Stokes Wood Primary School

Inspection Report Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR)

p.1

120038 Unique Reference Number Leicester City LEA 280715 Inspection number 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005 Inspection dates David Rzeznik HMI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Blackett Avenue School address Primary Type of school Leicester Community School category Leicestershire LE3 9BX 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0116 2875305 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0116 2321032 Fax number 286 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Lesley Kibble Headteacher 13 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280715 4 October 2005 - 3 to 11 5 October 2005 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 two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools and an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Stokes Wood Primary is a larger than average, multi-racial school in Leicester. It serves an area of social disadvantage. The school has additional resources (SAR) to provide a mainstream education for up to 10 pupils with moderate learning difficulties. These pupils come to the school from across the city. The number of pupils claiming free school meals is above average. The percentage of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds and those for whom English is an additional language is higher than in most schools. Only a very small number are at the early stages of acquiring English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. Children enter the nursery with attainment that is below average.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR), 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005

p.3

Grade: 3

Stokes Wood Primary School has some strengths but overall its effectiveness is satisfactory. The school judges its effectiveness to be better than this. By the age of 11, standards are average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils make sound progress overall, although the more able in Year 6 could do better in mathematics and writing. Pupils make good progress in the nursery and reception classes (Foundation Stage) because of the effective provision made for them. Pupils’ personal development is good. Relationships between pupils and adults from different ethnic backgrounds are very good. Pupils’ social and moral development is good but more could be done to develop their understanding of other cultures and lifestyles. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. There are inconsistencies in planning that need putting right to ensure work is appropriately matched to pupils’ needs and

p.4

Grade: 3

abilities. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school’s self-evaluation needs to be more rigorous and systematic. The school has demonstrated that it has the capacity to improve further as seen in the measures put in place to raise standards in science over the past year. It provides satisfactory value for money. Grade: 3

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• continue to raise standards, particularly those of the more able mathematicians and writers in Year 6 • strengthen leadership and management through more rigorous self-evaluation to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching and planning • further develop pupils’ understanding of other cultures and lifestyles.

p.4

Grade: 3

Standards in Year 6 are broadly average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils’ progress in all three subjects is satisfactory. The oldest pupils are doing particularly well in their reading. The more able mathematicians and writers in Year 6 are making satisfactory progress but could be stretched more. Between 2000 and 2003, standards at the end of Year 6 were average. In 2004, results fell to be significantly below average in English and mathematics and extremely low in science. In 2005, pupils’ performance rose back to average, because of improvements in teaching and learning and better leadership, particularly in science. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities achieve satisfactorily overall. Individual pupils, particularly those with moderate learning difficulties, make good progress in relation to the targets set for them. Vulnerable pupils receive effective support and 2 Inspection Report: Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR), 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005

p.4

Grade: 3

make good progress in developing their speaking, social and emotional skills. Current targets for the oldest pupils are realistic and provide an appropriate level of challenge. Children enter the nursery with skills that are below those expected of youngsters of this age. By the end of the reception year, they achieve well, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development. The good outcomes are a result of effective teaching and a broad curriculum that meets children’s needs well. Grade: 3

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. They enjoy coming to school, feel safe and are not discriminated against. Their behaviour is good, and they treat others with consideration and respect. Overall they are making good progress in developing their personal and social skills. Pupils’ social and moral development is good. Their spiritual and social development is satisfactory. Pupils develop a sound understanding of their own culture; however, they know less about other cultures and beliefs than would be expected for their age, especially the variety of lifestyles represented in the world today. Pupils are aware of health issues, such as diet and exercise, although these are not always put into practice at lunchtimes. The outside links with the local emergency services and allotment project have a number of benefits. For example, they help pupils gain an understanding about the world of work and the responsibilities of adults in

p.5

Grade: 2

the community. Pupils make a positive contribution to the wider community. For example, the ‘Penny a Week’ collection money is used to support a child in Peru. The school also raises funds to help children who are unwell in the neighbourhood. Attendance improved significantly last year, after several years of decline, but is still below average. The school has satisfactory systems in place to help pupils improve their attendance. Grade: 2

p.5

Grade: 3

The teaching in the nursery and reception classes is good and pupils progress well, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development. Lessons are stimulating, challenging and interesting. Staff have a secure understanding of the curriculum, how to teach it and how pupils learn. In Years 1 to 6, the quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. In the most effective lessons, teaching is challenging and activities and work demands are matched to pupils’ differing needs and abilities. Teachers have good subject knowledge and understand 3 Inspection Report: Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR), 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005 the next steps pupils must take in their learning. Skilful questioning helps consolidate and extend pupils’ thinking. In the less effective lessons, there are some common weaknesses. At times, work is not demanding enough for particular individuals or groups. Some lessons are overly directed by the teacher, and there is overuse of

p.5

Grade: 3

worksheets to facilitate learning. This limits opportunities for pupils to record, think and learn for themselves. Teaching assistants provide generally good support in group work. However, on occasions, their skills are under-utilised in the introductory part of lessons. There are inconsistencies in planning that need putting right if work is to be effectively matched to pupils’ needs. Systems for assessing pupils’ work and performance are satisfactory. In the nursery and reception classes, staff regularly collect and appropriately record information on children’s experiences and achievements. The school has effective procedures to identify and provide for the needs of pupils with moderate learning difficulties and those who are most at risk. There are some good examples of marking of pupils’ work but it is inconsistent and requires further development. Grade: 3

p.6

Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall, with some aspects that are good. It provides a suitable programme of activities that enables pupils to make satisfactory progress over time. This said, the curriculum could better cater for the needs of the more able. The curriculum in the nursery and reception classes is good. It is appropriately planned around the six areas of learning for 3 to 5 year olds. Learning opportunities are worthwhile, interesting and pupils achieve well. Work for pupils with moderate learning difficulties is suitably matched to their individual needs and abilities. Concerns raised about the breadth of the curriculum in the last inspection have been fully addressed. The school has appropriately placed a strong emphasis on the development of speaking and listening skills in order to boost pupils’ chances of success. Much attention has been given to strengthening links between subjects to

p.6

Grade: 3

help pupils make sense of what they are learning. The innovative partnership approach to homework enables parents to support their children’s learning well, although some parents find tasks take more time than expected. A good range of clubs and out-of-school activities adds to pupils’ enjoyment of learning. The provision promotes and develops pupils’ interests and participation in sports and the arts. Grade: 3

p.6

Grade: 3

The school is exceptionally good at ensuring pupils are kept safe, with high levels of supervision throughout the day. Racist incidents are very rare, and those that do occur 4 Inspection Report: Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR), 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005 are taken seriously and dealt with firmly. The child protection procedures are outstanding. The smallest change in an individual’s behaviour is noted, recorded and acted upon very quickly to ensure that emerging problems are nipped in the bud. The induction procedures for the very youngest pupils are good. This means new arrivals settle quickly and get off to a good start. Support for pupils is satisfactory overall. It is good for vulnerable pupils, enabling them to make better than expected progress, particularly in their social and emotional development. More focused support and guidance could be provided for the more able pupils. Teaching assistants are suitably deployed but on occasions their skills

p.6

Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory, although the school believes they are good. The headteacher has been successful in developing a caring and friendly ethos. She has the confidence of staff and governors, and morale is good. Effective links have been made with parents and they hold positive views about the school. Work force reforms have been effectively implemented. Worthwhile initiatives, such as work on developing pupils’ emotional and oracy skills, are paying dividends. As a result, speaking and listening skills are developing well and the most vulnerable are achieving as well as they can, especially socially and emotionally. Governors are supportive and have ensured the school fulfils its statutory duties. The school monitors and reviews standards and the quality of education provided. However, the self-evaluation processes and procedures are not robust or systematic enough. As a result, the leaders view the school’s provision and performance better

p.7

Grade: 3

than they are. The school improvement plan identifies the key priorities for the school. However, it is not always made sufficiently explicit how initiatives will be monitored and outcomes measured, particularly with regard to their impact on pupils’ performance. There has been ongoing monitoring of teaching and staff have been told about the strengths and weaknesses in their work. Leaders have suitably checked to see if identified weaknesses have been remedied or not. This said, evaluation has been insufficiently focused on some key areas for development. For example, how well the oldest, more able pupils are performing over time. The school collects a lot of information about pupils’ performance which it uses effectively to set targets. It does not yet make full use of the information to improve the quality of teaching and learning or evaluate the progress made by different groups of pupils. The school needs a more coherent approach to self-evaluation than it has at present.

p.7

Grade: 3

Better links need to be made between the different approaches for self-review to more effectively pinpoint what is working well and what requires improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR), 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005 Grade: 3 6 Inspection Report: Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR), 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005 .

p.7

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

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Stokes Wood Primary School (SAR), 4 October 2005 to 5 October 2005

p.9

Overall

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

p.10

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 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

p.10

Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

p.10

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

p.10

learners?

NA 3 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 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 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

p.10

needs and interests of learners?

NA 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.10

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.10

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 2 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

p.11

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.11

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.11

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.11

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.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

6 October 2005 Dear Pupils Thank you very much for looking after us when we visited your school. We enjoyed our visit and everyone was welcoming and friendly. We liked talking to you about your work, speaking with your teachers and coming into your classrooms to see how well you are progressing. Now we want to share with you what we thought about the school. These are the things we thought were good: you told us you enjoyed school and were happy there children in the nursery and reception classes get off to a good start; the youngest ones have settled in well adults and pupils from different backgrounds get on very well your behaviour is good in class and around the school. But we know everyone wants to do better and we have suggested three things the school must act on: we think you could do much better in mathematics and writing, particularly the brightest pupils in school; we have asked your teachers to check regularly that this is happening

p.12

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

we want the headteacher, staff and governors to keep a better check on how well you are performing, and further improve the quality of teaching and lesson planning we want you to have a better understanding of other cultures and lifestyles. Yours faithfully David Rzeznik Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.12