Clinton Primary School

Inspection Report Clinton Primary School

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125551 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire LEA 281957 Inspection number 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006 Inspection dates Helen Barter AI Reporting inspector

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

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Caesar Road School address Primary Type of school Kenilworth Community School category Warwickshire CV8 1DL 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01926 852334 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01926 855290 Fax number 210 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jane Bates Headteacher 17 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281957 18 May 2006 - 4 to 11 19 May 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

The school is attended by pupils from the town of Kenilworth. Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage and the majority are drawn from various social and economic backgrounds. A smaller than average proportion is entitled to claim free school meals. The proportion of pupils identified as having learning difficulties is average. Since the last inspection, there have been significant staff changes throughout the school. The headteacher joined the school in September 2002 and the deputy headteacher in September 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Clinton Primary School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school which is rapidly improving. The inspection team finds that the school has many strengths, although its own evaluation of its effectiveness is optimistic in the light of some variations in pupils’ progress. Children in the Reception class and Years 1 and 2 achieve well and reach high standards because of the good provision made for them. Pupils’ personal development is good. They are happy and behave well because the school provides good care, guidance and support. Many aspects of the curriculum are strong and help pupils to enjoy learning. In spite of these many positive features, pupils’ achievement has not been good enough in Years 3 to 6 in recent years and consequently standards dropped in the 2005 national tests. This year, with a newly established senior management team and more experienced staff, the school is showing good signs of improvement. Pupils are now making satisfactory progress in Years 3 to 6 in mathematics and science and are doing

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Grade: 3

particularly well in writing. Recently introduced procedures for monitoring how well pupils are doing are beginning to help pupils to understand what they need to do to improve. The newly formed school improvement teams are also beginning to make a difference by implementing more consistent approaches to teaching and learning. The headteacher has resiliently taken the school through a time of high staff turnover. She has successfully encouraged and developed the skills of new staff, maintained a happy and purposeful atmosphere and continued to develop good partnerships with other schools and the community. She has the full support of governors, staff and pupils. Parents greatly appreciate the way in which the headteacher and staff are approachable and work with them to support their children’s learning. Progress since the last inspection has been satisfactory. Nevertheless, through its good self-evaluation

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Grade: 3

processes, the school has brought about improvement in standards and has now effectively identified its key priorities for further development. It is in a good position to move forward and has good capacity to improve. The school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Further improve the quality of teaching and learning to ensure that pupils make consistently good progress across the school in all subjects. •Consolidate the new procedures for monitoring how well pupils are doing and for setting targets for further improvement. •Strengthen the work of the two newly formed school improvement teams in the drive to improve pupils’ achievement further.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement across the school is satisfactory. Children start school in the Reception class with skills and abilities which are above average for their age. They make good progress in all areas and all meet their expected goals. Pupils continue this 2 Inspection Report: Clinton Primary School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006 good progress in Years 1 and 2 and reach standards which are consistently high in reading, writing and mathematics. There has been a significant trend of improvement since the last inspection, notably in writing. Pupils’ current work shows that they are maintaining these high standards. In Years 3 to 6 all pupils, including those with learning difficulties, make satisfactory progress. The fall in standards and achievement in 2005, which meant that pupils did not meet their targets, has been reversed. Robust action to improve the quality of teaching, strengthen the curriculum and improve the provision for pupils with learning

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Grade: 3

difficulties has paid off. The current work by Year 6 pupils shows that they are now working at above-average standards. The school’s recent focus on writing, giving more opportunities for pupils to complete extended pieces of work, has improved standards considerably. As a result, pupils are now making good progress in English. Nevertheless, while satisfactory overall across the year groups, the progress made in mathematics and science lags behind. The school’s tracking information shows that this year some pupils may not reach the challenging targets set for them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. They are very positive about all aspects of school life, particularly meeting their friends and teachers who they say are ‘really nice.’ They are very proud of their orchestra and relish performing regularly for the school and the community. Pupils’ good attendance reflects their good attitudes to school. They enjoy learning, work hard and behave well in lessons and are keen to take part in class discussions. They behave well at playtimes and get on well with each other. Older pupils say that they have not experienced any bullying and that nobody makes unpleasant or racist remarks. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and they are developing as well-rounded people. They have a good sense of responsibility, with older pupils especially taking on tasks to help the school run smoothly. Pupils are developing an understanding of democracy and learning negotiating skills which will help them in

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Grade: 2

later life. The school council takes on responsibility for organising fundraising events and makes decisions about improving the school, such as redecoration of the lavatories. It has largely been run and organised by Year 6 pupils, with much more involvement planned for younger pupils. Pupils have a good understanding of the need to stay healthy and safe and are keen participants in sport both in and out of school.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Consistently good teaching in the Reception class and Years 1 and 2 enables children to learn and achieve well. Throughout the 3 Inspection Report: Clinton Primary School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006 school, teachers plan interesting activities which engage pupils. Good classroom relationships give pupils confidence to learn. Pupils behave well even when occasional slow pace means that they are passive learners. Teachers are more carefully tracking pupils’ progress from class to class and identifying potential underachievement through newly developed assessment procedures. Target setting is developing satisfactorily, although it is not yet fully focused on raising expectations of what individual pupils should achieve as they progress through the school. Marking helpfully tells pupils the next steps to work on. The good ideas offered to older pupils have improved the content and structure of their work in English and

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Grade: 3

improved their writing skills. Teaching assistants support pupils with learning difficulties satisfactorily in class and are developing their skills when working with small groups.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum planned for pupils is good. In the Reception class, children are excited by well-planned and imaginative activities. In Years 1 to 6, planning for work in English and mathematics has been developed well in recent years and meets the needs of different learners. A focus on planning extended writing tasks has helped pupils to achieve higher standards this year. Provision for music, art and design and religious education is particularly strong. All pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and many play in the high quality orchestra. There are good opportunities to learn French in Years 5 and 6. The school is beginning to develop more links between different subject areas, which has particularly helped pupils to use their writing skills more widely. It is aware of the need to review and develop planning for history and geography. There is a good programme for personal and health education, which helps

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Grade: 2

pupils to keep healthy and safe. Pupils’ enthusiasm for learning is also fostered by the many after-school activities. Older pupils particularly develop self-confidence through their residential trips and learn entrepreneurial skills through the Year 6 business enterprise activity.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support provided for pupils are good and are a strong feature of the school’s work. Staff know the pupils and families well and provide good day-to-day support and guidance. Pupils say that the school is ‘friendly and welcoming’ and are happy to turn to adults if they have a problem. This reassures parents. Staff work hard to make sure that pupils are safe at school and know how to stay healthy. There are good procedures for child protection and regular safety checks of the building and grounds. Pupils’ progress is now more carefully monitored and they are given clear guidance about what they need to do to improve their work. The setting of targets for both literacy and numeracy is a relatively new initiative and is still being refined. The school works closely with parents in supporting pupils’ academic and personal development and gives good guidance to them about how to help their children at

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Grade: 2

home. 4 Inspection Report: Clinton Primary School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 2006

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher’s leadership, which is a significant strength, is fully recognised by parents. She has skilfully managed a difficult period of staffing change in the school. With the new senior management team, and through good self-evaluation processes which include the views of parents and pupils, she has analysed the reasons for a dip in standards and achievement last year and has taken successful action to put things right. Pupils’ progress is now carefully tracked, teaching quality is more consistent and standards have risen. The headteacher has built a good staff team and is determined to continue to raise standards by further developing systems to monitor teaching and achievement. As a result, standards and pupils’ progress in English have improved, although there is more to be done to ensure pupils make good progress across the school. Senior managers

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Grade: 3

have supported new staff well to improve the consistency of the quality of teaching. There are good opportunities for less experienced staff to develop their management roles in the newly formed school improvement teams. These teams now need to develop their monitoring and evaluation skills so that they can identify what works well and what needs to be improved to raise achievement further. The governing body is supportive. It knows what needs to improve through reviews of the school’s work and consultations with parents and pupils and is beginning to be more effective in holding the school to account for its performance. 5 Inspection Report: Clinton Primary School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 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: Clinton Primary School, 18 May 2006 to 19 May 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 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

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 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 2 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 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 very much for making the inspectors welcome to your school when we came to visit last week. We enjoyed talking to you and finding out what you liked about your school. I am writing to you to tell you what we found out. These are the things which are good about your school: •You really enjoy coming to school and are very keen to learn. •Children in the Reception class and in the infants get a really good start to school and learn really well. •Your behaviour is good and you know how important it is to get on with and care for others. •Your school council makes sensible decisions which help to improve things for you. •Your teachers care very much about you and make sure that you learn lots of interesting things in the classroom and in other activities. •Your school orchestra is fantastic! We were so impressed with your playing at the Celebration Assembly. Well done, too, to all of you who received medals, trophies and certificates

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

for all the different sports and activities that you do. These are the things which your school needs to work on next: •Make sure that you are given work that makes you think hard so that you do as well as you can in every subject as you move through the school. •Keep checking how well you are doing and setting you targets to work towards so that you do even better. •Keep developing the work that all your teachers do to make the school as good as it can be.

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