Redhill Primary School

Inspection Report Redhill Primary School

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124073 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire LEA 281621 Inspection number 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 Inspection dates Lois Furness AI Reporting inspector

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

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Wrights Avenue School address Primary Type of school Cannock Community School category Staffordshire WS11 5JR 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01543 502 181 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01543 462 956 Fax number 298 Number on roll Mr Alex Forbes Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Robert Harris (acting head) Headteacher 13 October 2003 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281621 24 January 2006 - 3 to 11 25 January 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

Redhill is a large primary school. The entitlement to free school meals is well above average. The children’s attainment on entry to the Nursery is well below average, particularly in the use of language. Almost all pupils are of white British heritage. There are more pupils with learning difficulties than usually found. The headteacher has been absent from school since September 2005 and the deputy headteacher who was appointed acting headteacher is now also on leave. A deputy headteacher from a nearby school has been appointed to lead the school during these absences. The school has had difficulty recruiting staff in the past, but is fully staffed at present. The school was found to have serious weaknesses when it was inspected in March 2003.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Redhill Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. The school provides an inadequate education for its pupils. The evaluation of the new leadership team is correct in judging standards and achievement, teaching and learning, and leadership and management as inadequate. Children have a good start in the Foundation Stage. They make good progress because they are taught well, their learning is regularly checked and the work planned for them meets their learning needs. These factors are missing in the rest of the school and overall the quality of teaching is inadequate. This

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Grade: 4

is largely because expectations are too low, planning does not build systematically on what pupils know already and the rate of learning is slow. By the end of Years 2 and 6, standards are exceptionally low. Pupils make inadequate progress in English, mathematics and science. Boys do not attain as well as girls. Pupils’ spoken language is weak and this affects the quality of writing. However, pupils enjoy school and their personal development is satisfactory. The school gives good attention to pastoral care. Curriculum provision is inadequate as it does not meet the needs of the pupils. Leadership and management are inadequate. The lack of urgency in dealing with the serious weaknesses from the last inspection and long-term staff absences have allowed problems to persist which have seriously hindered the school’s capacity to improve. The systems in place to check how well the school is doing are not rigorous enough.

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Grade: 4

There is a great deal of data available, but evaluation is weak, and information is not used sufficiently well to improve learning. Progress since the last inspection is inadequate. The school provides inadequate value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Raise standards in English, mathematics and science by ensuring that boys do as well as girls, and speaking and writing are developed well in all subjects. •Improve the quality of learning through raising expectations of what pupils are able to do, ensuring challenging activities are matched to their needs and improving the pace of learning. •Strengthen the leadership of the school by improving existing monitoring and evaluation systems so that the information gained is used rigorously to raise standards.

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Grade: 4

Although children make good progress in the Foundation Stage and their overall achievement is good, they enter Year 1 with skills below those expected for their age. Their spoken language is particularly weak, despite the good attention given to increasing children’s vocabulary. 2 Inspection Report: Redhill Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 In the rest of the school, standards have fluctuated in recent years but currently are exceptionally low. At the end of Key Stage 1, too few pupils reach the level expected for their age in reading and writing. Although attainment in mathematics is better, few pupils attain the higher Level 3 in mathematics or writing. There is a similar picture at the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils’ language skills are below those expected and writing is a particular weakness. By Year 6, a high number of pupils cannot use simple punctuation rules accurately. Few pupils attain the higher Level 5 in English or

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Grade: 4

mathematics. Achievement is inadequate and the quality of teaching throughout Years 1 to 6 is not good enough to raise standards. Targets were not achieved in English and mathematics in 2005. Boys do not progress as well as girls and by Year 6 there is a marked difference in boys’ and girls’ attainment, notably in English. Pupils with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress overall. Their progress is increased when they work with specialist staff.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are satisfactory. In the Foundation Stage, children work well together and settle quickly into school routines. Most pupils enjoy coming to school. They behave sensibly. In class, their behaviour and attitudes to work are satisfactory. However, in some lessons they lack enthusiasm for the mundane tasks given. Attendance is satisfactory. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall; moral development is good. Pupils respect each other and offer good support if there is a problem. They understand the importance of keeping themselves safe and adopting healthy lifestyles. They are keen to take on responsibilities in their classrooms but there are few opportunities across the school for this to be developed. The school council has recently been revived but pupils do not take sufficient responsibility for its discussions and decisions. Pupils collect funds

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Grade: 3

for local charities and such projects as ‘the shoebox appeal’. The pupils’ lack of language, literacy and numeracy skills by the end of Year 6 is restricting their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 4

Teaching and learning are inadequate overall. Teaching in the Foundation Stage, however, is good and activities stimulate the children’s interest. The children are eager to find things out and concentrate hard on what they are doing. Meaningful links between the different areas of learning make good use of time. In Years 1 to 6, expectations are not high enough. The pace of learning is slow and planning does not address the needs of all pupils. Pupils say they enjoy the opportunities they have in some lessons to discuss their ideas in pairs. This aids their language development well but it is used inconsistently. Teachers share targets satisfactorily with pupils so they 3 Inspection Report: Redhill Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 know how they can achieve success in their work. Again though, this is not consistently happening in all lessons. The quality of feedback given to the pupils through marking

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Grade: 4

varies widely and support is not always given to help them to improve.

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Grade: 4

There have been some improvements in the curriculum since the last inspection. However, it remains inadequate because it does not fully meet pupils’ needs. Recent staffing changes and uncertainties within the leadership team have interrupted planned developments in curriculum provision. The draft document showing which topics should be covered and when, does not sufficiently support teachers as they plan for different ages and ability groups. There is limited evidence of a curriculum that has been developed to build on skills from one year to the next or to support the pupils’ needs in language development. The opportunities for personal, social, health and emotional development are good. Recent refurbishment of the computer room has restricted the use of computers to support pupils’ work in other subjects. This has now been rectified. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good but the school is aware of the need to develop

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Grade: 4

further outdoor activities for the Reception children. Although there is a satisfactory range of out-of-school activities such as gardening and football, there is a limited programme of visits and visitors to the school to enrich pupils’ experiences.

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Grade: 4

The good relationships between the pupils and the adults in school ensure that there is effective pastoral care. In this respect, there is a good focus on ensuring that every child matters. Parents and pupils agree that this is a place where children feel safe and enjoy attending. Pupils are confident that they have an adult to turn to if they are worried. They know that they will be listened to. The staff ensure that pupils work in a secure and clean environment. Arrangements for children to start at school, and the support provided for them when they leave, are satisfactory. Child protection procedures are fully in place. This enhances the sensitive support that is given to vulnerable pupils. Pupils with learning difficulties are given satisfactory support which aids their progress soundly. Procedures for risk assessment are well established and outside advice is sought whenever needed. Information from assessment data, however,

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Grade: 4

is not used sufficiently well in lessons to ensure pupils make good progress. Consequently, despite the supportive environment, the school’s guidance for its pupils on how to do well academically is inadequate.

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Grade: 4

Leadership and management are inadequate. A significant number of parents are concerned about the effectiveness of leadership. It does not provide clear direction and the pace of school improvement is unsatisfactory. The serious weaknesses identified 4 Inspection Report: Redhill Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 by the last inspection, namely low standards and unsatisfactory teaching, still remain. There were some signs of improvement in standards in 2004, but they have since fallen back to below those attained in 2001. This was partly because of staffing difficulties but monitoring and evaluation systems are unsatisfactory. Tracking and target-setting systems are in place but information is not easy to obtain and the data is not used sufficiently well to monitor pupils’ progress, identify underachievement and inform teachers’ planning. The new acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher have

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Grade: 4

quickly identified the major areas in which improvement is needed. Their evaluation of the effectiveness of the school is accurate. They have rapidly gained the confidence of staff and governors, who say that a better team effort is already starting to develop. The leadership of the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and the current leadership of the Foundation Stage are good. Leaders of these aspects know what needs to be done and they take effective action. The school is also receiving support as part of a national programme to improve leadership and management and to raise pupils’ achievements. However, this is a very new initiative. It has not had sufficient time to influence standards and the quality of teaching and learning. Governors are supportive, and understand the weaknesses. Although the school involves outside agencies when it is necessary, parents are insufficiently involved in shaping the direction

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Grade: 4

of the school. Taking account of the school’s track record of improvement, the school does not have the capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Redhill Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 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: Redhill Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 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 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA No The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 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 4 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 4 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 4 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 4 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

No There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills No 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 visited your school. We enjoyed watching you learn and talking to you about your work. What we like most about your school •The staff in the Nursery and Reception classes make a special effort to make sure you settle well into school and feel happy and safe. •You told us you like school and enjoy playing with your friends. •Some of you say you find it helps you to learn when you can talk through your ideas with a partner. •The school looks after you and you know who to turn to if you have a problem. Also, you are very willing to help someone if they are worried or upset. •You know which foods are healthy and why you should have regular exercise. What we have asked the school to do to make it even better •We have asked the teachers to help you do better in English, mathematics and science. •We think that some of you could do harder work so we have asked teachers to plan work that is

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

interesting and makes you think hard. We have also asked teachers to help you learn faster. •We have asked the headteacher to get everyone to work hard together to make the school better for you. We hope that you enjoy the changes that are to come. Other inspectors will visit you in the future to check that the school is getting better.

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