Kingsway Primary School

Inspection Report Kingsway Primary School

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104997 Unique Reference Number Wirral LEA 277271 Inspection number 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr Paul Bamber CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Ashville Road School address Primary Type of school Wallasey Community School category Merseyside CH44 9EF 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0151 638 5195 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0151 638 9820 Fax number 171 Number on roll Mr G Harrison Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss P Branch Headteacher 22 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277271 18 January 2006 - 3 to 11 19 January 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

The school is located in a ward that ranks amongst the most deprived in the country and is currently the focus of regeneration. As a result, families are moving out of the area and single people are moving in. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the school roll this academic year. Nearly three-quarters of the children are entitled to a free school meal and the proportion of those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Many enter the school with very weak language and number skills. The majority of children are of white British heritage and a very small minority have English as an additional language. There is higher than average turnover of children and a much higher than average proportion of vulnerable children on roll.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Kingsway Primary School, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Children's personal development and well-being are successfully promoted. The care and support provided are outstanding. Teaching is good overall. Leadership and management are well focused and sensitive. As a result of these strengths, children's achievement is good. Children leave the school attaining broadly average standards in English, mathematics and science, having entered the nursery with very low language and number skills. There are some relative weaknesses in reading, speaking skills and in the achievements of the more able children in Key Stage 1. Children benefit from a rich curriculum which generally matches their needs well. However, not enough is done to make them aware of different cultures. Quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is good. All children are provided for equally well and close partnerships with parents and outside agencies contribute significantly to children's achievements and personal development,

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Grade: 2

particularly for the high proportion of vulnerable children. Overall, there has been good improvement since the last inspection, particularly in information and communication technology (ICT). The school is constantly seeking ways to improve further and provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve standards in speaking and reading by helping children to speak at more length when answering questions and to explain more clearly the meaning of what they read. • Ensure that more able children in Key Stage 1 are consistently set tasks that are challenging enough to enable them to achieve better. • Make children more aware of the customs, beliefs and richness of other cultures.

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Grade: 2

Overall, children achieve well. Most enter the nursery with well below expected skills, especially in language and number. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage, although many still do not reach expected standards by the time they enter Year 1, especially in reading and writing. Overall achievement in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory with children attaining broadly average standards in Year 2. Progress is good in writing, mathematics and science. However, reading standards fell last year. The school acknowledges that previously tried and tested strategies to teach reading in Year 2 did not fully meet the needs of all the children in that group. This relative weakness is being effectively tackled. In Key Stage 1, more able children make only satisfactory progress as work is often too easy for them. Children achieve well during Key Stage 2. In 2005, Year 6 test results were average. Achievement was less good for this group

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Grade: 2

of children than it has been for previous groups as results in reading were lower than they had been, but effective action has been taken to tackle the reasons for this and currently children are achieving well. The speaking skills of children throughout the 2 Inspection Report: Kingsway Primary School, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 school are not as high as they should be and this has a negative impact on their reading. Targets set for children's attainment are challenging but not always met, although children in the current Year 6 are on course to meet those set for them.

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Grade: 2

The school successfully promotes children's personal development and well-being. As a result, their personal and social skills improve significantly as they get older. By Year 6, children are confident and eager learners and take pride in their work and the school. Older children enjoy roles of responsibility, answering the office telephones during lunch hour and as 'parents' serving their 'family' at lunchtime. Behaviour in class and around the school is outstanding and contributes significantly to the school's very positive ethos and children's achievements. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. However, they do not have enough awareness of a range of different cultures. When studying other faiths in religious education, children do not get the opportunity to visit nearby mosques and synagogues. Children learn to consider the needs of others by raising funds for different charities. An active school council makes a positive contribution

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Grade: 2

to school life and helps children understand how democracy works. Children understand the importance of healthy life styles and what they need to do to stay safe. Attendance is satisfactory. It is below average, but is improving, and a significant proportion of absences is due to very few children. Rewards are given for good attendance and punctuality, for exceptional effort and for good citizenship. Children reported that 'the school helps them become better people' and they are delighted when their class `receives the cup'.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall and is particularly strong in Years 4, 5 and 6. In many lessons, teachers use very good subject knowledge and effective planning to help children achieve well. In all lessons there are warm relationships between adults and children and a supportive atmosphere. As a result, classrooms are comfortable places in which to learn and children work positively and productively. In the best lessons, more commonly seen with older children, teachers set challenging work, well matched to all abilities. There is effective use of ICT both by teachers and learners which engages children and clarifies more difficult concepts, especially in mathematics lessons. In those lessons in which learning is only satisfactory, the pace is sometimes slow, not all children are clear about what they should be learning and in Key Stage 1 in particular, more able children are not set difficult enough work.

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Grade: 2

Children are not given enough opportunities to respond to questions at length or to expand on their spoken contributions. Support provided for children with learning 3 Inspection Report: Kingsway Primary School, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 difficulties and/or disabilities is effective, enabling them to achieve well in relation to the targets set for them. Assessment is used well and children report that teachers' comments in their books and the targets set for them help them to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

Overall, the curriculum is well matched to the needs of all children and is considerably enhanced by a good range of clubs, including some for sport which encourage children to be healthy. The curriculum is enriched by the teaching of French and frequent visits to places of educational interest. Pupils benefit greatly from working with visitors, such as artists and writers in residence. A good programme of personal, social, citizenship and health education develops children's knowledge of relationships, substance abuse and citizenship. The provision in ICT has improved very well since the last inspection and is now a particular strength of the school. The school has identified the need to improve writing throughout the school and this has borne fruit. However, provision for reading and speaking are areas for improvement. Because of the high quality of the individual education plans and good support provided by learning support

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Grade: 2

assistants, children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are just starting to learn English make good progress and are fully included in all activities.

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Grade: 1

The school judges this aspect of provision to be good. However, inspectors judge that the care and support for children are outstanding. This is because it is made clear to all children that they matter, staff review pupils' progress in learning regularly and children's personal circumstances are known well to staff, who respond sensitively to their needs. Children state that they feel very safe at school, they trust the staff, and have confidence that there is always someone they can turn to for help. Very effective action is taken to help eradicate bullying and oppressive behaviour, and incidents are infrequent. Child protection procedures are robust and all the children who are at risk, for whatever reason, are very quickly identified and extremely well supported. The school works very successfully with outside agencies. Parents are very supportive of the school and consider that their children are very well cared for.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. The headteacher provides very good leadership, outstanding in some aspects. Many parents report that they 'treasure' the school and identify the lead the headteacher gives in providing 'wonderful' care and support for their children as a particular strength of the school. Inspectors agree. There are rigorous systems to ensure that children make good progress both personally and in their learning. Where relative weaknesses emerge, senior staff rigorously analyse reasons and take effective action to improve provision. However, the school has not as yet 4 Inspection Report: Kingsway Primary School, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 2006 dealt effectively with the weakness in provision for children's cultural development or in the achievements of more able children in Key Stage 1. The headteacher, staff and governors know their school very well and this contributes significantly to accurate

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Grade: 2

self-evaluation. Close partnerships with parents, social services and the local authority ensure that the school includes all children in the full range of provision and that the needs of vulnerable children are well addressed. Subject leaders enthusiastically and conscientiously carry out their duties, contributing effectively to children's good achievements. The ICT coordinator has been particularly effective in improving the skills of children and staff and in improving resources. Governors carry out their duties well. They are knowledgeable about the school, influence decision making and hold the school to account for its provision. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and the school is well placed to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Kingsway Primary School, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 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: Kingsway Primary School, 18 January 2006 to 19 January 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 2 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 3 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 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

Thank you for making us so welcome during the two days we spent in your school. We really appreciated the open and frank way in which you chatted to us and let us know so many interesting things about your school. We would like to share with you those things we thought were good about the school and those things we felt it could do a bit better. What we liked most about your school: - you do well in your work - how well behaved you are - how much you enjoy your lessons and other activities in school - the lovely way that your headteacher and all the staff look after you, make you feel safe and help you stay healthy - good teaching that helps most of you get on well with your work. What we think the school could be doing better: - to help you better understand what you read so that you can enjoy all kinds of books and become even better readers - to make sure that those of you in Years 1 and 2 who find work a bit easy are given work that

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

makes you have to think more - to help you become more confident when you are speaking and be able to explain things more clearly - to help you understand that people have different faiths, beliefs and customs. Thank you for helping us with the inspection of your school. We hope that you carry on enjoying school, do well with your work and try really hard to improve.

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