Somerford Primary School

Inspection Report Somerford Primary Community School

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113736 Unique Reference Number Dorset LEA 279231 Inspection number 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 Inspection dates Arnalena (Nina) Bee AI Reporting inspector

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

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Draper Road School address Primary Type of school Christchurch Community School category Dorset BH23 3AS 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01202 485436 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01202 482359 Fax number 448 Number on roll Mr Michael Peirce Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jocelyn Smail Headteacher 4 December 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279231 1 February 2006 - 3 to 11 2 February 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

Somerford Primary Community School is a large primary school with a Nursery, which opened in 2003. It serves a community with high levels of social deprivation. It is a Full Service Extended School with a Children’s Centre. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds A few pupils speak English as their second language. The children’s attainment when they start school is significantly lower than normally found. Approximately a third of the pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities. This is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Somerford Primary Community School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006

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Grade: 3

Somerford Primary Community School provides a satisfactory standard of education and provides satisfactory value for money. It is an improving school, which has the capacity to make further improvements. At times, pupils could do better in their work. Children make satisfactory progress in the Foundation Stage. In Year 2, standards are below average but these pupils make good progress in relation to their low starting points. Standards in Year 6 are well below average. However, despite serious underachievement in the past in Years 3 and 4 caused by some unsatisfactory teaching these pupils are now making satisfactory progress. The quality of teaching is now satisfactory but there are weaknesses in the way that some lessons are planned. Pupils’ behaviour is good and pupils enjoy coming to school. Pupils’ personal and social skills are developed well. Pupils are all well cared for and feel safe and secure. However,

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Grade: 3

there are weaknesses in the academic guidance given to pupils. Parents are pleased with how the school helps their children but a significant minority do not support the school with issues such as attendance. Attendance is unsatisfactory because it is below average. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The leaders and managers have a good idea of the school’s main strengths and weaknesses but some aspects of their self-evaluation are over optimistic. However, the headteacher and senior management team have worked tirelessly and very successfully to improve behaviour and pupils’ attitudes to learning. This is despite having a large number of teachers leaving and joining the school and a high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Subject coordinators have identified areas for improvement but have focused too little on the raising of pupils’ standards and achievement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English, mathematics and science and improve pupils’ achievement by making better use of information gained from assessments of pupils’ previous work. • Develop the role of the subject coordinators so that they are better informed in order to improve standards and pupils’ achievement in their subject areas. • Improve attendance by developing pupils’ and parents’ awareness of the importance of attending school every day.

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Grade: 3

Overall, standards are well below average in English and mathematics and below average in science by the time pupils leave school at the age of 11. However, progress is satisfactory. Most children join the Nursery with standards that are well below those normally found. Communication and personal and social skills are particularly low. Progress is satisfactory throughout Nursery and Reception. However, by the start of Year 1, standards continue to be well below average. Progress is satisfactory in the 2 Inspection Report: Somerford Primary Community School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 Foundation Stage overall but the children make good progress in acquiring personal and social skills. At the end of Year 2 standards are below average in reading writing and mathematics. Pupils make good progress in relation to their low starting points. Good teaching in some classes and extra teaching support from the deputy headteacher has resulted in

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Grade: 3

this good achievement. Standards are well below average at the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics and below average in science. After underachieving in Years 3 and 4 because of some unsatisfactory teaching in the past, these pupils are now ‘playing catch-up’ but are on course to reach the challenging targets that they have been set in English and mathematics. This is an improvement on last year and is the result of the school constantly checking how well pupils are doing and then planning suitable work for the pupils who are not doing as well as they should.

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Grade: 2

The personal development of pupils and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. Pupils really enjoy coming to school and say lessons are interesting. They respond positively in lessons and work effectively together, as shown when pupils in Years 6 sensibly discussed the arguments for and against drinking alcohol. Pupils are polite and friendly and clearly understand the reasons for school rules. Behaviour is good. All pupils have a good understanding of the need for a healthy lifestyle, feel safe in school and are offered a wide variety of responsibilities. The work of the school council is impressive and has been responsible for a number of school improvements including setting up and running a healthy tuck shop and instigating a squad of ‘litter pickers’ to help keep the school environment a clean and pleasant place. Attendance is below average. There are good procedures for checking attendance but there is too little whole school

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Grade: 2

focus on promoting how achievement is affected by pupils’ absence. Pupils have lots of opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills to help them in later life. However, adults occasionally miss the opportunity to reinforce and develop these skills in some literacy lessons and when pupils write in other lessons.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. In all lessons relationships are good and teachers effectively use ICT in the form of interactive whiteboards to support and develop learning. Teaching assistants are regularly used to help in classes and withdraw pupils for more intensive support. This support is generally of satisfactory quality. In good lessons teachers use information collected on pupils effectively as they plan activities 3 Inspection Report: Somerford Primary Community School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 that suit all abilities. This results in good learning. Although teaching can be good, at times the same work is given to pupils of very different abilities or activities are not accurately matched to the needs of all pupils. When this happens lessons lack pace and pupils are easily distracted. Higher attaining pupils are not challenged sufficiently and lower attaining pupils, including those with learning difficulties, are unable to

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Grade: 3

finish their work because it is too difficult. Although the school has correctly identified this as an issue it has not been effectively addressed and learning is negatively affected in some lessons. At other times adults miss opportunities to improve pupils’ writing skills during lessons. All pupils are set individual targets to aim for in English and mathematics but as yet there is little evidence to show how these are helping to raise standards because they are not consistently well promoted during lessons.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum which is interesting and varied and promotes the need to develop a healthy and safe lifestyle. There is a good emphasis on developing pupils’ personal and social skills. In the Foundation Stage the children receive sound opportunities to select activities themselves and work in groups directed by an adult. The activities that the children are encouraged to try in the Foundation Stage ensure that they get off to a satisfactory start and that learning successfully builds on their previous experiences. The school rightly places much emphasis on the teaching of basic literacy skills but some teachers and teaching assistants do not consistently promote and reinforce these skills in lessons. For example, adults were seen working with pupils and allowing them to write sentences without using a capital letter at the beginning. The curriculum is enriched well by a wide variety of out of school activities, residential trips and visits

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Grade: 3

to interesting places that pupils much appreciate, enjoy and support with enthusiasm.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. The school pays good attention to pupils’ care and safety and works closely with parents and outside agencies to provide the best support it can. For example, when pupils have difficulties acquiring English language skills because they speak a different language at home the school has them assessed by a specialist for more advice. Pupils and their families are supported well in many ways. Parents have been invited to Family Learning Days and meetings to inform parents of what is taught at school. However, the school has identified that the support the school receives from parents is not so well developed. Pupils’ views and opinions are valued. The provision of suggestions boxes gives pupils the chance to influence how their school can be improved. The school monitors pupils’ personal development very effectively and there are good procedures in place to deal

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Grade: 3

with child protection, racial harassment and bullying. Staff are fully trained to deal with these. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory overall. Pupils are involved in setting targets designed to improve their skills in English and 4 Inspection Report: Somerford Primary Community School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 mathematics but at present there is too little evidence of how these have raised standards. The information gained from more formal assessments is not always used successfully to pinpoint exactly what is needed to raise the attainment and achievement of individual pupils and this restricts progress

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher and senior leaders have worked well together to achieve a calm environment with a positive atmosphere for learning. Initially they rightly gave a high priority to tackling behaviour and poor attitudes to learning amongst the older pupils and have been very successful in bringing about improvements. Standards are still too low, in particular at the end of Year 6, because there has been too little whole school focus on the reasons why this is so and pupils did not achieve as well as they should have done in Years 3 and 4. The school’s evaluation of its own work is satisfactory but over optimistic in some areas. However, there is a sound understanding of where improvement is needed. Weaknesses in teaching have been correctly identified but they have not been successfully addressed. Subject coordinators have begun to identify what is needed

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Grade: 3

to move their subjects further forward but they have not focused sufficiently on raising standards and achievement of pupils. The work of the governing body is satisfactory and all statutory requirements are met. However, governors have not been challenging enough in relation to the standards pupils have been achieving and the progress they have been making. This is because they are not sufficiently involved in evaluating the school’s results data. There are now signs that standards and achievement are beginning to improve. The school has a sound capacity to improve further 5 Inspection Report: Somerford Primary Community School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 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: Somerford Primary Community School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 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 NA 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 4 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 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

No 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 feel so welcome when we came to visit your school. We especially enjoyed coming in to some of your lessons and talking to you. What we liked most about your school You have told us that you are happy in school and feel safe and well looked after Your behaviour is good both during lessons and when you go outside You are given lots of different activities which you think are exciting Your parents and carers think the school is a nice place for you to be There are just a few things we have suggested to the headteacher which could help the school improve further Make sure that you all get work that is not too easy or too hard so that you all improve in English, mathematics and science Some of you need to come to school more often.

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