Ribbleton Avenue Infant School

Inspection Report Ribbleton Avenue Infant School

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119235 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280502 Inspection number 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005 Inspection dates John Heap Reporting inspector

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

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Ribbleton Avenue School address Infant Type of school Preston Community School category Lancashire, PR1 5RU 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 01772 796037 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01772 796037 Fax number 220 Number on roll Mr S Niven Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S List Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280502 17 October 2005 - 3 to 7 18 October 2005 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

This is an average-sized primary school that serves an area of social deprivation. There are high levels of unemployment and a high percentage of children entitled to free school meals. The school has a richly diverse population. The largest groups of children are of white British, Indian and Pakistani heritage. Attainment on entry to the nursery is very low, particularly in language and social development. There are above average proportions of children for whom English is an additional language and of children who have special educational needs.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ribbleton Avenue Infant School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Inspectors and the school judge overall effectiveness to be good. The school gives good value for money. In the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception), children make good progress from the very low standards seen when they enter nursery. They achieve most in communication and social development. By the time children enter Year 1, standards are well below average. By the age of 7, standards are below average. Test results have been improving in recent years. However, early indications are that they dipped in 2005, particularly for the higher attaining children in writing. Nevertheless, many children exceeded the challenging targets set for them. Overall, children have achieved well. All minority groups make good progress because of: good teaching by a strong staff who have a wide range of expertise; a broad curriculum that interests the children and develops well their knowledge, basic skills and understanding; good, ambitious and knowledgeable leadership and management

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Grade: 2

that put the diverse needs of the children first; and high quality social care. As a result, children have a good grounding in the academic and social skills needed to do well later in life. Personal development is good and a very large proportion of the children make very good relationships with adults and other children. The school is not content to rest on its laurels and continues to improve. It knows itself well, and is very successful at minimising the many barriers to children’s learning. All children, regardless of gender, race or disability, have the opportunity to take part in all that the school has to offer.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue the recent developments in tracking children’s progress and achievements. Improve standards, particularly in writing for the higher attaining children by: • increasing the amount of writing done in the full range of subjects • setting challenging targets for writing that are clear to the children and easy for them to find and remember • marking work in such a way that progress towards children’s individual targets is clear and the next stage of development is obvious.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that children make good progress. Children start the Foundation Stage with extremely weak basic skills and, by the time they enter Year 1, standards have improved, though they are still well below average. Nevertheless, all the different groups respond well to the good teaching and exemplary social care. As a result, children make good progress, particularly in communication, language and literacy, and in personal, social and emotional development. 2 Inspection Report: Ribbleton Avenue Infant School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005 By the end of Year 2, standards are below average. Nevertheless, progress is good and most basic skills continue to develop well. Children’s skills in speaking and listening, reading, mathematics and information and communication technology improve strongly. The quality of children’s writing is improving at a slower rate because of shortcomings

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Grade: 2

in the curriculum and teaching. The school is aware of this and is already starting to make improvements. In the 2005 national tests, results were lower than in the previous two years, particularly for the higher attaining children in writing. Nevertheless, they mainly exceeded the challenging targets set for them. Girls do better than boys. Children from minority ethnic backgrounds, those learning English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are all making good progress. This has much to do with the specific skills of teachers and assistants, for example, those who are bilingual, and the work of the learning mentor.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that personal development and well being are good. Children enjoy school and feel safe and secure. The school has successfully improved attendance to national average levels. Most children behave very well because of the successful development of their social skills. Children are polite, and increasingly confident and independent. Children are generally keen and eager to work hard. Their efforts in class and their kindness and consideration to others are rightly celebrated and rewarded. This increases their self-esteem. Boys occasionally lose interest in what they are doing and their standards slip. The school is aware of this and specific provision is made for them. Children know what keeps them fit and healthy. They eat fruit, drink milk and work and play safely. Children make good progress in learning most of the basic skills that will help them later in life. They are actively encouraged to help with the smooth

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Grade: 2

running of the school and to be helpful to others. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Children have a good understanding of the differences between right and wrong, and a secure knowledge of how to live together in a diverse community. They gain an understanding of racial equality through their ability to celebrate the wide cultural heritage of the school's population.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors and the school judge teaching and learning as good. In the Foundation Stage, the well-planned range of practical activities ensures that the children are interested and make good progress. Children learning English as an additional language and those with special educational needs are identified early and supported well by teachers and support staff. The school recognises that boys do not do as well as girls. 3 Inspection Report: Ribbleton Avenue Infant School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005 As a result, teaching and resources have been thoughtfully adjusted so that boys’ needs are better catered for. Across the school, teachers are skilful, knowledgeable, sensitive and challenging. As a result, children develop satisfactory basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and numeracy. They have self-confidence, because relationships are very good and children know they are valued. Notably, even the most reticent children are drawn into the

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Grade: 2

lesson by good questioning. Children have good habits, such as working hard and concentrating for long periods. In most respects, teachers assess work thoroughly so that children know what they need to do next in order to improve. However, in writing, there is too little use of individual learning targets. Consequently, the marking does not give a clear picture to the child of how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve further. Recent developments in the tracking of children’s achievements are being carried out, but it is too early to assess the impact.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that the curriculum is good. All legal requirements are met. All groups of children, including those in the Foundation Stage, benefit equally from a broad programme that is enriched by a very wide range of activities outside lessons, and an effective programme of visits and visitors. The programme contributes well to children’s knowledge and understanding of health and safety issues. Most basic skills are used widely in other subjects and develop children’s ability to learn for themselves. However, the school has rightly identified the need to extend and improve writing skills through their wider use in other subjects, and to improve opportunities for outdoor play in reception in order to build on the existing good practice.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that it shows good care for all its children. In fact, the attention the school gives to the social needs of children from diverse backgrounds is exemplary. Excellent links with outside agencies ensure that needy children benefit from a wide range of expertise. The procedures and practices for child protection and risk assessments are good. The rigorous monitoring of behaviour, attendance and individual needs has led to great improvements in children’s confidence and maturity, and in rates of attendance. Children’s welfare is further safeguarded by the way that the school works closely with the neighbouring junior school. For example, at no extra cost to parents, a well-attended joint breakfast club gives a good start to the day, helps to improve attendance and punctuality, and fosters a smooth transition to the next stage of education. 4 Inspection Report: Ribbleton Avenue Infant School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Good procedures exist for helping children settle who join the school after the start of the year. The work of bilingual staff is important in this.

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Grade: 2

The school views leadership and management as satisfactory. However, inspectors judge them to be good. The senior leadership team are strongly focused on raising standards and ensuring the well-being of all children. The headteacher successfully leads all staff in lowering barriers to children’s learning. There are excellent links with outside agencies, including the neighbouring junior school. As a result, it is no surprise that parents overwhelmingly agree that the school is well led and managed. Despite going through a lengthy period of instability, the school has maintained the very strong drive, focus, morale and shared will to continue improving. The headteacher is rightly sensitive and knowledgeable about the wide range of needs and pressures in the school’s diverse area. Rigorous checking gives the headteacher and senior team a good awareness of the school’s strengths and shortcomings. There is no complacency.

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Grade: 2

Improvement planning is very detailed and comprehensive. However, main priorities need to be emphasised more strongly so that everyone has a clear picture of the school’s future direction. The governing body is fully involved, highly committed and supportive. Governors have much valuable expertise that is used for the benefit of learners and staff. Financial management is good and the school puts children’s needs first when allocating expenditure. Consequently, staffing levels are being maintained, particularly among support workers. Accommodation and resources are good. 5 Inspection Report: Ribbleton Avenue Infant School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005 .

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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: Ribbleton Avenue Infant School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005

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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 4 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 2 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 2 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 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 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk Ribbleton Avenue Infant School Ribbleton Avenue Preston Lancashire PR1 5RU 19 October 2005 Dear Children, The inspectors thoroughly enjoyed being in your school this week. It has been a privilege and a pleasure for us to work with you and the staff of the school. We were delighted that many of you wished to talk with us and we were impressed by the courtesy and help you provided. What we really liked about your school: the way you work hard and do well in your reading and mathematics lessons your good behaviour and the very good way that you get on with each other and the adults you share your school with the really good opinions that your parents have of the school all the trips, visitors and activities outside lessons that help to make your learning more interesting and enjoyable the very good care that all adults in the school give you, and the way that you are making sure

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that you come to school more often the strong way that Mrs List runs the school with the help of the teachers and other staff. What we have asked your teachers to make better: the way that you do your writing. We are asking your teachers to give you targets that will help you to know how well you are writing and what you need to do to write even better. We are also asking them to let you write more in the work you do in topics. You can be really helpful in all of this by making sure that you always do your very best work and by trying really hard to follow the advice given by your teacher we are also asking your teachers to continue improving the work they are doing in keeping track of all the things you do in your lessons and in your books. We wish you well for the future and good luck to you all. Yours sincerely Mr Heap

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