Ramridge Primary School

Inspection Report Ramridge Primary School

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134155 Unique Reference Number LUTON LEA LEA 282471 Inspection number 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Champak Chauhan HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Turners Road North School address Primary Type of school LU2 9AH Community School category 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01582 729970 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01582 729972 Fax number 354 Number on roll Ms.Zoe Moran Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms. Hilary Goddard Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282471 21 June 2006 - 3 to 11 22 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of schools and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Ramridge is a large primary school in north east Luton that opened in 2003. Many pupils experience relatively high levels of social deprivation and some have complex needs. The proportion entitled to free school meals and those identified as having learning difficulties and disabilities is well above the national average. Just over a quarter speak English as an additional language. Pupils' movement into and out of the school at various times during the year is high. The pupils' attainment on entry to the school is well below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ramridge Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Ramridge Primary provides a good quality of education. This agrees with the school's own view but inspection evidence shows it does not readily celebrate some of its more outstanding features. Pupils are taught within a safe, caring and inclusive environment. Pupils enter the nursery with communication and social skills that are well below average. The high quality of provision that they receive in the Foundation Stage enables them to make good progress but their overall standards by the end of Reception remain low. They continue to make good progress across the school and achieve well. From 2004 to 2005, results at both Key Stages 1 and 2 improved markedly. In English at Key Stage 2, the results in 2005 were marginally above the national average. The good quality of provision includes some outstanding elements, especially in the quality of care, guidance and support. Teaching and learning are usually of high quality but the

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Grade: 2

teachers' short-term planning does not always identify the targets that different groups of pupils are working towards, making the monitoring of pupils' progress difficult on occasion. The rigorous assessment procedures which the school has in some subjects have not yet been extended to the majority of the foundation subjects. The headteacher offers outstanding leadership to the school. She is supported well by other managers and together they manage the school extremely well. The staff are dedicated and work hard. The governing body is regularly informed of developments in the school by the headteacher and by other managers. However, it is not holding the school fully to account for its standards and provision. This relatively new school provides good value for money and has a good capacity to improve even further.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Strengthen the quality of teachers' short-term lesson planning so that learning targets for pupils of different abilities are more explicit and that the pupils' progress towards them is evaluated more regularly by the teachers. - Extend the existing rigorous assessment procedures to the rest of the foundation subjects. - Ensure that the governing body holds the school more to account for its standards and the quality of its provision.

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Grade: 2

Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well from a very low starting point, particularly in their communication skills and personal, social and emotional development. This is the result of a lively, well-planned curriculum and the seamless way in which staff in the Reception years build on the solid foundation established in the nursery. In spite of this, a significant number do not achieve the expected goals by the time they move into Year 1, particularly in communication, language and literacy. This good progress continues through the school even though pupils in Year 2 do not get close to the standards expected for their ages. The school makes effective use of detailed evaluations of how well pupils perform to set challenging targets for each individual 2 Inspection Report: Ramridge Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 and these are often met by pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. A significant number

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Grade: 2

of vulnerable pupils make impressive progress in meeting their targets because of the highly successful ways in which their learning needs are pinpointed and supported. In 2005, the results of pupils in Year 6 showed a striking improvement on the previous year, which is in part attributable to the ability of the cohort. Standards were average in English and just below average in mathematics and science. The pupils made much better progress than expected in both English and mathematics and the school exceeded its 2005 targets. Although standards in the present Year 6 are much lower because of the large number of pupils with learning and emotional difficulties, the school's data and inspection evidence indicate that most pupils are making good progress.

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Grade: 2

The pupils' personal development and well-being are good, with some outstanding features. The school is very successful in achieving its aim of creating a loyal and supportive community. Pupils say they are treated fairly, feel safe and are happy to take any problem to an adult. The excellent school council is influential throughout the school, for example on deciding to raise money for particular causes. The very good behaviour of the vast majority and their positive attitudes help pupils to enjoy their schooling and to make good progress. Attendance has steadily improved and is now not far behind that achieved by other schools nationally. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is developed well. They have a good knowledge of themselves and value others within their community. Pupils have good relationships with each other and with the adults, who provide good role models. Pupils are

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Grade: 2

developing well their appreciation of life in a culturally diverse society through, for example, the celebration of different festivals and many are heavily involved in the annual preparation for the Luton carnival. The school has been accredited with 'Healthy School Status' for behaviour improvement, and for healthy eating and living. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and good progress in basic skills lays a sure foundation for their future economic success. They make a strong contribution to their community, for example through the raising of money for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good, with some outstanding practice. Effective teamwork characterises teaching in parts of the school. Nursery nurses and teaching and behaviour support assistants play a major role in meeting the needs of individuals and groups of pupils. Teaching staff establish very good relationships with their pupils and have high expectations of their behaviour. Misdemeanours are dealt with swiftly and sensitively and do not impinge on the learning of others. Teachers' lesson planning often identifies ways to grab pupils' attention and teachers make sure that pupils 3 Inspection Report: Ramridge Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 understand what they are going to learn and how they will know if they have been successful. However, on the few occasions where teaching was judged to be satisfactory, the teacher did not always identify the most effective ways of helping pupils with

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Grade: 2

learning difficulties to grasp a new idea or consider ways to provide the most able pupils with a real challenge. Targets for different groups of pupils are not routinely set in the planning of some lessons. Assessment is particularly effective in the nursery and Reception classes, and in English and mathematics in Years 1 to 6.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, with some outstanding features. The Foundation Stage curriculum is rich and varied and takes excellent account of the children's needs. Activities for the nursery and Reception-aged children are grounded in practical experiences with a strong focus on the development of communication and social skills. For pupils in Years 1 to 6, there is good emphasis on literacy and numeracy, which has been effective in raising achievement. The recent introduction of an initiative to boost pupils' thinking skills is paying dividends in terms of motivation and willingness to work with others to achieve a common goal. The school recognises the need to extend assessment to all foundation subjects in order to improve the way in which teachers plan to meet the needs of all pupils. The provision for vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties is outstanding and has had a marked impact of the

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Grade: 2

progress they make. A good range of extra-curricular activities is provided and many pupils take part in the programme of clubs, and visits, for example, to the House of Commons. Visitors are regularly invited into school to add interest and relevance to lessons.

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Grade: 1

The school can be rightly proud of the way it responds to the needs of each individual. The outstanding provision is characterised by the belief amongst all staff that success is within the grasp of every child and is built on a number of creative approaches involving very knowledgeable senior managers and highly trained support staff. The establishment of the 'Sky class', a place where children at risk of exclusion are linked to a key worker and can spend time learning in safety, has already shown significant shifts in attendance patterns, exclusions, attitudes to learning and achievement. Transition arrangements between classes, key stages and schools are effective. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and for whom English is an additional language is very effective. The school has made rapid progress in identifying and meeting the needs of gifted and talented pupils from a young age. This initiative is reportedly

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Grade: 1

changing the perception of the school within the local community. Child protection procedures are constantly subjected to rigorous review and all staff are actively involved in promoting health and safety as an integral part of learning. From the earliest stages, children are encouraged to identify where they have been successful and are involved 4 Inspection Report: Ramridge Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 in determining their targets for improvement in English, mathematics and personal development.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher offers outstanding leadership. She works extremely hard and has a clear sense of purpose and direction for the school. She has led this relatively new school through some turbulent times, has not been afraid to make some difficult decisions and has created a harmonious and well-ordered community where everyone is respected and included. This has led to the very good relationships and ethos which are evident in the school. The headteacher is supported well by a very effective senior leadership team. This team works extremely well together and has implemented the changes that have led to the high quality of provision for the pupils. The senior leaders have a very good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses through a rigorous cycle of checking on the school's work and taking appropriate action when necessary. The school's self-evaluation is comprehensive and generally accurate,

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Grade: 2

although it does not readily acknowledge some of the more outstanding features. It involves the views of parents and pupils, and acts on their suggestions where appropriate. The middle managers provide good leadership and guidance to other staff. All staff, including support staff, regularly reflect on their work and constantly strive to make life better for the pupils. The school has a good capacity to improve. The governing body meets regularly and is very supportive of the school. However, it is not yet holding the school fully to account for its standards and for the quality of its provision. 5 Inspection Report: Ramridge Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 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: Ramridge Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 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 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 NA Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 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 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 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 recently and for talking to us about life at Ramridge. I would like to say below what we thought of your school: What we liked about your school You attend a school where all staff work hard to provide a good education for you, some of which is outstanding. Relationships in the school are very good. You are taught in a caring environment, and most of you behave extremely well. The staff teach you well so that all of you make good progress in whatever you are learning. Sometimes the teaching is excellent. The teachers look after you extremely well and know how you are doing in your work. You are offered some very good experiences so that you can enjoy your learning and make good progress. Sky Class is an excellent example of this. We think the work of your headteacher, Mrs Goddard, is outstanding. She is helped well by other staff and together they run the school extremely

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

well. How we think your school could get even better We have asked your teachers to make sure they take your learning targets into account when planning all their lessons and to let you know how well you are doing in every subject, not just in English, mathematics, science, ICT and art. We have asked the governors to check on the school's work more regularly so that they can see how well you are doing and what improvements need to be made.

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