Langland Community School

Inspection Report Langland Community School

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110354 Unique Reference Number Milton Keynes LEA LEA 278412 Inspection number 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006 Inspection dates Olson Davis AI Reporting inspector

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

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Langland Road School address Primary Type of school Netherfield Community School category Milton Keynes MK6 4HA 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01908 670712 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01908 608488 Fax number 284 Number on roll Mr B Rabe Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr R Pickard Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278412 15 March 2006 - 3 to 11 16 March 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 is an average-size primary school with nursery provision. Provision for Year 7 pupils ended last year. The school serves an area of high social disadvantage. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals is above average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is similar to other schools. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is higher than in other schools, as is the percentage of pupils learning English as an additional language. The number of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than the usual times is above that found in most schools. There is some building work taking place to provide accommodation for the learning mentors.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Langland Community School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 4

The school judges its effectiveness to be good, but because of the very low standards at Year 6 in English, mathematics and science, and pupils' poor overall progress, inspectors judge that it is inadequate. Data from national test results indicate that pupils at the end of Year 6 have been underachieving for several years. The school provides unsatisfactory value for money. Difficulties in the recruitment and retention of staff mean there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching that limit pupils' standards and progress in Years 3 to 6. There are examples of good teaching but much is no better than satisfactory and does not do enough to enhance the rate at which pupils learn to cover gaps in their knowledge. Teachers' planning does not always take into account the needs of the different ability groups so the pace of lessons is slow and pupils are not engaged sufficiently in their learning. Records of checks on the quality of teaching show that

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Grade: 4

these generally lack a sharp focus and issues are not followed up rigorously enough to bring about improvements to benefit pupils' progress. The school's strategic plan shows what needs to be done to improve but it lacks urgency and rigour. The outcome of the school's self evaluation processes is over-generous. The school has the capacity to improve as leadership and management are now building a united staff team with a commitment to raising standards. Improvements in teaching are beginning to have a positive impact in the classes for younger children. Children in the Foundation Stage benefit from good provision, making good progress from a low base. Standards in Years 1 and 2 rose in 2005 as a result of increased support for lower attaining pupils, greater focus on the teaching of phonics and more effective management of this Key Stage. Effective work with outside agencies is promoting good standards of care and has brought about increased levels of attendance and

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Grade: 4

better standards of behaviour. Parents are positive about the school. In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it can reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to standards and achievement in Year 6 and consistency in the quality of teaching especially in Years 3 to 6.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English, mathematics and science at Year 6 by accelerating the progress that pupils make from Year 2 to Year 6. • Check the quality of teaching more rigorously so as to raise the quality of all teaching to that of the best. 2 Inspection Report: Langland Community School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 4

Overall standards and achievement are inadequate because many pupils make poor progress in Years 3 to 6. Children enter the nursery with low levels of ability in many areas of learning. They make good progress in the nursery and reception classes, particularly in their personal and social development, but do not do as well in developing their literacy skills. In Years 1 and 2 pupils make satisfactory progress overall. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics rose in 2005, but they remained below the national average. Standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 are exceptionally low and have been falling for several years. The school set challenging targets in 2005, but failed to meet them. Gaps in pupils' knowledge, especially in literacy and numeracy, slow the pace of learning. Older pupils do not join their letters in a fluent script. Teachers' expectations, in some classes, are not high enough and tasks are not always

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Grade: 4

designed to meet the needs of the different ability groups, especially the more able. In addition, tasks do not always capture pupils' interest. Support by teaching assistants enables pupils with a statement of special educational need to make satisfactory progress. Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those for whom English is an additional language make similar progress to their peers. Learning mentors support those with behavioural difficulties so that they can learn appropriately.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Adults in school help pupils understand their emotions and feelings and build successful relationships. As a result, behaviour has improved and is good in many lessons and at playtimes. There are still a few pupils who find it hard to behave appropriately and they are supported effectively by learning mentors or teaching assistants. Pupils understand that the rules and systems set out by the school are for their benefit and demonstrate the importance of keeping safe and healthy. Due to the school's effective measures, attendance has improved and is now average. Most pupils enjoy coming to school and generally demonstrate positive attitudes. However, the very low level of literacy and numeracy skills of those leaving the school mean that few are properly equipped for secondary school and life beyond. The pupils' social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. They respect

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Grade: 3

the cultural differences of others. This has a positive impact on the way in which they get on with each other. Pupils' views are valued. The school takes note and supports pupils to make improvements. The school council also highlights issues that are important such as making the playground better. The range of responsibilities undertaken by a small number of pupils and their improving social skills enable them to begin to understand their roles as citizens. 3 Inspection Report: Langland Community School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 3

In recent years the school has struggled to recruit teachers and develop a settled teaching team. This has contributed to the decline in standards. However, new teachers are now in place and there are signs of improvement. There are examples of good teaching, especially in the Foundation Stage and in Years 2 and 6. However, too much teaching currently remains no better than satisfactory. This does not enable pupils to learn at a fast enough pace to catch up and fill the gaps in their knowledge. In the Foundation Stage teaching is good. The teaching for the three and four year-olds successfully develops their social skills so that they grow in confidence and learn to work co-operatively with others. This is the result of a strong focus on practical activities. There is much work to do on developing children's language skills. The new leadership of the Year 1-2 team is liaising successfully with the Foundation

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Grade: 3

Stage staff. There are signs that information about individual pupil progress is beginning to be used to good effect to match work to individual abilities. Reading resources have benefited from recent investment and a renewed focus on phonics is now starting to provide pupils with the necessary skills with which to improve their reading. In Years 3-6, disruption to staffing and inconsistencies in the teaching of literacy, numeracy and science leave many pupils poorly equipped to deal with the challenges of the Key Stage 2 curriculum. The teaching assistants and additional adults such as learning mentors support teaching appropriately. Pupils with behavioural difficulties or a statement of special educational need are supported appropriately. Recent improvements in the arrangements for assessing pupils' progress now enable many teachers to prepare tasks that are better matched to individual abilities. However,

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Grade: 3

expectations are not always high enough and the level of challenge for brighter pupils and some lower attaining pupils is not always sufficiently well-judged. This means some pupils do not engage fully in their learning.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum which is enriched by a wide range of visits, visitors and events. There is a growing emphasis on literacy, numeracy and creativity within the curriculum, but much remains to be done. Links between subjects are good in Years 1 and 2, where the curriculum has a more practical base, and they are improving in Years 3 to 6. Pupils say that they really enjoy developing their imagination and creative talents through activities such as designing a Greek costume out of paper during arts week. Their understanding of how to stay safe and healthy, and how to contribute to the community, is promoted well throughout the curriculum and especially through personal, social and health education. The provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved so pupils are beginning to benefit from the improved opportunities to use ICT that enhance their learning.

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Grade: 3

4 Inspection Report: Langland Community School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006 The Foundation Stage curriculum is good and provides an effective blend of practical, group and individual work.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good. Procedures governing the safety and protection of pupils are effective and support from external agencies is good. Risk assessments are carried out but the outcomes are not shared widely enough. Special attention has been paid to ensuring the safety of pupils during the current building programme. Good induction procedures help the many pupils who join the school during the year to settle quickly. Pupils with English as an additional language are successfully encouraged to play a full part in the life of the school. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties enables these pupils to participate satisfactorily in the curriculum. The learning mentors are a particular strength in the care of pupils. They provide a high level of support to the more vulnerable pupils, improving their self-esteem and behaviour. The trained peer mentors help pupils to

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Grade: 2

defuse playground disputes and make younger pupils feel more secure. The breakfast club, which promotes healthy living, is well-attended.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. Following a challenging period when staffing difficulties led to falling standards, the headteacher and senior management team have now set a clear direction for the school and developed a common purpose among the new staff. They promote a good standard of care for pupils most of whom behave well and display increasingly positive attitudes to learning. This represents good improvement on issues raised by the previous inspection. However, the school's self-evaluation is over-generous in some significant areas, especially in relation to standards that have been in decline. Recent improvements to the teaching team are starting to bear fruit, but they have yet to make a significant impact on pupils' achievements, especially in English, mathematics and science. Although senior and middle managers regularly monitor the quality of teaching, these activities lack sufficient focus and do not always tell teachers what they have to do

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Grade: 3

to help accelerate pupils' learning. Governors are supportive and provide suitable challenge to the school to improve its performance and provision. Their strategic plan is appropriately focused on raising standards and has correctly identified some important initiatives to support improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Langland Community School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 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: Langland Community School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 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 4 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 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 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 4 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 2 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 4 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 4 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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

Pupils Thank you for being so friendly and helpful when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and found what you had to say about your school very interesting. We found many good things happening in your school. Here are some of them:* you enjoy school and attend regularly* most of you behave well* the school helps you learn to stay safe and healthy and is helping you to become responsible members of the community* the adults take good care of you at school. We do not think that you are making as much progress as you could and that is why we are saying that the school needs a 'Notice to Improve'. This means that other inspectors will visit the school in a year's time to check on the improvement it has made. We have asked the staff and governors to make sure that you do much better in your English, mathematics and science by the time you reach Year 6. We have also asked them to improve the way that they check on

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

how well you are being taught.We hope that you continue to enjoy your school. We also hope that you will help your teachers as they try to make your school even better for you. Yours sincerely Olson Davis Lead Inspector

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