Martinshaw Primary School

Inspection Report Martinshaw Primary School

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119925 Unique Reference Number Leicestershire LEA 280687 Inspection number 12 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 Inspection dates Doris Bell AI Reporting inspector

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

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Forest View School address Primary Type of school Groby Community School category Leicester, Leicestershire LE6 0BB 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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0116 2876749 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0116 2876749 Fax number 225 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Andrew Raben Headteacher 25 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280687 12 June 2006 - 3 to 11 13 June 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

This is an average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average, as is the children’s attainment when they start school. A smaller than average proportion of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. An above average proportion join the school after Year 1. The school had a new headteacher in January 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Martinshaw Primary School, 12 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Martinshaw is a satisfactory school. This evaluation matches the school’s own view of its effectiveness. Leadership and management are satisfactory but, under the good leadership of its new headteacher, the school is showing definite signs of improvement. The headteacher tackled the right things first, moving quickly to halt the decline in achievement evident in the 2005 test results. The pupils’ achievement and the quality of provision, including teaching, are good in the Foundation Stage and satisfactory in the rest of the school. Pupils’ personal development is good. Standards are average in all age groups. More able pupils do not always do as well as they should by Year 6 because there are weaknesses in planning, assessment and the recording of pupils’ progress. These areas are beginning to improve as a result of recent well-focused work on making key staff accountable for their responsibilities and giving them time to carry them out. The outcome has

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Grade: 3

been better analyses of all tests and assessments and the use of this information to set targets for improvement. However, although there are some examples of good practice, targets are often too general and teachers’ marking is not sufficiently related to them. Additionally, opportunities to promote literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills in other subjects are often missed. This hinders pupils’ progress, especially so in writing, for example, because of the over-use of worksheets in some subjects. Overall improvement in the issues raised the last inspection has been very slow except in ICT. However, the remaining issues have been tackled robustly in the past two terms, with measurable improvement in teaching and learning. This, and the strong team spirit evident in the school, demonstrates that it now has the capacity to improve. It provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Raise the achievement of all pupils, especially the more able, by improving teachers’ marking and their use of assessment information in planning. •Improve pupils’ individual targets to identify specific small steps in learning more clearly and help pupils to measure their progress towards them. •Make sure that identified areas for development in teaching and learning are being addressed to ensure that pupils’ learning continues to improve. •Provide explicit guidance on promoting literacy, numeracy and ICT in all subjects, and check that this is happening in all classes.

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Grade: 3

Pupils start and leave this school with broadly average levels of attainment and, overall, their achievement is satisfactory. They get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage, where they reach the standards expected by the end of Reception. Most do so without previous nursery education, and some do it in only two terms. More-able pupils do 2 Inspection Report: Martinshaw Primary School, 12 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 not do well enough by Year 6, especially in English and, specifically, in writing. Weaknesses in the range of vocabulary used in writing, and in calculation skills in mathematics, are being tackled well. However, in some classes, the over-use of worksheets in other subjects denies pupils the opportunity to extend their writing skills in different ways. The school’s data shows that it is starting to halt the overall decline in achievement since the previous inspection. Challenging targets are now being set at whole-school

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Grade: 3

and class levels. In 2005, the school met its targets for Year 6 but not all pupils who were at the higher level when they were in Year 2 reached the higher level in Year 6. A relatively large proportion of pupils join the school after Year 1. Currently, there are no mechanisms for assessing their attainment when they start, therefore no benchmark from which to measure their progress. The school is working on this. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make satisfactory progress towards their targets, which are clear and measurable.

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Grade: 2

Good personal development and well-being, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, result in pupils being happy and confident, and behaving well both in class and around the school. Pupils work hard and enjoy coming to school, as shown by their regular attendance. They feel safe in school and know how to keep themselves safe, confident that adults will quickly help to sort out any problems. The good relationships evident in most classes contribute effectively to the pupils’ good personal development and their positive attitudes to school. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep healthy. Most bring healthy lunches to school and sporting activities are popular and well attended. Pupils enjoy the responsibilities they are given and make a good contribution to the school and the community. The well-established school council is justifiably proud of the improvements it has helped to bring about, for example, in changing the arrangements at lunchtime

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Grade: 2

to improve behaviour, and raising money for charity. The pupils’ satisfactory progress in literacy, numeracy and ICT, and the enterprise skills developed through initiatives such as the Year 6 ‘Biscuit Project’, prepare them adequately for life beyond school.

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Grade: 3

The pupils’ satisfactory achievement is the result of satisfactory teaching. Throughout the school, teachers’ planning is very variable and activities do not always meet pupils’ different learning needs. This affects the progress of more-able pupils in particular. A good example of how to promote the progress of all pupils equally well was observed in a very well planned extended writing session. Here, the teacher very skilfully capitalised on the pupils’ current interest in the World Cup to extend their use of 3 Inspection Report: Martinshaw Primary School, 12 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 descriptive language. The higher expectations of the more able pupils were very evident in the demanding questions posed and the greater challenge in the work set them. In this, and in most other lessons, well-briefed classroom support assistants helped pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities to make at least satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 3

Some teachers maintain good records of pupils’ progress, which they use well to identify groups within the class and to plan learning activities. This good practice is not established in all classes and, consequently, pupils’ progress is uneven. The school has made a good start on addressing this issue in literacy, with numeracy not far behind. All pupils have targets for English and mathematics but the targets are not always specific enough and teachers’ marking is rarely related directly to them.

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Grade: 3

A satisfactory curriculum, enhanced by a good range of in- and out-of-school visits, visitors, sporting and arts activities, adequately supports pupils’ learning. However, some teachers’ strict adherence to published schemes of work limits the opportunities pupils have to extend and apply their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects. Ways to do this, and to extend the learning of more able pupils, are not explicit in curricular planning. This limits learning, as does the over-use of worksheets in some subjects. A good range of well planned activities supports learning in the Foundation Stage and satisfactory provision is made for pupils with learning difficulties.

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory care, guidance and support contribute to the calm, supportive ethos in the school. Sound procedures are in place for child protection and for health and safety. The travel plan and the improved supervision arrangements for pupils are good examples of recent work in this area. However, older pupils and a small number of parents are concerned that the arrangements for older pupils to change for physical education do not always guarantee their privacy. The school is monitoring this. Good support for Reception children and their parents ensures that the children have a very positive start to their school life. Good links with outside agencies contribute to the progress of pupils with learning difficulties. Pupils’ self esteem is promoted well through celebrations of their personal and academic successes, and pupils appreciate this. However, the academic guidance they receive does not always help all of them to

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Grade: 3

achieve as well as they can, and they are not always sure about how to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

While leadership and management are satisfactory overall, the headteacher’s good leadership has set a clear agenda for school improvement. Key members of staff have a good understanding of how to take the school forward. They have made a good start 4 Inspection Report: Martinshaw Primary School, 12 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 on improving assessment procedures and using them to raise achievement. They talk animatedly about the ‘buzz of excitement’ felt throughout the school as teachers start to see pupils’ progress accelerating. A well constructed school development plan provides a clear agenda for school improvement. Its priorities are the right ones and they show that the school’s evaluation of its own work is accurate. Since his appointment, the headteacher has gained a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has set a clear timetable for regular, formal checks on teaching and learning. Governors are supportive but they

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Grade: 3

have not ensured that performance management procedures are established, except for the headteacher. The school is now doing this. Until recently, with the exception of ICT, the governors had not ensured that the key issues from the last inspection were addressed adequately and this slowed school improvement. The rapid improvement evident in the past two terms, however, shows that the school now has the capacity to improve. The school works hard to involve parents in their children’s learning and the vast majority of parents are pleased with what it does. The school reaches out to, and involves, the community well in its work. 5 Inspection Report: Martinshaw Primary School, 12 June 2006 to 13 June 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: Martinshaw Primary School, 12 June 2006 to 13 June 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 2 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 Yes 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 3 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 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 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

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 welcoming us to your school and for talking to us about yourselves and your work. It was pleasing to see how happy you are at school and to learn that you wanted to do well. Here are some of the things we found that were good about your school: •Your behaviour is good. You are keen to help everyone and to improve your school, and are very proud of the school council and how it helps you to do this. •You have a good understanding of how to keep yourselves safe, and of why it is important to keep fit and healthy. •Your headteacher leads and manages the school well and he is helping your teachers. We have asked your school to help you to learn faster by: •Asking your teachers to make sure that when they mark your work they always show you clearly what you need to do to improve it. •Making your targets clearer for you and helping you to be able to measure your own progress towards them. •Helping you to do even better

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

at writing, maths and ICT by ensuring that you are given more opportunities to do so in all subjects, not just in English. We wish you well and hope that you will continue to enjoy learning more and more as you grow up.

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