Grange Farm Primary School

Inspection Report Grange Farm Primary School

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103664 Unique Reference Number Coventry LEA 276969 Inspection number 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 Inspection dates David Cox AI Reporting inspector

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

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Dewsbury Avenue School address Primary Type of school Coventry Community School category West Midlands CV3 6NF 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 024 76411098 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 024 76417150 Fax number 214 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ben Whelan Headteacher 31 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276969 16 May 2006 - 4 to 11 17 May 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Grange Farm is a smaller than average primary school situated on the outskirts of Coventry. Most of the pupils are from White British backgrounds and there are a significant number from minority ethnic backgrounds, especially from Indian backgrounds. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The proportion who have learning difficulties and disabilities is below the national average. When children start school in Reception they have the skills and knowledge typical of four year olds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Grange Farm Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school’s view that it provides a good education. Pupils achieve well and by Year 6, standards are above the national average. Even though pupils’ overall progress through the school is good, for some more able pupils in Years 1 to 6, standards are not high enough because they are sometimes provided with tasks that are too easy for them. Teaching and learning are good overall and meet the vast majority of pupils’ needs well. Provision in Reception is good and, as a result of good teaching, many children are achieving well beyond the nationally expected standards by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils are exceedingly well cared for and safe. The school goes to considerable lengths to ensure that all pupils are treated equally. The curriculum is outstanding and as a result pupils thoroughly enjoy their time at school and develop exceptional personal skills. Leadership and management are good overall and leaders have shown that they

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Grade: 2

can move the school forward and also maintain its strengths. However, the monitoring role of subject leaders is not formalised sufficiently and does not always support the development of teaching in all subject areas. The school has largely addressed the issues identified at the last inspection although there is still a need to increase the challenge for more able pupils. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards for more able pupils in Years 1 to 6 by providing them with more challenging tasks. • Ensure that subject leaders have a more central role in monitoring the effectiveness of provision, particularly teaching, in their subjects.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress as they move up through the school and achieve well in relation to their starting points. When children start school in Reception they have the skills and knowledge typical of four year olds. They make good progress and, by the end of the Reception Year, many achieve beyond the standards expected nationally at this age. Standards are generally above average by the end of Year 2 and pupils make good progress. This good progress is continued throughout Years 3 to 6 and standards are above average by the end of Year 6. Results in the national tests in 2005 for Year 6 pupils were above average and this has been the case since 2002. By the time pupils reach Year 6, listening skills are very good, and pupils are very articulate. Pupils for whom English is not the first language make good progress because of the good support they receive from the specialist support teachers. Pupils with learning

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Grade: 2

difficulties are well supported and make good progress. 2 Inspection Report: Grange Farm Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 The school has correctly identified that the progress of some more able pupils in Years 1 to 6 could be improved. A range of strategies are now being used to help these pupils to improve. These measures have not been in place long enough to have had a full impact. The targets for 2005 were not challenging enough but were set before the current headteacher took up post and the whole process of setting targets has been reorganized since that time. In the light of previous attainment the targets set for 2006 have been increased and are now sufficiently challenging.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. Pupils respect and celebrate the beliefs of other faiths and have a strong awareness of different traditions in the local community. They behave exceedingly well in lessons and at playtime, and this contributes to the positive school ethos. Pupils enjoy coming to school, as is evident in the above average attendance rate. Pupils participate well in the life of the local community through charities and visits, such as support for the 2012 Olympic bid and entertaining senior citizens at Christmas. The School Council is an effective and dynamic force through which pupils take responsibility and become self-reliant. For example, the School Council expressed a desire for the school to become more environmentally aware and established a paper recycling scheme. In Reception, children’s personal development is excellent. It is supported by strong

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Grade: 1

home-school relationships, very good induction procedures and strong liaison with support agencies. Relationships throughout the school are exemplary. Younger pupils for example value the help given by Year 6 pupils at playtime. Bullying is rare. Pupils are conscious of how to stay safe and healthy. At lunchtime for example, they make informed choices when selecting vegetables and fresh fruit for their meal. Pupils’ good level of basic skills prepares them well for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall. As a result, the majority of pupils thrive and make good progress. In Reception, teachers provide a rich variety of activities for children that meet their needs well. For example, a recent trip to a local butterfly farm enabled all the children to participate in activities such as reading to one another, writing about their experiences and being involved in role-play. In Years 1 to 6, teachers know their pupils well. When teaching is at its best, teachers use their good subject knowledge to engage and motivate pupils. Teachers also use 3 Inspection Report: Grange Farm Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 computers effectively to promote learning. For example, in a Year 1 lesson, the teacher used the computer to illustrate to pupils how stories based on imaginary worlds can be constructed. The pupils not only found this exciting but it also helped them to

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Grade: 2

identify and describe characters. Pupils’ behaviour is managed skilfully by staff with pupils responding very positively to the praise and encouragement they receive. Teachers make good use of the outcome of assessments to plan carefully and match work to the needs of most pupils. Through innovative schemes such as ‘Precision Teaching’, teachers improve less able pupils’ standards of word recognition and reading fluency. However, some more able pupils are provided with tasks that are too easy for them. This resulted, for example, in a small minority of pupils not doing as well as they should have done in English last year. The school has recently introduced strategies to remedy this situation.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum throughout the school provides an outstanding range of opportunities for pupils. In addition to a strong focus on developing pupils’ literacy, numeracy and computer skills, very good provision is made to broaden their experiences through physical and creative study. Physical education includes a wide range of sports and games. A strong creative element enables pupils to appreciate and improve their standards in art, music, drama and dance. A particular strength of the curriculum is the way pupils are provided with many opportunities to develop their personal and interpersonal skills through participation in adventure courses and sports tournaments. Visits to Jaguar, for instance, help them to improve their understanding of how businesses operate. Pupils are helped to appreciate environmental issues such as through the activity of developing their own nature trail in the school grounds.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding quality of care, guidance and support contributes very well to pupils’ enjoyment of school and their good achievement. One pupil on the School Council stated ‘We are happy at school and pleased to come back after holidays. Teachers treat us well’. Parents are very pleased with the support the school provides. They are kept well informed about their children’s progress and as a result feel fully involved in a partnership with the school to meet their children’s needs. Teachers maintain detailed records about pupils’ progress. They make full use of support services to meet the needs of pupils with learning difficulties, thereby ensuring they make good progress. Child protection and health and safety procedures are robust and are regularly reviewed by governors. Lunchtime supervisors manage pupils effectively, and Year 6 pupils help them supervise younger pupils. Assemblies are used well to commend and reward achievement.

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Grade: 1

Pupils in Reception are given sensitive support to settle into school life including pre-school visits. Detailed records are maintained from year to year so that targets for 4 Inspection Report: Grange Farm Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 improvement in progress with school work and personal development are identified and acted upon.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school, including governance, are good. There is a shared vision, focused on raising standards and providing the best possible care for pupils. The school has a clear philosophy of including all pupils, which ensures that pupils are treated equally well. The leadership of the headteacher is good. The headteacher has clear aspirations for the school and is keen to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they possibly can. He works well to build on the strengths of the school. The senior leadership team has recently been restructured. As a result, there is a sharper focus on standards and achievement and the school is well placed to move forward. School staff are actively involved in the school improvement process which is linked strongly to the outcomes of the good monitoring and evaluation systems. There is an effective approach to monitoring and evaluation by the headteacher and the data

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Grade: 2

analysis team. School self-evaluation is accurate, although it undervalues itself with respect to pupils’ personal development. The headteacher recognises that in the past, targets for pupils’ attainment have not always been challenging enough. By working well in partnership with the local authority, the school’s current targets now represent more challenge. The monitoring role of subject leaders is not formalised and does not always support the development of teaching in all subject areas. The school is very well supported by parents and many take an active role in the school. Parents’ views are sought and acted upon. For example, parental concerns about poor access to the Years 1 and 2 areas were responded to with the creation of wheelchair/pushchair access through the school car park at set times. Governors are very supportive of the school and are well informed. They have a good working relationship with the school and actively seek information about the

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Grade: 2

performance of the school. They fulfil their statutory duties well. 5 Inspection Report: Grange Farm Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 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: Grange Farm Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 1 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 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

Dear Pupils As you know, we visited your school recently to find out how well it is doing. We would like to thank you for looking after us so well. We enjoyed talking to so many of you during play time and lunchtime about your school. You told us so much about the work you have done and how much you enjoy coming to school. What we found that is really good about your school: You behave extremely well and you enjoy being at school a great deal. You do well at school because of the good teaching. Your school is a healthy and very safe place to be and you help each other when there are problems. Teachers and other staff in the school look after you very well. Your teachers and other adults are ensuring that you do lots of exciting activities. What we have asked your school to do now: Provide harder work for those of you who need it. Involve teachers who are in charge of subjects in having more say in what the school does well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and what needs to be improved. Thank you once again for your help. Yours sincerely David Cox (Lead Inspector on behalf of the inspection team)

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