Keresley Grange Primary School

Inspection Report Keresley Grange Primary School

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103646 Unique Reference Number Coventry LEA 276966 Inspection number 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 Inspection dates Ian Knight AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Waste Lane School address Primary Type of school Coventry Community School category West Midlands CV6 2EH 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 024 76332131 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 024 76336426 Fax number 310 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr C Thorpe Headteacher 3 April 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276966 21 June 2006 - 5 to 11 22 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large primary school primarily serves the area of Keresley to the north of Coventry. However, the intake is mixed, with significant numbers coming from both advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds. Almost all pupils are White British, with very small numbers of Asian or mixed heritage, and none who are at the early stages of gaining fluency in English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those with statements of special need, is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Keresley Grange Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 3

The school provides satisfactorily for its pupils and offers satisfactory value for money. The school views itself more positively than this. Children’s attainment on entry is usually below the levels expected for their age. Satisfactory provision ensures that most achieve appropriately in Reception although not all reach the goals expected for them by the end of the year. The school offers a good, varied and interesting curriculum. Teaching is satisfactory and examples of good and outstanding lessons were seen. However, achievement in the school is only satisfactory because teaching is inconsistent. Too much is routine and does not always challenge the most capable enough, so that learning overall is satisfactory. Nevertheless, the good level of pastoral care ensures that pupils behave well and are a pleasure to be with. Pupils cheerfully take on responsibilities, and older pupils wear the cap and sweatshirt of the ‘Playground Buddies’ with pride. There is a

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Grade: 3

real family atmosphere in the school, with staff and pupils enjoying one another’s company. However, strategies to improve attendance lack rigour with the effect that attendance remains too low. Leadership and management are satisfactory, although governance is strong. The headteacher provides strong pastoral leadership but the drive for improvement has lacked urgency. Strategic planning lacks rigour and is not coherent enough to really focus efforts to improve the school. Nevertheless, the rate of improvement has increased markedly recently, and the effective action taken to raise standards in science shows that the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Improve achievement by raising the standard of all teaching to that of the best in the school, particularly in terms of the challenge for the more capable pupils. •Improve the quality of strategic planning so that issues can be dealt with with more urgency. •Take more robust steps to improve attendance.

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Grade: 3

Achievement throughout the school is satisfactory. In most years, children join Reception with standards below those normally seen, although children in the current Reception Year joined with broadly average standards. Sound teaching that focuses on their particular needs ensures children make satisfactory progress. Standards in the current Reception classes are now about average. Satisfactory teaching continues into Key Stage 1, and standards in Year 2 are within the average range. However, they have been declining modestly over the last few years, in line with a recorded decline in attainment on entry over that period. Nevertheless, these pupils achieve satisfactorily. Standards in Key Stage 2 are also average. In the 2005 National Curriculum tests, standards were unexpectedly low in science and the school took action to remedy this. 2 Inspection Report: Keresley Grange Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Early indications are that standards in science have improved and are closer to average in the current Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and/ or disabilities are supported effectively in class and make the same satisfactory progress as their peers. The school’s statutory targets for Year 6 are realistic. It has also set targets for its performance throughout the school, but these are over-optimistic and are unlikely to be reached this year. Nevertheless, there is no significant underachievement by any groups within the school.

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Grade: 3

Low levels of attendance mean that overall pupils’ personal development and well-being are only satisfactory, although most areas, including pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Very good relationships are evident in all classes and pupils really enjoy their school. Pupils are very polite and friendly. They try hard in lessons and know they are expected to do their best. They are sensible and confident when talking to visitors, showing pride in the school and saying how they enjoy school. They certainly feel safe and settled, including those in Reception. Behaviour is good. Those who find it less easy to behave well are kindly encouraged and supported to improve. ‘Playground Buddies’ are very effective in supporting younger pupils. Pupils begin to understand the world of work through working in teams and in well planned, problem solving lessons. School councillors also play an

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Grade: 3

important role within the school community and enjoy managing a small budget. Pupils understand the importance of healthy living and enthusiastically raid the salad cart at lunchtime. Many pupils enjoy after school activities. For example, they work happily together nurturing their vegetable plots and flower beds in the gardening club. Punctuality is good but attendance is unsatisfactory and has declined over the last three years. However, rates of unauthorised absence are very low.

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory teaching underpins pupils’ steady progress through the school. However, there are some clear strengths. In lessons, very good relationships between staff and pupils help pupils to tackle their work confidently. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have high self-esteem as a consequence of the sensitive support they are given. Teachers plan well together in teams and share their expertise. This works particularly well in Reception. Pupils work hard as a result of the staff’s high expectations of their good behaviour. Some teachers are particularly strong, and in their lessons pupils leap ahead. This is particularly the case in Years 1, 2, 5 and 6. Teachers are enthusiastic about trying out new ways of engaging and interesting the pupils. This is beginning to improve the overall quality of teaching. The school’s own 3 Inspection Report: Keresley Grange Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 3

monitoring shows that the more inexperienced teachers are developing their skills well. There are some areas for development because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. In some lessons, pupils do not make fast progress because teachers do not expect enough of them. Higher attaining pupils particularly are not always challenged enough. Teachers have improved the ways in which they check how well pupils are doing, but they do not always give pupils clear enough guidance about what they need to do to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

A good, interesting and imaginative curriculum captures pupils’ interests and helps them to enjoy learning, although teachers’ skills in translating these plans into good lessons vary. In Reception, children experience a wide range of activities. ‘We have fun’, one child explained, and this was evident in their happy chatter and wide-eyed enjoyment. Planning throughout the school is constrained by the limitations of the building in relation to classroom size and practical areas. Staff work hard to bring learning alive by using the pupils’ interests, such as the World Cup, as a starting point for work in different subjects. Visits, visitors and community involvement also enrich work in lessons. Provision for physical education and music are real strengths. There is a good range of after school clubs and these, along with the personal, social and health education programme, help pupils to develop the collaborative and social skills needed

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Grade: 3

This area is satisfactory overall, because the school has yet to rigorously implement policies to improve attendance. However, the quality of pastoral care is good; as one pupil told inspectors, ‘I feel so well cared for here’. The headteacher has developed strong systems for pastoral support and care, and parents endorse the high standards of pupil welfare. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are rigorous, and governors take on board their responsibilities for ensuring good standards of health and safety. Staff know individuals well and guide them carefully to their next stage of learning. The school has made a good start at enabling pupils of all ages to have a clear understanding of their own and group targets, although the quality and usefulness of marking varies between classes. Many lessons end with pupils being very well involved in assessing their own and each other’s efforts. In addition, pupils with learning

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Grade: 3

difficulties and disabilities are well supported. 4 Inspection Report: Keresley Grange Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory leadership and management have enabled the school to maintain average standards. The headteacher provides very good pastoral leadership; he is very approachable and acts in the best interests of staff and pupils. Parents praise the school for its family atmosphere and all staff support its values. Through the use of a variety of monitoring activities, the school knows itself well, although it overestimates its performance in some areas. The use of self-evaluation to make improvements is only satisfactory because the school has not addressed some issues with sufficient urgency. This has been a factor in the inconsistency in teaching that is hampering improvement, and the continuing low attendance. An exception is the action taken in response to the unexpectedly low results in the 2005 science National Curriculum tests. As a result, standards are better this year. However, school strategic planning in general is not focused enough on the outcomes of self-evaluation.

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Grade: 3

Governors are well involved through committees, parents are consulted adequately through the use of questionnaires, and pupils have a voice via the school council. As a result, the school development plan contains sensible areas for action, but is a large document that lacks cohesion. The good governing body is supportive and challenges the school robustly. Governors consider their decisions carefully, for example, when they decided to appoint two assistant headteachers rather than a deputy headteacher. Governors with special responsibilities visit the school regularly and feed back to the governing body. The rate of improvement has increased in the last two years and indicates, together with the effective action taken to improve the standards in science that the school’s leadership contributes satisfactorily to the school’s capacity for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Keresley Grange Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Keresley Grange Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 4 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes 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

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes 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

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes 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

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA 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

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so friendly and helpful when we visited your school. We certainly appreciated it when you helped us find our way around the confusing building! We also enjoyed seeing you work and talking to you. I am writing now to tell you what we found out. •The headteacher and all of the adults really care about you and you all get along well. •You help your teachers by listening carefully and behaving well. •The school’s plans for your learning are good and there is a good range of clubs for you. •We saw some really good lessons that were exciting and in which you learned loads! There were some things that we think the school could do to get even better. •Some of you don’t come to school regularly enough and this affects how much you can learn. We’ve asked the school to try hard to improve this and you can help by making sure you only stay away when you really have to. •Some lessons, although they were satisfactory, weren’t as

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

good as the best ones. We’ve asked the school to make sure that all the lessons are as good as the best ones so you can all learn more. •Some of you are on the School Council and help the school decide what to do to get better. We think that the way the school plans to improve could be done better and we’ve asked the school to think how it could do that.

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