Queen's Drive Primary School

Inspection Report Queen's Drive Primary School

p.1

119292 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280518 Inspection number 4 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 Inspection dates Jackie Barnes Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

p.1

Black Bull Lane School address Primary Type of school Fulwood Community School category Preston, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01772 718344 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01772 787126 Fax number 416 Number on roll Dr David Parker Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Julie Webster Headteacher 1 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280518 4 May 2006 - 4 to 11 4 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a larger than average primary school, situated in a residential area north of the town of Preston. Although most pupils live reasonably close, the school’s good reputation has attracted an increasing number of families from further afield. There is a good mix of pupils from different cultures and backgrounds, with the majority being white British, and the school has a small specialised unit for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. When they start school most pupils are at least as capable as others of their age, with a few pupils at the early stages of learning English and a small number who have learning difficulties. The current headteacher took up her post two years ago.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Queen's Drive Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school which is rapidly improving and has the capacity for further development. It has the confidence of its parents, with many giving ‘thumbs up’ comments on the questionnaires issued by inspectors. The pupils’ good personal development is a strength of the school, and their positive attitudes and awareness of others are outstanding. Pupils are lively, articulate, keen to learn and well behaved. They say school is fun, and above average attendance indicates their enthusiasm. They enjoy their work and are sensible enough to know that they have to persevere when it is hard. They greatly value the friendships they make. Older pupils look after younger ones, and they all know the arrangements that are in place to make sure they are not lonely or harassed at play times. They also know how to keep healthy and safe, and the trusting, caring relationships they have with the staff play a major part in developing

p.4

Grade: 2

their social skills, self-respect and clear moral values. They know they are part of the school community and are willing to contribute what they can to make it work. The school’s curriculum provides a wide range of good opportunities for pupils to develop their academic achievement and personal skills. There are many clubs and sporting activities, and almost all pupils make good use of these. Due care is taken by staff to keep everyone safe and to look after pupils’ welfare. Overall, because of these very positive aspects, the pupils are in a strong position to learn successfully. Achievement is good and standards are above average overall. A brisk start is made when the children enter school in the reception year. They make at least good progress, whatever their starting points and ability. By the end of the year almost all achieve the goals that are expected for their age, with about a quarter of them doing even

p.4

Grade: 2

better than this. This success is mainly due to very good teaching. Despite large classes and the pupils having very varied pre-school experiences, the Foundation Stage staff plan and check pupils’ progress very carefully, taking particular account of their individual needs. They also have high expectations that each child will enjoy learning and achieve as well as s/he can. As a result, when they go into Year 1 most pupils are able to communicate well and have a secure knowledge of the early skills of mathematics and reading. They make steady progress over the next two years, which is a little slow for some, especially in writing, but their enthusiasm for learning continues. By the end of Year 2, overall standards are above average, but because teaching is not yet consistently good, there remain opportunities to raise standards further. By the time the Year 6 pupils are due to leave for secondary school, they have made

p.4

Grade: 2

good progress and standards are firmly above average. The school’s 2005 national tests results continued the improving trend over recent years, with almost all pupils achieving the Level 4 expected for their age in English, mathematics and science. Over half of them were successful in attaining the higher Level 5 in mathematics and science, and predictions for the current year indicate similar results for the higher attainers, with a significant improvement in English. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are well accepted in the school community and benefit from the additional support they receive to ensure they make good progress. 2 Inspection Report: Queen's Drive Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 The school has sensibly focused much of its development work on teaching and learning, and the quality of both is good overall. There have been considerable changes in staffing, extensive training for the staff team, new resources for teachers and pupils,

p.4

Grade: 2

and improvements to the buildings, all of which have contributed well to the interesting and well organised learning environment which maintains pupils’ enthusiasm. As one boy said, ‘I sometimes forget to say goodbye to my mum because I always want to run into school’. The staff team has been particularly successful in meeting the considerable challenge of maintaining good standards throughout recent changes. The school’s evaluation has accurately identified that there remains a very small number of classes where the pupils do not yet have the benefit of consistently good teaching, and plans are in hand to improve this. The assessment information which tells the school what each pupil knows and can do, and how well this compares with others of the same age, has been improved. As a result the school can accurately identify pupils who are not making enough progress and provide additional support to boost their achievement. This is working well. Less

p.5

Grade: 2

effective is the wider use of the assessment information, especially to help teachers to plan lessons so that all pupils are working at the right level to achieve as well as they can. As a result there are occasional flat spots in pupils’ overall good progress. The school has already identified the need to continue developing the use of assessment to support better learning, and this is rightly included in the school improvement plan. The leadership and management of the school are good. The changes over the last two years have been outstandingly well led and paced by an experienced and capable headteacher. The teaching team is now reasonably stable, staff morale is high, despite the intensity of recent developments, and the school is calm and orderly. Challenging targets for standards have been met or exceeded, and parental confidence has been re-established. The local authority provided early, sustained and effective support,

p.5

Grade: 2

and the continuing partnership with the school’s active governing body is working to the advantage of the school in providing useful expertise, advice and training. The work of all those involved in the leadership of the school is coming together well, and the school self evaluation has the benefit of informed views from many different sources, including parents and pupils. The school’s strategic plans for the last two years have rightly been very wide ranging, but are now set to be more focused on fewer priorities as the school consolidates its focus on aspects that help all pupils to achieve as well as they can. This is good timing as two new senior posts with responsibilities for teaching and learning are to be filled before September, and will be expected to make a significant contribution to the next phase of the school’s improvement. The school is providing good value for money.

p.5

Grade: 2

N/A 3 Inspection Report: Queen's Drive Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

p.5

Grade: 2

N/A 4 Inspection Report: Queen's Drive Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 .

p.6

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: Queen's Drive Primary School, 4 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

p.7

Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.8

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

p.8

Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

p.8

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

p.8

learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 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

p.8

needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.8

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.

p.8

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

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Miss Julie Webster Queen's Drive Primary School Black Bull Lane Fulwood Preston Lancashire PR2 3LA 04 May 2006 Dear Children Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. I very much enjoyed talking with you and seeing how well you worked. You helped me to understand how much your school has improved and why you enjoy your lessons and your play. I was delighted to hear that the games in the playground were your idea, and very pleased to see how well you looked after each other and make friends. You behave well, work hard and have good standards which are getting even better. You know how to stay safe and healthy, and your teachers look after you very well. I have asked your headteacher and governors to keep up the good work they are doing to make the good teaching even better, so that you can continue to do well in everything you do. This

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

will help you learn more quickly, especially pupils in Key Stage 1 and those of you who can do harder work in English. My very best wishes to you all. Yours sincerely, J M Barnes Lead inspector

p.10