Adderley Primary School

Inspection Report Adderley Primary School

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103159 Unique Reference Number Birmingham LEA 284328 Inspection number 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006 Inspection dates Susan Morris-King HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Arden Road School address Primary Type of school Birmingham Community School category West Midlands B8 1DZ 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 0121 4641500 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 6851510 Fax number 488 Number on roll Mrs Fran Stevens Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Kevin McCabe Headteacher 1 February 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 284328 22 February 2006 - 5 to 11 23 February 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

This inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

When Adderley Primary School was inspected in September 2004 it was judged to be providing an unsatisfactory standard of education and therefore to require special measures. The school was subsequently visited by HMI on three occasions prior to this inspection to monitor its progress. The school is situated in an area of high socio-economic deprivation near to the centre of Birmingham. The headteacher has been in post since September 2005, following two terms in which the school had an acting headteacher. Staffing has now stabilised after two years of high turnover. Over 95% of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups. Most of these pupils are of Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage and almost all speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils who leave or join the school during the course of the academic year is much higher than average. Sixty-one pupils have joined the school since September. Of these, 20 pupils were newly arrived

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Description of the school

in England and most spoke little or no English. The eligibility for free school meals is very high at 54%. Nine pupils have a statement of special educational needs which is broadly average as is the proportion of pupils identified as having a learning difficulty.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Adderley Primary School, 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006

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Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. Adderley Primary School provides a satisfactory standard of education. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good. At the time of the previous inspection standards were very low, behaviour was unsatisfactory, and pupils were not making enough progress. Since then, good leadership, greatly improved teaching and the hard work of staff, pupils, governors and parents have led to the school becoming a settled and happy community in which pupils have begun to learn effectively. Although standards remain below average in both key stages and in the Foundation Stage, pupils’ progress has started to accelerate. Teaching is satisfactory and an increasing number of lessons are good. However, in some lessons, the range of learning approaches is biased towards children having to spend too much time listening to the

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Grade: 3

teacher. The staff’s much improved understanding of assessment has begun to have a positive impact on planning although the use of assessment remains a priority for the school. Pupils generally cooperate with each other although they do not always have the skills to work effectively on their own or collaboratively. Some teachers are rightly increasing the opportunity which pupils have to learn and practice these skills but the school is aware that this area needs further development. The curriculum is satisfactory. The headteacher has identified a number of interesting and relevant ways in which it can be developed to broaden and enrich the pupils’ skills and experiences. Personal development is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. They are well cared for. Pupils with particular needs receive appropriate support to help them to thrive. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher’s leadership is highly focused

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Grade: 3

and has had a significant positive impact in a short period of time. The leadership team has a good understanding of the strengths of the school and the priorities for improvement. Newly appointed staff have further strengthened the leadership of the school. The school’s capacity for further improvement is very good. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

Enable all pupils to make consistently good progress by: •developing the accuracy and use of assessment to ensure that all teaching matches each pupils’ needs •ensuring that each lesson includes an appropriate balance of teaching and learning approaches •developing pupils’ ability to work independently and collaboratively. developing the curriculum so that it builds on as well as enriches pupils’ previous experiences. 2 Inspection Report: Adderley Primary School, 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006

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Grade: 3

Standards remain below those which are found in many primary schools but have begun to improve and the progress which pupils make is accelerating. Children enter the school with skills which are less well developed than in many five year olds. Although standards remain below average by the end of Reception, children make at least satisfactory and sometimes good progress during their first year at school, particularly with their personal and social development. Progress between the end of Reception and the end of Key Stage 1 has not been satisfactory. In 2005 the Key Stage 1 results in the national tests for reading and writing remained too low although results in mathematics showed a slight improvement. At Key Stage 2, results in 2005 for science and mathematics were well below average and were broadly similar to the last two years. Very few pupils gained the higher Level 5. Standards in English, however, have shown a marked improvement since 2003 and

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Grade: 3

are now broadly in line with the national average, including the percentage of pupils gaining a Level 5. The progress which pupils make between the end of Key Stage 1 and the end of Key Stage 2 is improving steadily. On the basis of the 2005 results progress was particularly good in English, satisfactory in mathematics but unsatisfactory in science. A greatly improved programme of assessment, target setting and tracking has begun to ensure that all pupils have appropriately challenging targets and are starting to meet them. Pupils’ progress in lessons has improved throughout the school and is now satisfactory overall. Well led provision for pupils who are learning English as an additional language, the most able pupils, and those with learning difficulties is helping to ensure that no group of pupils underachieves.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy their education, feel safe in the school and want to learn. They feel secure to go to the headteacher or other staff to discuss their problems. They talk confidently about their experiences in classes and have very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils behave well around the school and in lessons. They are respectful to staff and visitors. Attendance is broadly average and has improved since the last inspection but is still adversely affected by long periods of absence by pupils visiting family members abroad. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, and social development is good. Pupils are encouraged to discuss how their actions affect others and many older pupils work well in groups and individually as required. Cultural development is effectively encouraged through assemblies, taken periodically by Islamic leaders. Through their study of other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity, pupils are able to identify similarities in the moral

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Grade: 2

teachings of the major world religions. The school is successful in drawing on the local community in order to enrich the learning of pupils, for example, through the Tara Arts leading of the Diwali celebration. Pupils are encouraged to eat healthily. Through 3 Inspection Report: Adderley Primary School, 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006 physical education lessons, which include swimming, they have good opportunities for exercise which are further enhanced through good extracurricular opportunities. Pupils make a positive contribution to the community through the school council where they have been instrumental in improving the provision of playground equipment and introducing ‘friendship stops’ where pupils who feel lonely can show they would like to be included by others. Pupils raised a significant amount of money to support the Pakistan earthquake appeal.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning, both in the Foundation Stage and the main school, is satisfactory overall, with a number of good features. This is confirmation of the steady improvement in teaching over the last eighteen months. Improvement has now gathered pace with a resultant increase in the level of good teaching and learning seen throughout the school. Teaching has continued to improve because rigorous monitoring by the headteacher and senior team, very well supported by the consultant from the Intensifying Support Programme, has clearly identified how teachers can best benefit the learning of their pupils. Teachers are increasing the level of challenge they give to all pupils. They understand much better the needs of a wide range of abilities and are using this knowledge to plan more effectively. The role of teaching assistants is far more consistent. These staff make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning

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Grade: 3

especially for those with learning difficulties and those whose first language is not English. In some lessons pupils, particularly the youngest children, are still expected to spend too much time listening to the teacher. In the best lessons, however, teachers encourage pupils to move on with their individual tasks with suitable time deadlines and a greater degree of independence and responsibility for their own learning. Although assessment procedures have improved the school is aware that this remains a priority for further development. Tracking of individual progress is not consistent throughout the school. Good practice exists in some areas, such as in Year 2 and in Year 6, where pupils clearly know and understand their success criteria for improving their work in English. This could usefully be made more widespread in order to ensure that all pupils know how they are doing and how they can get better.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum that is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. It is now striving to improve the curriculum in order to accelerate pupils’ learning and progress by giving them more enriched, exciting and practical opportunities to learn about the world. Much more emphasis is being placed on ‘hands on’ practical learning which, when used well, is successful in improving knowledge and skills and in encouraging good language development. Pupils in Year 4 Inspection Report: Adderley Primary School, 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006 5, for example, have developed an extensive knowledge of the Second World War because of their recent stimulating range of activities in history. The school is working with another local school in order to ensure that its recent considerable improvement in the provision of resources for information and communication technology (ICT)

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Grade: 3

results in better skills and benefits all other areas of learning in the curriculum. Educational visits and especially visitors to the school help to make pupils’ learning enjoyable and are particularly relevant to their own lives and experiences. Out of hours clubs such as the Birmingham City Football Club ‘Playing for Success’ provision, Tabla drumming and Islamic Studies are other examples of the school’s partnership with the local community to develop the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school provides a safe and secure learning environment for all pupils and has good systems to cater for a wide range of individual needs. The arrangements for child protection are robust and appropriate training has taken place for the staff responsible. All staff have had first aid training. Risk assessments are in place. Skilled home school workers help to ensure the very good involvement of parents, for example a recent series of workshops helped parents to understand the demands of the Year 6 national tests. Other workshops for English and mathematics aid parents in supporting their children at home. Pupils with learning difficulties are given a variety of appropriate support by skilled teaching assistants as well as teachers. The school has valued the recent improvements in advice from the local authority (LA) about managing special educational needs provision. The school

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Grade: 2

also uses the skills of teaching assistants who between them speak many languages very well. This helps to meet the needs of pupils who join the school speaking little or no English, ensuring that that they settle in the school and gain access to the curriculum. Older pupils are aware of their targets in literacy and numeracy and are well informed about the progress they are making. Pupils’ targets are reviewed regularly and many pupils have high aspirations for their future.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has, in a short period of time, established a clear direction for the school. His highly focused and dynamic leadership has already had a significant positive impact on the quality of education. He has a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and the areas which need further improvement. He has insisted on a high level of accountability from all staff who are responding well to his leadership. Crucially, he has secured the trust and support of parents, staff and governors. Pupils speak warmly of his presence around the school. The headteacher is very well supported by the senior team. Over the past eighteen months its members have brought about considerable improvements in assessment practices and notably in the provision for pupils who are learning English as an 5 Inspection Report: Adderley Primary School, 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006

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Grade: 2

additional language and for those who have learning difficulties. The leadership of the school has been further strengthened this term by the appointment of three phase leaders. They have already formed an accurate view of their leadership and management priorities as well as establishing very good relationships with the pupils in their classes. Other staff have begun to provide good leadership of key areas of the school’s work. Staff have worked hard over the last eighteen months to effectively improve the school. The school has valued the very effective work of a local authority consultant during the past eighteen months. The chair of the governing body has shown considerable dedication to the school throughout a turbulent time. She has a good understanding of the issues which the school has faced, the improvements which have been made, and the next steps which need to be taken. Other governors, many of whom are fairly newly appointed, are

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Grade: 2

committed to their roles and have expended considerable time and effort to become familiar with the school in order to support it effectively. They are now well placed to develop their roles further in order to continue to support and challenge the school as it seeks to raise standards. The governing body and the headteacher are rightly concerned about aspects of the school’s accommodation and its impact on the quality of education and have begun to have appropriate discussions with the local authority about possible solutions. 6 Inspection Report: Adderley Primary School, 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Adderley Primary School, 22 February 2006 to 23 February 2006

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Inspection judgements

16-19 School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Inspection judgements

NA 3 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of 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 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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Inspection judgements

Achievement and standards NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Inspection judgements

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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Inspection judgements

Personal development and well-being NA 2 How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the 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 3 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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Inspection judgements

The quality of provision NA 3 How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? NA 3 How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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Inspection judgements

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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Annex A

Leadership and management NA 2 How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement 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 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

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Annex A

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 NA Learners are educated about sexual health 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 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

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Annex A

wider community 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 making me and my colleagues welcome in your school not just this week but also during the other times I have visited Adderley. You have always been polite and we have valued hearing your views about your school. The reason that I have been visiting your school each term is that it has been having a few problems. However, everyone – staff, pupils, governors and your parents – has been working really hard to put this right and you have all been successful. There are now lots of good things about your school. We were impressed with the good behaviour of almost all of the children and the way that you try really hard with your work. You told us that Mr McCabe is a good headteacher who helps and supports you and that your teachers really help you to learn and we agree with you. We were glad to hear how much you are enjoying some of the new opportunities for learning which you have, such as the Year 5 Second World War project. You

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

are well cared for at your school. I know that it really helps many children at Adderley to have such good teaching assistants who can speak lots of different languages and support you with your work. Many of you in Key Stage 2 are now doing well with your English and everyone was really pleased with the Year 6 test results last year. What needs to happen now is for all of you to be doing well, in all your subjects, all the time – a hard thing to achieve, but you can do it! Mr McCabe and the senior team have already decided on the next improvements that need to be made, and we agree that these are the right things to do. They are: • Make sure that teachers know exactly what you can and can’t do in each subject so that all lessons help you to make good progress. •Make sure that you don’t spend too long on the carpet and have lots of chances to work in different ways. •Help you to learn to work well with

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

each other in pairs and in small groups. •Give you plenty more chances to do exciting work in your lessons. I don’t need to visit your school anymore because the school is doing so much better now. Well done for all your hard work.

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