Cambridge Primary School

Age group Published Reference no. Cambridge Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 134117 LEA Cumbria

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Inspection number 274824 Inspection dates 8 - 9 June 2005 Reporting inspector Mrs Rosemary Rodger

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Inspection deemed to have been carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 according to section 12(3) of the same act.

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Type of School Primary School address School category Community Age range of pupils 3 - 11 Cambridge Street Barrow- in- Furness Cumbria LA13 9RP Gender of pupils Mixed Telephone number 01229 894625 Number on roll 279 Fax number 01229 894619 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair of governors Mrs Susan Benson

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Date of previous inspection n/a Headteacher Mrs Linda Dean

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3 - 11 June 2005 274824 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Inspection Report: Cambridge Primary School, 8 - 9 June 2005 1

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Introduction

The inspection was a pilot of the new arrangements for inspection announced by Ofsted in its consultation paper of February 2004. It was carried out with the support and co-operation of the Cambridge Primary School and of the local education authority.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors

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Description of the school

Cambridge Primary School is a larger than average primary school. It opened two years ago following the closure of an infant and a junior school. The pupils come from an area with a significant degree of social and economic disadvantage and the proportion entitled to a free school meal is well above the national average. A very small number of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, including some pupils who are at the early stages of learning English. Currently, the school roll includes a very small number of looked-after children. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements, is well above average . Pupils’ overall attainment when they join the school is well below average. The school has a community development centre on site.

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Key for inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate Inspection Report: Cambridge Primary School, 8 - 9 June 2005 2

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Overall effectiveness of the school

The inspectors agree with the school that Cambridge Primary is a good school. Pupils enjoy their education and are well cared for. Their personal development is good and most of them have good attitudes and behave well. The teaching is good and pupils make good overall progress to reach average standards by the time they are ready for secondary school. The school is well led and managed and has made a good improvement over the past year. In particular, the headteacher and staff have worked hard to improve the teaching, especially of English and mathematics, and this has led to higher standards. The school’s capacity to make further improvement is good but in order to do so it must raise the achievement of the most able pupils in the infants, and make better use of its assessment information. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue to raise standards, particularly those of the more able pupils in Years 1 and 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

• The teachers should improve the setting of targets for pupils and the marking of their work.

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Achievement and standards

Given pupils’ low attainment when they begin the nursery, they make good progress and achieve well to reach average overall standards by the end of Year 6. This is better than the school’s own evaluation, in which the pupils’ achievement is said to be satisfactory. The school knows itself well but the evaluation had not yet fully taken into account the effectiveness of its action to raise standards at the time it was written. Standards are, in fact, rising steadily because of the improving quality of the teaching. Pupils with additional learning needs, and those with English as an additional language, achieve particularly well. Despite good teaching, the majority of the children in reception do not reach the early learning goals by the time they begin Year 1 and this means that many of them are not ready to begin the National Curriculum at that stage. This factor contributes to the below average standards in Years 1 and 2, although the pupils make satisfactory progress.

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Achievement and standards

Standards in writing and mathematics are improving, as shown by the results of the school’s half-termly assessments, but they are still not as high as they should be, particularly for the more able pupils. In the juniors, pupils make good progress and overall standards are average in Year 6. Most pupils are achieving or exceeding their targets in English and science and are reaching average standards in these subjects. Standards in mathematics are below average but the gap between mathematics and English is closing because of improvements made in the teaching and leadership of the subject.

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Personal development and well-being

The school’s evaluation of the pupils’ personal development and well-being as good matches the findings of the inspection. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and pupils confirm that racial harmony is successfully achieved in school. Pupils understand the diverse nature of modern British society; they learn about other cultures, for example, through their work in art, and from visits to parts of the country which differ culturally from their own. Pupils enjoy school and their attitudes and behaviour in lessons are usually good. However, a small minority finds it hard to meet the school’s expectations of behaviour. These pupils present considerable challenges for the teachers and, at times, are excluded from school. Effective training and support to manage behaviour are in place and, as a result, behaviour is managed well and the reasons for sanctions, when applied, are well

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Personal development and well-being

understood by the pupils. Attendance is slightly below the national figure but has improved this year because of action taken by the school and the effective assistance of the education welfare officer. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. The school’s tuck-shop sells fresh fruit; however, pupils say that they would like a greater variety of healthy choices at lunchtime. Pupils make good use of the outdoor space at playtimes and reception pupils enjoy regular opportunities to learn outside.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good. This is better than the school’s evaluation which did not take into account the success of recent action to improve the teaching of English and mathematics. The pupils enjoy lessons and say that the teachers make learning fun. The large number of pupils with additional learning needs is well supported in lessons. In general, pupils have good opportunities to work independently and to take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers’ good explanations and demonstrations show pupils how to tackle new work confidently and help them to make good progress in lessons. The lessons are well planned so that pupils clearly understand what to do. Teachers develop pupils’ basic skills of literacy, mathematics, and information and communication technology well and this is raising standards. However, more able pupils in Years 1 and 2 need to be given harder work to enable them to

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Teaching and learning

reach their full potential. Information arising from the school’s analysis of test results is used well to improve teaching, identify gaps in pupils’ learning, and to show where additional help is needed. This has been particularly effective in the teaching of mathematics. In reception, children’s progress is tracked rigorously by the teachers. The marking of pupils’ written work is good in Year 6, but it is less well done in other classes. Although pupils have targets to aim for they do not understand them well enough. For these reasons, many pupils do not know well enough how to improve their work.

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Curriculum and other activities

The school judges its curriculum as good. The inspectors agree with that evaluation because the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils well and because it gives the high priority needed to the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. A programme of personal, health and social education, including sex education and the effects of drugs, smoking and alcohol is well planned to equip older pupils to cope with changes and dangers in their lives. The curriculum is enriched through after-school activities, particularly sport and games; and a weekly French lesson for Year 6 pupils and visits by a professional artist to work with pupils are examples of the way in which the school adds add variety and interest. The curriculum for reception children covers the nationally recommended areas of learning well and the teachers’ planning makes particularly good use of outdoor areas which

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Curriculum and other activities

helps promote and develop pupils’ physical and social development.

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Care, guidance and support

The inspectors agree with the school that it looks after its pupils well and takes proper action to ensure their health, safety and welfare, which is regularly evaluated. Child protection procedures are in place and understood by the staff. Pupils can share their problems in confidence with an adult and they feel secure and well cared for. The school works well with parents and external agencies to ensure learners make good progress. The support for vulnerable children is good and the school ensures that their needs are well met.

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Leadership and management

The school is well led and managed; it knows its strengths and weaknesses well and the main points of its self-evaluation closely match the outcomes of the inspection. The leadership is focused on improving teaching and raising standards and the provision of a secure and stable education in an area of social and economic disadvantage. The headteacher, with the support of the governors and staff, is succeeding because of her high expectations and commitment to improvement. The headteacher has a clear vision and has taken action to ensure that her objectives are shared by the staff from the two former schools. As a result, the staff have a common purpose to give the pupils the best education they can. Management systems are consistent throughout the new school. Delegation and the effective deployment of key staff are leading to improvements in all aspects of the school’s work; for example, the effective

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Leadership and management

management of the teaching of literacy and numeracy is making a marked difference to pupils’ basic skills. Monitoring of lessons gives teachers specific points for improvement and leads to better learning and enjoyment of lessons. Further professional training has improved the teaching staff’s skills, particularly in relation to teaching and disciplining the more difficult pupils. Recent new building work has improved the accommodation.

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Grade: 2

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about HMI-led Ofsted inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate. School Overall 16-19

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INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

ACHIEVEMENT AND STANDARDS How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards reached by learners 3 How well learners’ make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELL-BEING How good is the overall personal development and well- being of the learners? The extent of learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The behaviour of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community. How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

THE QUALITY OF PROVISION How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of learners’ needs? How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 2

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Annex A

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self- review How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected Yes

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Annex A

The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

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Annex A

Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily. Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise. Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse. Yes Learners are educated about sexual health. Yes The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe.

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Annex A

Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements. Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place. Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism. Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them. Yes The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

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Annex A

Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships. Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them. Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community Yes

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Annex A

The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well- being There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills. Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams. Yes Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in Key Stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form. NA Education for all learners aged 14-19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy. NA

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Annex B

Cambridge Primary School Cambridge Street Barrow- in- Furness Cumbria LA13 9RP

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Annex B

Thank you for helping during the inspection. We would like to tell you about our findings. You will not be surprised to know that we found your school to be good in almost everything it does. We enjoyed being in your school, talking to you and watching your responsibilities assembly. The list below shows all the things we liked about your school.

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Annex B

• You work hard and do well in the yearly tests by the end of the juniors. • You learn to read and write well and that will help you to get a good job in the future. • You like your teachers and the way they make learning fun. • The tuck shop selling fruit is a great favourite but you would like the choices of meals to be healthier. • Teachers expect you to behave well and work hard. • All the adults in school work very hard to care for you. • You enjoy the visits you make to different places and the sports and clubs after school.

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Annex B

We have asked your teachers to look at the things on the list below to make your work even better.

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Annex B

• The work that some of you do in the infants is too easy. • Some of you would like to know how to make your work better.

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Annex B

We hope you will ask your teachers to give you a list of your targets so you can check how well you are doing by yourself or with a friend.

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Annex B

Rosemary Rodger Lead inspector Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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