Crescent Primary School

Inspection Report Crescent Primary School

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132243 Unique Reference Number NOTTINGHAMSHIRE LEA LEA 282287 Inspection number 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 Inspection dates Mrs. Gill Broadbent LI Reporting inspector

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

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Booth Crescent School address Primary Type of school NG19 7LF Community School category 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01623 468558 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01623 468885 Fax number 304 Number on roll Mr.Barry Answer Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Jennifer Gresson Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282287 25 January 2006 - 3 to 11 26 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

The school serves an area of high social and economic disadvantage. It is an average sized primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above average. Very few pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils designated as having special educational needs is well above average. The school re-opened in September 2001 following a re-organisation of Mansfield schools. An inspection in 2002 placed the school in 'special measures.' The school was swiftly removed from special measures in 2003 with the same headteacher, staff and governors.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Crescent Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006

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Grade: 3

The school judges its overall effectiveness as satisfactory and inspectors agree. Standards are inadequate by the end of Year 6 but they are improving steadily and achievement is satisfactory overall. There are weaknesses in writing and mathematics in Years 3 to 6. Staff frequently check the standards pupils reach but they do not consistently make sure pupils are doing as well as they can. The good provision in the Foundation Unit ensures that children do well. From low starting points they achieve well to reach standards below those expected by the time they start Year 1. By the end of Year 2 they also achieve well and standards are broadly average. Teaching is satisfactory overall with strengths in pupils' good personal development and well-being. Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They have positive attitudes and enjoy their learning because the school places a strong emphasis on this aspect of its work. The school

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Grade: 3

encourages pupils to lead healthy lives. The curriculum is good and is enriched by the provision of a vast range of opportunities for pupils to take part in arts, sports, homework and breakfast clubs and educational visits. Leadership and management are satisfactory, with good aspects. The headteacher, senior managers and governors know the school's strengths and weaknesses accurately. They work well together as a strong team with the staff. Inspectors agree that there are too many assessment systems. This makes it hard to check individual pupils' achievement as they move through the school. Areas identified in the last inspection have been improved satisfactorily. There is more to do, but the consistent improvement in standards in reading and science demonstrates a good capacity to improve further. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Raise standards and achievement, especially in writing and mathematics in Years 3 to 6. - Improve the tracking of individual pupils' achievement to make sure they do as well as they can.

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Grade: 3

Standards reached by pupils at the end of Year 6 in national tests in 2005 are inadequate overall. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory, given their low starting points. Standards in English are inadequate because although reading standards are below average, standards in writing are exceptionally low. Standards in science are below average but achievement is satisfactory. Standards in mathematics have fallen for two years and are inadequate. Pupils did not reach their targets last year. The school took immediate action following these results. This is proving to be effective and satisfactory progress is being made by all pupils in writing and mathematics. Pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities also achieve satisfactorily. In national tests at the end of Year 2, standards in English, writing and mathematics have improved and are broadly average. Standards in science improved and are average. This represents good

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Grade: 3

2 Inspection Report: Crescent Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 achievement. In the Foundation Unit, children start with skills that are well below national expectations. They get off to a good start, but many of them do not reach the expected goals by the time they are five. The more able pupils begin to work within the first level of the National Curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress. They develop good learning skills and enjoy their education. They are happy in school and are often eager to join in activities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils become responsible youngsters who get on well together, and clearly understand right from wrong in many situations around them. During a discussion with pupils, one stated, 'Teachers really help us to grow up and be sensible.' The very low levels of bullying reflects the staff's efforts and the pupils' own maturity. Pupils pay attention well, and their behaviour is excellent, whether in lessons, in the playground, or on visits away from school. At playtime the pupils make healthy choices when choosing snacks. A few pupils do not attend well, but overall their attendance is satisfactory because the school makes good efforts to encourage them to come in regularly. Pupils join in community activities such as the

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Grade: 2

harvest festival and litter picking. They know how to stay safe, work well in teams, and are positive about their own futures. Pupils' acquisition of the key skills they will need in the future, such as in reading, are improving.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory with good aspects. All teachers and support staff get on very well with pupils and have high expectations for their behaviour. Staff are skilled in helping pupils to learn how to work together to create a good atmosphere. They build pupils' confidence and self-esteem so that pupils usually join in and enjoy their learning. Teachers plan lessons carefully at the right level for everyone to understand and find interesting. Pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities are provided with effective support by a team of talented teaching assistants. New initiatives are improving pupils' progress, but they have not yet had time to have an impact on standards. The re-organisation of Years 3 to 6 and the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects including information and communication technology (ICT) is ensuring pupils' satisfactory progress. Teachers make sure that

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Grade: 3

every pupil knows what they need to do to improve. By involving pupils more in their own learning they help them to improve more effectively. For example, in good lessons, teachers use very searching questions to make pupils think for themselves and help them to develop their own ways of solving problems. However, too many assessment procedures make it difficult for teachers to find out if pupils are doing as well as they can. 3 Inspection Report: Crescent Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good, broad and interesting curriculum. This is particularly strong when teachers link subjects together on a topic theme. They build in opportunities to teach pupils literacy and numeracy skills. A particularly effective focus on literacy has contributed well to raising standards in reading. The carefully planned curriculum is enriched by a very good range of extra-curricular activities which are valued greatly by pupils. A high proportion of them take part in after-school activities including sports, choir and dance. Joining in these activities helps improve pupils' health and their social and cultural development. Pupils talk very enthusiastically about their educational visits, including residential visits to Hathersage. They benefit well from visitors who come to work with them in school and from special events in and out of school. These all help to bring learning to life, promote enjoyment and add to the

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Grade: 2

overall quality of pupils' experiences in school.

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Grade: 3

Provision is satisfactory. Teachers check how well pupils are making progress. Staff guide pupils in which areas they need to improve. However, current assessment procedures make it difficult to track individual pupils' achievement from the Nursery Unit through to Year 6. Pupils are safe and well cared for. They are taught well how to look after themselves, and to lead a healthy life through good eating habits and plenty of exercise. Staff have received good training in how to make their commitment to pupils' welfare and safety a reality. Good school policies are reflected in day-to-day practice around the school, such as in the successful breakfast club, the school council and in the anti-bullying procedures. Pupils who have difficulties in their learning, or are at risk in various ways, are well supported in lessons and throughout their time in school. 'I cannot speak highly enough of Crescent Primary', said one parent.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory with some strengths. The running of the school and its finances are good. The school seeks parents' views and has good partnerships with groups who help in school. The clear direction provided by the leadership team ensures that pupils develop excellent behaviour and attitudes towards learning. The school is now well placed to raise standards and achievement further. It has a good capacity to improve. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses well. The leadership team, staff and governors have acted positively on the advice and support they have been given. They have extended the services the school provides and worked with other groups to support the local community. They are now skilled at identifying the strengths or weaknesses of actions they have taken to raise standards. Standards have improved in Years 1 and 2 and in reading and science throughout the

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Grade: 3

school. However, standards are inadequate in writing and in mathematics in Years 3 4 Inspection Report: Crescent Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 to 6. In September the school improved the way pupils are organised into classes in Years 3 to 6 so they could be taught more effectively. This is improving the progress pupils currently make in writing and mathematics. It is still too soon to see the full impact of this work on improving standards and achievement. The school knows, and inspectors agree, that there are too many assessment procedures. This makes it difficult to check pupils' achievement frequently, set accurate targets each year and consistently make sure that they achieve as much as they can over time. 5 Inspection Report: Crescent Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 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: Crescent Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 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 2 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 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 4 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 1 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 talking to us and being so helpful when we visited your school. This letter is to tell you about some of the important things that we saw and heard about. We were very impressed by the caring way in which the staff look after you. They teach you how to look after yourselves and to lead healthy lives. They asked for your help and listened to your ideas in choosing a play leader for the playground. We noticed that your behaviour is excellent in lessons and in the playground. You listen to your teachers carefully and are patient and polite as you wait to go into your classes. You play and work well together. Teachers teach you soundly and sometimes make you think really hard so that you all make at least steady progress. Teachers spend a lot of time planning interesting lessons and help you to improve. They find out how well you are doing. You do well in the Foundation Unit and in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

standards aren't high enough yet, especially in writing and mathematics. They are getting better because the school has changed how the classes are organised. We have suggested, and the teachers agree, that they could help you do even better. We have asked them to improve the way they check how well you are doing from when you start school to when you leave. This should help to make sure that all of you do as well as you can. All the members of staff work hard to provide you with lots of different activities, such as art, sports and visits. The breakfast and other clubs are popular. It's not surprising that you told us how much you enjoy school and all that you learn there.

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