Bordesley Green Primary School

Inspection Report Bordesley Green Primary School

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103172 Unique Reference Number Birmingham Local Authority 286583 Inspection number 11 °12 January 2007 Inspection dates Stephanie Lacey Reporting inspector

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

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Marchmont Road School address Primary Type of school Birmingham Community School category B9 5XX 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0121 7721601 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 7535407 Fax number 681 Number on roll (school) Yvonne Jones Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Jane Davies Headteacher 30 September 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 286583 11 °12 January 2007 3°11 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 five Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large school is in Bordesley Green, a densely populated area to the east of Birmingham city centre. Most pupils have their cultural roots in Pakistan, although other ethnic groups are represented. Almost all pupils speak two or more languages. About 44% of the pupils have a limited English vocabulary, with 11% at the early stages of learning English. Seven per cent of pupils have arrived in England fairly recently. This includes a small number of refugees. The number of pupils with identified learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average. When children start school in the Nursery their skills, knowledge and understanding are well below the levels expected for their age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a very friendly school where pupils and staff work hard and get on very well with each other. It provides a satisfactory education. Sound leadership, management, care, guidance, support and teaching underpin pupils' steady progress and satisfactory achievement. The school puts a high priority on helping individual pupils to grow into well balanced and responsible people. Consequently, pupils' personal development is good. Children make a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes because staff are particularly good at helping them to develop self-confidence and to get on well with others. This forms a firm basis for pupils' very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy school because the curriculum is good, with a range of interesting visits and after school clubs. Good links with other local schools and parents also enrich pupils' learning experiences. In spite of all these positive features, standards remain extremely

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Grade: 3

low. This is because when children start school they are not doing as well as most children of their age and the progress that they make, although satisfactory, does not enable them to catch up. Many pupils have a limited English vocabulary, which makes it difficult for them to pick up new ideas quickly. Until about 18 months ago, pupils in Years 3 to 6 did not even make satisfactory progress and standards fell further. The school has successfully reversed the decline and pupils are now back on track. A key factor in this recent improvement is the work of the restructured leadership team. It has successfully introduced a range of systems and procedures to improve teaching and learning and to check how well pupils are doing. There is some inconsistency in the way in which teachers use these systems in different classes and this is why pupils' progress is satisfactory rather than any better. The inconsistencies are related to

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Grade: 3

helping pupils to understand how well they are doing, planning work to challenge pupils of different ability and enabling pupils to work independently and use their initiative. The school makes regular and satisfactory checks on the quality of what is provided for the pupils and how this affects pupils' achievement. It knows what it needs to do to move forward. Recent improvements show that staff work well as a team and the school has the capacity to move on further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards, especially in English, mathematics and science, by ensuring that all teachers match learning activities to individual pupils' needs. • Make sure that all teachers help pupils understand how well they are doing through discussion, clear marking of work and involving pupils in evaluating their own progress. • Help pupils in all classes to use their initiative and work independently.

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Grade: 3

Children's attainment when they start school is a long way below the levels expected for their age, and by the time they leave in Year 6 standards are still exceptionally low. 2 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007 This is because although pupils' achievement is satisfactory and they make sound progress through the school, this is not enough to help them to catch up. Almost half of the pupils have a limited English vocabulary and this restricts their progress, in spite of the good support provided for them. Even so, the school's tracking of progress shows that there is no significant difference between the progress of pupils of different ability, age, gender or ethnic group. The exceptions to this are the good progress made by children in the Nursery and Reception classes in their personal, social and emotional development, and the good progress made this year by higher attaining pupils in

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Grade: 3

mathematics in Years 5 and 6. Pupils work hard to acquire literacy and numeracy skills that will help them in later life. In recent years, standards in Year 6 national tests have been falling because pupils were not making satisfactory progress in Years 3 to 6. This decline has now been halted and pupils are back on track. Standards are beginning to rise, but the school did not reach the challenging targets set for pupils in Year 6 last year.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are very positive about all that the school has to offer and take full advantage of the opportunities provided to help them to develop as well rounded people. Their spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is good. Pupils from all ethnic groups behave well in lessons and in the playground and get on very well with each other and the staff. They are very polite and helpful. They make a good contribution to the school community through the work of the school council, which has recently spearheaded a paper recycling project. They are mindful of the wider community and raise money for charities, for example. Pupils' enjoyment of school is not reflected in their attendance, which is below average. This is because some families take extended holidays and sometimes important festivals, such as Eid, occur during school time. Pupils know what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the opportunities to exercise

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Grade: 2

at playtimes and in physical education lessons. They know how to stay safe and are careful on the stairs, for example.

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory teaching provides a firm foundation for pupils' steady progress. Throughout the school good relationships between staff and pupils underpin a calm working environment. Staff manage pupils well. Staff in parallel year group classes work together effectively to plan lessons. Teaching assistants work well with individuals and small groups. This is of special benefit to those pupils learning English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Good levels of adult support make a key contribution to pupils' learning, especially in younger pupils' classes. Classrooms are well organised and teachers have high expectations of pupils 3 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007 in terms of hard work and neat presentation. The staff know that to raise pupils' achievement teaching has to be consistently good. They are working together to

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Grade: 3

improve pupils' learning by varying the learning activities so that pupils are more actively involved. This is working well in the Nursery and Reception classes, but in some classes pupils do not have enough opportunities to use their initiative. Staff are also involving pupils more in understanding what they need to do to improve their work. Again there is inconsistency in how well this is being implemented. In some classes teachers match work carefully to pupils' learning needs. In others all pupils work on the same task, which is too easy for some and too hard for others.

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Grade: 2

Work is planned well in different areas of learning and subjects. It grips pupils' interest and helps them to enjoy learning. There is a good emphasis on helping pupils to develop their literacy and numeracy skills, with special programmes for those learning English as an additional language. Pupils are taught in ability groups for these subjects from Year 2 upwards and this goes some way towards helping the school to meet their individual learning needs. Staff are planning more links between subjects to make learning even more interesting. This is hampered by a limited number of computers and by the quality of the outdoor provision for the younger children. The programme for personal, social and health education is strong and is reflected in pupils' good personal development. Work in lessons is enriched by a good range of out of school clubs and visits and by good links with other schools. The pupils especially enjoy the

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Grade: 2

residential trips and e-mail contact with pupils in other schools.

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Grade: 3

The school looks after its pupils well. In spite of the size of the school individuals are valued and staff provide well for their personal, social and emotional needs. This is especially evident in the good support given to children when they start school, which helps children to settle in easily. It is also evident in the care and support given to pupils at the early stages of learning English, as well as to those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Pupils are kept safe at school, and child protection procedures are understood by all. The school keeps careful checks on the safety of the building and trips out of school. It is aware that it needs to formalise these risk assessments. Academic guidance for pupils is satisfactory. There are now good systems in place to help pupils to understand what they need to do to move forward, which are shared with parents. These systems are relatively new and have not yet made enough difference

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Grade: 3

to the rate of pupils' progress because they are not embedded through the school. 4 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007

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Grade: 3

This school is a happy and positive community. This is because the headteacher, supported effectively by the leadership team and other staff, works hard towards the school's aim of making sure that 'every child develops as a happy, confident, tolerant and caring citizen'. The school is well run and carefully organised. Parents are positive about the education provided. Apart from wanting grass in the playground there is nothing that the pupils would like changed, and they say 'everything is fine'. Over the last 18 months the management structure has been altered to provide a stronger leadership team. This is now making a positive impact on pupils' achievement. Previous and recent underachievement has been eradicated and standards are beginning to rise. One of the key factors in this recent improvement is the involvement of staff, and to some extent governors and parents, in evaluation of how well the school is

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Grade: 3

doing. As a consequence, all are clear about the key priorities for improvement. This awareness stems from the good procedures to check pupils' progress and sound systems to monitor the quality of what is offered to pupils. Sometimes the checks on how new ideas are implemented are not rigorous enough and the school's evaluation of how well it is doing is not as analytical as it could be. Consequently, it tends to overrate the quality of its provision. 5 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 4 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Thank you so much for all your help during the inspection. We enjoyed talking to you and hearing about all the interesting things that happen at your school. We think that your school is satisfactory. You are making steady progress because teachers are giving you sound support and guidance. You all try hard, but some of you find work difficult and do not do as well as other children of your age. These are the things that we think are good about Bordesley Green • It is a happy school and everybody works hard. • You are developing as very thoughtful and sensible people because of all that the staff do for you. • Your headteacher and teachers lead the school satisfactorily and are working hard to make it even better. • You enjoy learning because your work is interesting. • Your parents and staff in other local schools are also helping you to learn. These are the things that we have asked the staff to work on

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Help you to do better in your work, especially in English, mathematics and science. • Plan work so that it is just right for every single child in the class. • Make sure that you understand how well you do in each lesson. • Help you to use you own ideas more in your work. You can help by asking the teachers if you do not understand new words. 9 Inspection Report: Bordesley Green Primary School, 11 °12 January 2007

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