are given opportunities to take part in residential visits, which support their leaning well. Overall parents have satisfactory views of the school although a significant number believe that pupils do not behave well in school and think that there are incidents of oppressive behaviour. The school considers these comments to be associated with a previous Year 6 cohort that were particularly badly behaved.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Planning for the school’s strategic development is poor and lacks coherent vision and organisation. The School Development Plan is unsatisfactory.  The monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance are unsatisfactory.  Progress on the key issues from the last inspection is unsatisfactory.  The Governing Body’s ability to fulfil its strategic role is poor. Governors have limited impact on the school’s development.  The Senior Management Team, which includes some recent appointees, has the potential and commitment to raise standards effectively.  Finances are managed efficiently.

p.18

Commentary

28. There is a lack of rigour to most aspects of leadership, management and governance that has affected school improvement for some time. Senior staff have allowed the day-to-day issues of running a school during a difficult period of staff changes and absences to overtake the need for clarity of vision and purpose. The leadership of the most senior staff is poor. The headteacher is caring and hardworking but has, for a variety of reasons, been unable to regain the initiative against the key leadership and management issues raised at the last inspection. Some issues are still outstanding from the 1995 inspection. In all, around half of the previous key inspection issues are still insufficiently embedded within school practice to have an impact on raising standards. Standards have fallen recently and the pupils have the ability to achieve much more.

p.18

Commentary

29. The management of the school is unsatisfactory. Monitoring of the quality of teaching is erratic and has not occurred for about a year. There was no follow up monitoring to support the issues raised in previous reports. The school now has the facility to collect, analyse, report and predict targets for the different year groups, classes, groups and individuals but senior staff have failed to use or share the data in any consistent targeted developmental way. The monitoring and evaluation that has occurred has often been descriptive rather than evaluative and not helped to pinpoint what needs to be improved. Rood End Primary School - 19 30. The deputy headteacher has good skills in key areas but her overall management skills have been under-utilised. The school has made some good appointments of late and these, along with other key staff, provide the potential and commitment to raise standards. Co-ordinators are in place for most subjects and key aspects such as

p.18

Commentary

special educational needs and assessment. Although there is evidence of good work in the Foundation Stage and in religious education the role of the co-ordinators, overall, is underdeveloped. Staff have few opportunities to monitor, evaluate and inform development planning as a result of rigorous data collection and analysis or evaluation of teaching and learning. The use of senior management team and staff meeting time is not always used effectively to monitor, plan, report or evaluate development within the school in any depth. However, the newly constituted senior management team has plenty of enthusiasm and a good understanding that improvements have to be made the focus for their work.

p.19

Commentary

31. The provision for pupils with special educational needs has been led well. Staff reflect the school’s aims and policy in their work and effectively work as a team to support these pupils in lessons. The special educational needs co-ordinator provides good leadership and manages this aspect of the school’s work well. Staff are particularly well deployed to help pupils with their learning. Support is sensitive and unobtrusive. The named governor with responsibility for this aspect of the school’s work provides help and encouragement, but has been less involved in rigorously assessing the value of this element of its work.

p.19

Commentary

32. The current School Development Plan is unsatisfactory. It is a lengthy document comprising separate subject or aspect leader prioritised areas for development. The document is not cohesive; it is not fully costed nor organised to make effective use of finance, time and energy.

p.19

Commentary

33. The active involvement of governors in the formulating, costing, monitoring and evaluating of the School’s Development Plan is very limited and the governance of the school is poor overall. Whilst some individual governors are clearly focused, for example, the governor responsible for monitoring special educational needs is a frequent visitor to the school, the governing body as a whole is failing in its responsibilities at the strategic level. Their impact upon the school is limited and governors are too heavily reliant on the headteacher for information and are not well enough informed at first hand of provision in the school.

p.19

Commentary

34. Finances are managed effectively by the school administration staff and externally purchased finance team. The reports produced are precise, informative and provide comparative data that could lead the governors and school management team to debate key issues regarding its current and projected spend. The latest report shows that the school will have a small deficit by the financial year-end. The school has invested well in class support staff. Current financial reports show that the school allocates limited funds to targeted staff development and there is limited evidence of staff courses and training. The expenditure per head is very high in comparison to most schools and the value for money is poor. Rood End Primary School - 20

p.19

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 02 to March 03

p.20

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,334,053 Balance from previous year 75,487 Total expenditure 1,365,048 Balance carried forward to the next 44,492 Expenditure per pupil 3,592

p.20

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS FOR PUPILS WITH AUTISM AND SPEECH AND

Provision for pupils with autism is very good.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Very good provision for pupils by ensuring they are fully included in all school activities.  Pupils on the autistic spectrum achieve well in relation to their previous learning.  Assessment information is used well to plan appropriate activities.  Pupils and parents and carers are not as fully involved in target setting as they might be.

p.20

Commentary

35. The school receives designated funding to provide for the special educational needs of seven pupils who have statements for either autism or speech and language difficulties. The school makes very good provision for these pupils by ensuring they are fully included in all aspects of school life.

p.20

Commentary

36. These pupils achieve well in relation to their prior attainment and produce satisfactory standards of work. They have appropriate attitudes towards school and these go some way towards alleviating potential barriers to learning which arise from the nature of their special needs.

p.20

Commentary

37. These pupils receive very good help and support for learning which helps them make good gains in their knowledge and understanding. Assessment is very thorough and constructive and is used well to respond to individual needs. The well trained and experienced learning support assistants are very effective in the work they undertake with individual pupils. This ensures that pupils have access to a good balance and range of learning experiences. When these pupils are given additional support in class and taught alongside their classmates the quality of education they receive is better than when they are taught in small groups by other teachers. This is because their own teacher and the learning support staff have higher expectations of what each pupil is able to achieve and they are made to work harder to fulfil their potential.

p.20

Commentary

38. Good links have been established with other agencies, such as the educational psychologist and the speech and language therapists. Links with parents and other carers are not as effective, particularly with respect to the contribution they make to Rood End Primary School - 21 setting and reviewing targets in their child’s individual education plan. Pupils themselves also need more encouragement to set and evaluate their own targets.

p.20

Commentary

39. The special educational needs co-ordinator is responsible for managing the designated provision. The leadership she provides is good. However, because she has been seconded from the school on several occasions she has not been able to implement all aspects of the special educational needs management plan within the proposed time scale.

p.21

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY PROVISION

Provision in areas of community support is good although not extensive.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

 There are a significant number of ethnic language groups using the school’s facilities.  The Sure Start initiative encourages parents to bring younger children into school.

p.21

Commentary

40. The school provides the community with facilities for significant language support. Language lessons in Urdu and Panjabi are presented by Kidderminster College to a large number of pupils, ex-pupils now in secondary school, and some adults. The Sure Start scheme is effective and gives parents with children of pre-school age the opportunity to meet staff and become familiar with school routines. The Sure Start group helps to prepare younger children for school activities by developing their English language skills prior to entry. A number of pupils attend the martial arts club, which meets twice weekly. Playing fields belonging to a local firm are used for sports days and special events. There are few other formal community links and the school misses many opportunities to develop links with local families and other groups in the local community. Rood End Primary School - 22

p.21

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

There is good provision for children in the Foundation Stage.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Good teaching in the nursery and reception classes ensures that children make good progress.  The Foundation Stage is effectively managed.  Assessment procedures are used effectively to develop pupils learning.  There are insufficient opportunities for parents to be involved in their child’s education.  There are good working relationships between all staff working in the Foundation Stage.  Displays are used very effectively to develop learning.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

41. The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good. Teaching is good overall, which is an improvement since the previous inspection. Most children enter the nursery with low levels of attainment in all areas of learning. Personal, social and emotional skills, use of language, mathematical skills and knowledge and understanding of the world are particularly poor. Physical development and creative skills are lower than expected.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

42. Children receive a good quality education in both the part-time nursery and both reception classes because of the consistently good teaching. There is good leadership and management of the Foundation Stage, with good links between the nursery and reception classes. Assessment is used effectively to develop children’s learning building on what the children know and understand. There are too few opportunities for parents to help with their child’s learning. Parents are not encouraged to enter the classroom at the start of sessions and there are limited opportunities for children to take work home. Children are given good role models by the Foundation Stage staff who work very well together. Teachers provide bright stimulating displays to encourage children to learn.

p.22

Personal, social and emotional development

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

 There is good achievement by children in the nursery and reception classes.  The quality of teaching and learning is good with teachers using a wide range of opportunities to develop children’s personal, social and emotional skills.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

43. There is good quality teaching and learning in all classes. All adults relate very well to each other, giving very good role models to the children. Adults ensure that children are taught right from wrong. Routines are well established and most children quickly adapt to them, although some children are rather passive and need a great deal of persuasion to contribute to lessons. Teachers use many opportunities to develop personal and social skills including insisting on good manners and giving children responsibility for distributing drinks and fruit. The children achieve well and make good progress. Additional support given to children with special educational needs ensures Rood End Primary School - 23 that they make good progress. Children with English as an additional language work with a bilingual support worker who develops their social and academic skills effectively. Despite the good progress many children do not reach the early learning

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

goals at the end of reception because of the very low levels of attainment on entry to the nursery.

p.23

Communication, language and literacy

There is good provision in communication, language and literacy.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Children make good progress and achieve well in both the nursery and reception classes.  There is good quality teaching and learning overall but there are some missed opportunities to develop speaking skills.  Children with special educational needs and English as an additional language are effectively supported.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

44. Many children enter the nursery with little knowledge of English. Children make good progress in developing their speaking and listening skills because of the good quality teaching and learning in all classes. In the nursery, the teacher uses pictures and illustrations very effectively with children who have little spoken English and bi-lingual books are used in the reception classes. Despite the good progress many children have poorer than expected speaking skills at the end of reception. Children are encouraged to handle books but in the nursery few choose to do this. By the time they leave reception, children handle books with care and they distinguish between words and pictures. More able children read simple sentences. Most trace over writing and many copy words. More able children write their name. Children identified as having special educational needs receive effective additional support when necessary.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

Occasionally adults miss some opportunities to develop language skills with groups who are working on independent tasks. Despite the good progress made, few children reach the early learning goals by the end of reception because of their very low attainment when they start school.

p.23

Mathematical development

The provision for mathematical development is good.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Children make good progress and achieve well in both the nursery and reception classes.  The quality of teaching and learning is good, with work matching individual need.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

45. On entry to the nursery few children recognise numbers and counting skills are poor. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good and this ensures that children make good progress and achieve well. Work is well planned to meet the needs of individual children. The bilingual support assistant provides additional effective support for children with English as an additional language. Displays are used very effectively to reinforce number work. Despite the good progress many children do not attain the early learning goals because of the very low levels of attainment on entry to the nursery. Rood End Primary School - 24

p.23

Knowledge and understanding of the world

The provision for knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

 There is good progress and children achieve well in all classes.  The quality of teaching and learning is good.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

46. Children make good progress and achieve well because teachers offer a wide range of activities and provide good quality teaching and learning opportunities in all classes. Teachers use the environment very effectively, for example the local park and the trees in the school grounds. Many children have limited understanding of the world around them. There is regular use of the computer as a choice activity and this helps children develop their information and communications technology skills. Not all children are confident on the computer and teachers support them effectively to use the mouse. Children use construction kits but their skills are at a lower than expected level. Despite the good quality teaching and learning and good progress many children do not attain the early learning goals when they leave reception because of the low levels of attainment on entry to the nursery.

p.24

Physical development

Provision in physical development is satisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

 The quality of teaching and learning is good.  Children make good progress and achieve well in the formal physical education sessions  Unsatisfactory accommodation restricts opportunities to develop aspects of physical development in reception classes. .  Attainment at the end of reception is broadly in line with expectations.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

47. Teachers use the formal physical education sessions, based in the school hall, effectively to develop learning. Pupils enter school with lower than expected levels of attainment and make good progress in the nursery where they have regular access to suitable outdoor play activities. They achieve well because of the good quality of teaching and by the end of reception most children show satisfactory movement and co-ordination skills and reach the expected levels in most areas of physical development. Children in the reception classes do not have regular access to an outdoor play area. As a result children cannot move spontaneously between indoor and outdoor environments. Opportunities to develop climbing skills and use large equipment including scooters and ‘trikes’ are limited and this restricts progress in these skills.

p.24

Creative development

The provision for creative development is good.

p.24

Creative development

 There is good progress and achievement in the Foundation Stage.  Many children attain the early learning goals by the end of reception. Rood End Primary School - 25  The quality of teaching and learning is good in all classes.  Speaking and listening skills are effectively developed in creative sessions.

p.24

Creative development

48. Children make good progress and achieve well because of the good quality teaching. They are encouraged to work with a wide variety of materials including pencils, paints and clay and they quickly learn basic techniques and control materials. Children make good improvement in their painting and colouring skills as they move through the Foundation Stage. Teachers plan their lessons very effectively to meet the needs of individual children and they link creative development well to other areas of the curriculum. Teachers and support staff develop children’s speaking and listening skills effectively in creative sessions by regularly discussing work. Children sing a variety of songs from memory and show an awareness of rhythm. Most children make good progress and at the end of reception they meet the early learning goals.

p.25

ENGLISH

 Standards throughout the school are poor and not improving fast enough.  Pupils are not achieving as well as they could.  Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are generally poor.  Reading skills are better than writing or speaking and listening.  The quality of teaching seen during the inspection was satisfactory. Over time it has been unsatisfactory.  Assessment information is not used effectively.  Pupils do not have good attitudes to learning.  Reading materials are often old and unattractive and the library is not used properly.

p.25

ENGLISH

49. The school has made insufficient progress in improving English standards since the previous inspection. In the current Year 6 the pupils’ standards are well below average. Pupils are starting to make better progress in writing because of the school’s initiatives that have improved the way in which writing skills are taught, but all pupils are not achieving as well as they could. Pupils speaking English as an additional language make similar progress to their classmates. Those pupils who have special educational needs make better progress because they are identified early and given effective support. This is particularly effective when the very capable learning support assistants, working in a highly structured way, teach these pupils in small groups. Pupils’ attainment in the present Year 2 is well below average and these pupils have made unsatisfactory progress since they entered the school. This is partly because of

p.25

ENGLISH

inconsistent teaching and also because some teachers lack confidence in teaching the national literacy strategy.

p.25

ENGLISH

50. The factor that has the greatest impact on both the learning and the teaching of literacy throughout the school is the exceptionally high level of staff turnover, together with pupils’ lack of interest in their work and, often, their poor attitudes to learning. Rood End Primary School - 26 51. Pupils at Key Stage 1 achieve lower than expected standards in speaking and listening. The school has put too little emphasis on developing speaking and listening skills by including, for example, focused discussion and partner work in lessons. Pupils of all abilities are not encouraged to speak often enough in front of the class or publicly in assemblies. The school makes too little effort to ensure that a range of interesting speakers visits and talk to the pupils. Few pupils in Year 2 are confident speakers who can take part in group and class discussions in which they listen and respond to the ideas of other pupils. By the end of Year 6 the pupils’ speaking and listening skills are

p.25

ENGLISH

still very poorly developed. Nearly half the pupils do not reach the expected level in this area of literacy.

p.26

ENGLISH

52. When pupils start in Year 1 standards in reading are well below average. Pupils make slow progress in their reading so that by the end of Year 2 standards are still below average. The school has made the teaching of reading a priority but the vast majority of pupils receive too little support at home in their reading. By the end of Year 6 attainment in reading is below the national average.

p.26

ENGLISH

53. Although the school has spent a considerable amount of money on improving reading provision, which has had some impact the reading scheme is old and out of date. Some of the reference books have come to the end of their life and need replacing. The range of fiction books, particularly for the more able readers, is still limited. Pupils do not have the freedom to use the library, either independently, in groups or classes, as much as they would like.

p.26

ENGLISH

54. Pupils’ attainment in writing when they start in Year 1 is poor. However, since the last inspection, standards in writing in all year groups have slowly begun to improve. A greater proportion of pupils now achieves at the higher levels. The very focused work to improve writing levels is being effective. The way pupils are set targets that are reviewed regularly has also contributed to the improvement in writing. However, this is a very recent initiative and has not yet had full effect. Standards in writing attained at the end of Year 2 are still well below average. The standards attained by pupils in writing by the end of Year 6 are low, but standards of handwriting presentation and spelling are better.

p.26

ENGLISH

55. The quality of teaching seen during the inspection was satisfactory but over a period of time teaching has been unsatisfactory. In some good and very good lessons observed the teachers made good use of learning resources, used explanation and discussion effectively and established good relationships with the pupils. Staff’s management of pupils was good. However, assessment is not used effectively to set appropriate work for all groups of pupils, and teachers’ marking is not constructively critical, nor does it systematically set targets for development. The school has started to set individual targets for pupils but the initiative is very new and not in place throughout the whole school. Homework tasks are well used to support literacy skills by some teachers.

p.26

ENGLISH

56. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory overall. The Key Stage 2 subject co-ordinator has a very good understanding of how English is taught across the school and has monitored some teaching. Formal lesson observations have been used to support and improve the teaching of literacy. However, the high staff turnover has led to instability and a lack of consistency in the way in which literacy is taught throughout the school.

p.26

ENGLISH

Language and literacy across the curriculum.

p.26

ENGLISH

57. Some teachers make good use of opportunities to teach literacy skills in subjects other than English. In some classes pupils write for a variety of purposes and for different Rood End Primary School - 27 audiences using other areas of the curriculum such as history and science. However, whilst satisfactory overall this is not consistent and could be further developed.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is unsatisfactory.

p.27

Strengths and weaknesses

 Standards are too low at the end of both key stages and pupils do not achieve as well as they could.  Over time teaching has been unsatisfactory.  Work is not matched well enough to different pupils’ needs.  There has been too little accurate monitoring and evaluation of standards and achievement to inform whole school planning for development.  Pupils’ attitudes to mathematics are mixed and vary from class to class and set to set.

p.27

Commentary

58. Standards in mathematics are too low at the end of both key stages. Overall standards have dropped since the last inspection when compared to similar schools.

p.27

Commentary

59. The school’s adopted mathematical scheme is extensive but is not used effectively to ensure that all pupils’ needs are met in lessons. Work is not always targeted accurately enough to build on prior learning and to enable pupils to gain a full understanding of key concepts. By the end of Key Stage 1 pupils have covered the mathematics curriculum and work by the more able pupils is neat and clearly set out. However, the work does not always contain the right amount of challenge for the different groups of pupils and is sometimes too easy and sometimes too hard for the pupils. As a result a large minority of pupils sit passively taking little or no part in the lesson. Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory.

p.27

Commentary

60. In Key Stage 2 pupils experience a reasonably broad mathematical curriculum and the more able are beginning to be challenged. Pupils in Year 4 to Year 6 are set into higher and lower attaining groups, but there is too much variation between the standard and breadth of work in different sets. Pupils’ attitudes to their work vary and pupils in the lower ability set are much less confident in their own abilities even when they are successful in the work. Pupils, often sit impassively taking little or no active part in lessons. Pupils are not sufficiently involved in taking responsibility for their own learning and pupils in both sets have little knowledge of their own learning in terms of where they are, where they need to be and how they can get there. Pupils’ achievement, including that of pupils who speak English as an additional language, is unsatisfactory. Information and communication technology is not yet sufficiently

p.27

Commentary

embedded across the curriculum to reinforce and extend mathematical learning.

p.27

Commentary

61. The quality of marking in pupils’ books and on worksheets varies but in the main consists of general encouraging comments or ticks and crosses with few specific targeted comments that would help pupils further in their development.

p.27

Commentary

62. The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory overall. During the inspection some good teaching was observed, although there was also some unsatisfactory teaching. The best teaching takes place where teachers take into account the pupils’ prior knowledge and understanding and accurately pitch work at the right level for the Rood End Primary School - 28 pupils. In these lessons, the lesson objectives are shared with the pupils so that they understand what they are to learn, and understand how this links with previous learning. However, in too many lessons, and as shown in samples of recent work, planning does not take enough account of what the pupils know, understand and can do and the level of challenge is not consistently high enough.

p.27

Commentary

63. Too little use has been made of ongoing assessment across the school to ensure that pupils are consistently and systematically challenged; there were inconsistencies in the records of what work was covered and standards achieved. The school had not effectively identified and addressed weaknesses in teaching and learning. The co- ordinator has recently taken responsibility for the subject and has the commitment and ability to develop the curriculum and raise standards further. However, there is not enough opportunity to monitor and evaluate the standards of achievement of individuals, cohorts or groups. The leadership of mathematics has been unsatisfactory but the current co-ordinator has plans to redress this.

p.28

Commentary

64. Whilst there are a number of opportunities to develop mathematics skills across the curriculum including in science and design and technology these are often unplanned and unsystematic and staff miss opportunities to develop such links further. The development of mathematics across the curriculum is unsatisfactory.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory.  There are elements of unsatisfactory teaching and learning although teaching in upper Key Stage 2 is good.  The role of the subject co-ordinator and the monitoring of teaching and learning are unsatisfactory.  Assessment procedures do not develop learning.  The overuse of worksheets restricts the development of pupils’ literacy skills.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

65. Across the school pupils have not achieved as well as they should in science over time. Work is not always set at different levels to meet the needs of the pupils. There are times when pupils have obviously not mastered a skill but they are given more difficult work in the next lesson and as a result fail to answer questions or complete their work. In very recent times improvements in the quality of teaching have meant that pupils achieve well in individual lessons but they have not yet overcome the gaps in their learning due to unsatisfactory progress in previous lessons.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

66. Standards of attainment are well below average at the end of Year 2 and below average at the end of Year 6. No significant differences between boys and girls were observed during the inspection period and those pupils who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to their classmates. Many pupils find it difficult to make suggestions about collecting data or to make hypotheses. By the end of Year 6, pupils have developed their scientific knowledge and understanding at a slower than expected rate. While many pupils understand the concept of a fair test, there are a number who do not and explain you keep everything the same. There are differences in the level of independent learning within parallel classes. Rood End Primary School - 29 67. The quality of teaching and learning seen during the inspection was satisfactory overall but with some elements of unsatisfactory teaching. Analysis of previous work shows

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

that in the past there has been unsatisfactory teaching and learning and as a result achievement and progress have been hampered. In the lessons observed, planning was good and based on national guidelines. In most classes work was set at different levels to meet the needs of the lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs. Additional support is used effectively to address the needs of pupils with English as an additional language. In Year 6, particularly good use is made of discussion groups in problem solving and in investigative work. The quality of marking is inconsistent and is not used effectively to develop learning.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

68. The role of the subject co-ordinator is unsatisfactory. She has not had the time to monitor teaching and learning in the classrooms to identify good practice and areas for development. There is some analysis of test results to identify areas for development and work in pupils’ books is monitored, but this information is not used to set specific learning targets for groups or individuals. Opportunities to develop literacy and mathematical skills are satisfactory but literacy skills could be developed further for younger pupils if there was less reliance on worksheets that limit the opportunities for pupils to record their findings in their own words.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

69. There has been unsatisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. The quality of teaching and learning has fallen from good to satisfactory overall. The issue of use of assessment to improve learning has not been effectively addressed.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Pupils do not achieve what they are capable of, as many do not use computers on a regular enough basis.  The new subject co-ordinator has a clear grasp of his role and potential to make significant improvements in the subject.  The co-ordinator does not have enough opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning and to track the usage of the computer suite and classroom computers.

p.29

Commentary

70. Pupils do not achieve what they are capable of, as they do not use computers on a regular enough basis to build their skills. Standards are below average at the end of both key stages. Following the previous two inspections, which identified standards in information and communication technology as a key issue for improvement, the school was initially slow to respond. Since the second inspection there has been some improvement as a computer suite has now been established so pupils are taught the basic skills of information and communication technology, but the issues raised in the previous two inspections of the limited opportunities to use computers remain.

p.29

Commentary

71. Teaching and learning over a period of time have been unsatisfactory and the level of challenge particularly in Year 4 is unsatisfactory. The amount of work produced using information and communication technology skills is highly variable, as is the level of challenge offered. Very little work was produced in the last year in Year 6 and the Rood End Primary School - 30 amount produced in some other year groups is less than usually seen. During the inspection week teaching was good in Year 5 and Year 2 but few classes used the information and communication technology suite or made use of classroom computers, some of which were switched off, for the majority of the week. The use of the suite is at least partly influenced by conditions as it is inadequately furnished and ventilated.

p.29

Commentary

72. The lack of consistency in the planning of activities has affected pupils’ achievement, which overall is unsatisfactory, as many pupils are capable of producing better work if taught on a more consistent basis. Pupils in Year 2 have good opportunities to use computers to support their learning in religious education because word processing skills are extended through specific teaching of how to use different keys to improve their word processing skills. Similarly pupils in Year 5 make good progress in producing instructions to program a floor robot through opportunities to use both the robot and computers to try out and refine their ideas.

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Commentary

73. Leadership and management of the subject are currently satisfactory with considerable potential to improve. The subject leader is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and has clear plans to improve both the hardware available and the use of information and communication technology across the curriculum. However, he currently does not have enough opportunities to directly monitor the quality of teaching and learning in the subject or the use of the information and communication technology suite or classroom computers and this limits the impact he can make.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

74. Cross-curricular links are not developed well enough as the planning to do so is not consistent or high profile enough. Pupils have too few opportunities to use information and communication technology facilities on a regular basis. They have too little time to practise their skills by using classroom computers as a tool to support learning in other areas, although there are some good cross-curricular links in Year 2 in religious education.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The provision for religious education is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 There is good achievement throughout the school and standards are at the expected levels in Year 2 and Year 6.  The quality of teaching and learning is good and pupils have good attitudes to the subject.  There is good leadership and management in the subject.  Religious education could be used more effectively to develop literacy skills.  There is good curricular provision and resources are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

75. Pupils throughout the school achieve well in religious education because of the good and at times very good quality of teaching and the way the subject is organised, closely linking information about religions with aspects of the pupils’ own lives. All pupils are fully included in lessons and the views of those with special educational needs are fully valued and this helps them achieve in line with their classmates. There Rood End Primary School - 31 is no difference between the achievement of boys and girls. Pupils with English as an additional language are fully included in lessons and where they belong to a particular faith group they are encouraged to talk about it.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

76. Attainment at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6 is at the level expected in the syllabus used by local schools. In Year 6, there are elements that are above the expected level. Pupils use information and communication technology to produce very good ‘stained glass windows’ and they produce cards for the ‘Elmer’s Day’ celebration. By Year 6, pupils have made good progress in their understanding of the world’s major faiths identifying the main features that make faiths special.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

77. The quality of teaching and learning is good and at times very good because lessons are well planned. Teachers use the knowledge and expertise of their pupils well. In lessons about particular faiths, pupils from that faith are encouraged to contribute to the lesson. There is a very good mix of learning about religions and then how this can be put into practice. Older pupils are given real life situations to discuss. All pupils are encouraged to express their views. Teachers use religious education very effectively to develop pupils’ spiritual and cultural awareness. Analysis of previous work shows that in a small number of classes there is an over-reliance on work sheets and as a result there are missed opportunities to develop literacy skills in these classes. Pupils respond very well to the opportunities given to them by the teachers and have good attitudes to the subject.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

78. There is good leadership and management of the subject. The co-ordinator has produced very good constructive comments for staff based on her analysis of pupils’ work. She has worked hard to give the staff confidence and this has had a positive impact on raising standards within the subject. The curriculum is well planned with very good links between learning about and learning from religions. There is a good range of resources including artefacts that develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the faiths studied. There has been very good improvement since the previous inspection. At the time of the previous inspection, standards of attainment were low, the quality of teaching seen was satisfactory but progress was unsatisfactory and the subject failed to meet the requirements of the syllabus used in local schools. Religious education now meets fully the requirements of the syllabus used in local schools.

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GEOGRAPHY

79. There was insufficient evidence to make judgements on standards and the quality of teaching and learning in geography. The planning shows that all areas of the subject are covered. Limited evidence shows that pupils at the end of Year 2 attain at the expected level.

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HISTORY

80. There was insufficient work seen in history to make a definite judgement on standards and provision. A scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that standards are lower than expected in Years 1 and 2, but by the time they are in Year 6 the standard of their work is average. Teachers’ planning indicates the subject is taught regularly and the work pupils are given develops their skills, knowledge and understanding reasonably well. Rood End Primary School - 32

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It was not possible to inspect provision in sufficient depth to make secure

judgements in art and design, design and technology, music and physical education.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 There is some confusion in planning and a lack of clarity in understanding the differences between the curricular requirements of the separate art and design and design and technology guidance.  There is only limited evidence of art and design, design and technology and music undertaken in some year groups.

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Commentary

81. There was insufficient opportunity to make a definite judgement on standards and provision in art and design, design and technology music and physical education. In the one art and design lesson observed there was confusion with the design and technology curriculum. In some of the work around school pupils have had few or no opportunities to influence the design or choose materials for the items they make but simply add decorations to very similar items. This does not involve pupils in their learning, allow them to make choices and does not develop individuality, positive attitudes or pupils creative skills well enough. The organisation of the very small number of lessons observed gave rise to safety concerns and did not make good enough use of the time available in lessons when two thirds of the class waited to use equipment.

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Commentary

82. Although music lessons were time-tabled for the week of the inspection, it was not possible to observe any music lessons. Consequently, there was insufficient work seen to make a definite judgement on standards and provision. The school employs the services of a visiting music specialist to support the school’s music provision. The youngest children and pupils in Years 1 and 2 sing tunefully during assembly. The pupils would benefit from additional opportunities to participate in day-to-day musical activities in order for the subject to have a greater impact on pupils’ personal development.

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Commentary

83. Because of time constraints it was not possible to observe many physical education activities. But discussion with staff and pupils indicates that an appropriate range of activities is provided within the very limiting constraints of the accommodation. There is no school field or suitable surface for team games and athletics and this severely restricts the quality of activities the school can organise.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

This is not a main area of school provision and is not reported on separately. Rood End Primary School - 33

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 5 How inclusive the school is 4 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 5 Value for money provided by the school 6

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 5 Pupils’ achievement 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 4 Attendance 5 Attitudes 5 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 5 The quality of teaching 5 How well pupils learn 5 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 Accommodation and resources 5 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 5 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 5 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 4 The quality of the school’s links with the community 4 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 6 The governance of the school 6 The leadership of the headteacher 6 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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