Fairhaven Primary School

Fairhaven Primary School Inspection report

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103786 Unique Reference Number Dudley Local Authority 286756 Inspection number 13 °14 March 2007 Inspection dates Paul Edwards 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 247 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Peter Miller Chair Dave Rowe Headteacher 1 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection Barnett Lane School address Wordsley Stourbridge DY8 5PY

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01384 818385 Telephone number 01384 818386 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 13 °14 March 2007 Inspection dates 286756 Inspection number .

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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

Fairhaven is an average-sized primary school serving a relatively advantaged area. Very few pupils are eligible for free school meals. At 12%, the percentage of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is lower than the national average. Almost all pupils are from White British ethnic backgrounds. The headteacher took up his position in September 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Fairhaven is providing a good education for its pupils and has improved well since the previous inspection. Most parents are rightly very happy with the education provided by the school. One parent reflected the views of many others when she said, 'Teachers and support staff have high expectations of children in all areas ° learning, behaviour, manners, sport and drama, but there is still value given to fun.' Pupils achieve well throughout the school and attain standards that are above average by the end of Year 6. When children enter the Reception classes, their skills are similar to those expected for their age. Effective provision ensures they make good progress and, by the time they enter Year 1, most have attained the expected goals and some get beyond them. Good progress continues throughout the school. Standards in English, mathematics and science are better than those seen nationally at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. There was a dip

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Grade: 2

in writing standards in national tests in 2006 but the school reacted quickly and effectively to redress this. However, there is still some uneven progress in writing in Key Stage 2. Teaching and learning are good, with some particularly strong teaching in Years 5 and 6. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. The teachers' high expectations of pupils are reflected in their good behaviour and excellent attitudes towards all aspects of school life. The pupils' excellent social skills are particularly noteworthy; the way in which older pupils support younger pupils and their involvement in a wide range of community activities are commendable. The curriculum is good and provides pupils with a good range of interesting activities. There is an excellent range of enrichment activities, and the many sporting opportunities are effective in ensuring that pupils become more aware of the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. The

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Grade: 2

excellent links with other schools and providers also add significantly to the quality of provision the school is able to offer. However, the school recognises it is not providing sufficient opportunities for the pupils to improve literacy and numeracy skills through other subjects. The care, guidance and support provided for pupils are good. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are provided with good support and this enables them to make progress in line with their classmates. Pupils' good literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills, together with their well-developed social skills, prepare them well for the future. Leadership and management are good. In his short time at the school, the headteacher has developed a strong and effective working relationship with senior colleagues. There has been a clear analysis of pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching and initiatives

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Grade: 2

implemented to address shortfalls. For example, the approach to improving writing skills is showing in the quality of writing produced by the pupils at the end of Year 6.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' writing skills further in Key Stage 2, by ensuring all teachers provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to practise their writing in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

The standards in national tests show that pupils achieve well overall. Children enter the school with skills that are similar to those seen nationally. They make good progress in all aspects of their learning and by the time they enter Year 1, most attain the goals expected for their age, with some exceeding them. Good progress continues throughout Key Stage 1. As a result, pupils' literacy and numeracy skills are better than those seen nationally and this has been the picture over the last five years. Progress throughout Key Stage 2 is generally good, although 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007 it is uneven. National test results show a picture of standards that are usually above average in English, mathematics and science, although there was a dip in English in 2006. The school has reacted swiftly and effectively and a greater emphasis on the development of writing skills

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Grade: 2

has resulted in the current Year 6 pupils performing much better, with standards above those seen nationally. However, progress in writing is still uneven, with more rapid progress being made towards the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities achieve well because they are provided with a good level of well-trained support.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good overall, with some outstanding features. Spiritual and moral development is good and their social development is outstanding. For example, pupils undertaking the role of 'play leaders' spend time at lunch supporting and befriending younger children. Pupils speak very confidently and with enthusiasm about their role as school councillors. Although the scheme has only been running for a few months, they feel they have already accomplished a great deal and are particularly pleased with their planning of the tyre trail which has considerably enhanced the play facilities. Two residential visits focusing on team building skills enhance pupils' social development. Pupils' awareness that they live within a society of many cultures is limited. There are very good relationships across the school and 'everyone works well together', said one pupil. Behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy

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Grade: 2

school enormously and are very enthusiastic about learning because they say, 'Teachers make learning fun!'. Attendance is good and pupils are punctual. Pupils are well aware of the need for a healthy lifestyle and talk confidently about diet, exercise, and staying safe. They take up opportunities to use their initiative to raise money for charities and there are close links with 'The Phoenix Centre', an onsite facility for pupils with learning difficulties. Pupils run the Healthy Tuck Shop and help the community; choir members talk enthusiastically about their concerts and carol services for members of the community. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are good, preparing the pupils well for the next stage of education.

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Grade: 2

Most lessons are good and there are some very good features that encourage and motivate pupils to learn. Lesson objectives are shared so pupils know exactly what they must do to succeed. These are revisited during the final session to ensure the lesson has been understood. Effective use of questioning both reinforces and extends pupils' learning. Pupils are keen to participate and they enjoy the experiences, particularly when practical activities are offered. Where teachers have good subject knowledge and make the lessons exciting and interesting, pupils are enthusiastic. This has a positive effect on learning. 'Teachers help us to learn things and get a good future', said one pupil. However, in a few lessons, teachers spend too long on the introduction and consequently time for working is limited, resulting in a rushed and less effective summing up session. Lessons are carefully planned but on a small number of occasions,

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Grade: 2

work is not well matched to the needs of all abilities in the class. An increased emphasis on the teaching of writing skills has resulted in pupils making better progress but some teachers are missing opportunities to improve writing skills in other subjects. Well-trained teaching assistants are used very effectively to support pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, ensuring they can access the tasks set and make good progress. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

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Grade: 2

The school meets statutory requirements and provides pupils with a good range of interesting activities. At the moment, opportunities to develop literacy and numeracy skills through other subjects are not planned consistently across the school. There are good opportunities to develop the pupils' musical skills through the flourishing choir which entertains the community. The programme for developing the pupils' personal, social and health education is well established and has a good impact on the pupils' personal and social development. Their physical well-being is promoted very effectively through the range of sporting activities. The excellent range of enrichment activities, including numerous sports clubs, visits, including two residential trips, and the many visitors to school, add considerably to the pupils' educational experiences. There are excellent links with the local secondary and primary schools, offering a wide range of

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Grade: 2

opportunities for pupils to extend their learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils in this school are well cared for by a very committed staff, who know them very well. Thus, the pupils feel safe and confident that they can approach an adult if they have a problem. The school is a happy, friendly place where respect is shown for all. Child protection procedures are fully in place. Most staff have undergone training and further training for new members is scheduled. Risk assessments are carried out regularly around the school and for all visits made by pupils. The effective assessment systems in place allow individual targets to be set for the pupils. Pupils are quick to explain what they mean and how they help them to improve. Although marking is often good, there is an occasional lack of consistency in how it is used by some staff to help move pupils forward.

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Grade: 2

Good procedures are in place to ensure the school runs smoothly on a day-today basis. In the short time he has been at the school, the headteacher has established a very good working relationship with the senior management team. They evaluate the quality of its work well and know where the strengths and weaknesses lie. There is a very clear focus on eradicating any pockets of underachievement. The implementation of changes in the way in which writing is taught and the improvement in the outcomes seen in pupils' work is evidence of this focus. Based upon its past performance and the improvements demonstrated recently in writing, there is a good capacity for further improvement. However, the school recognises that more needs to be done to ensure that pupils make more consistent progress in their writing throughout Key Stage 2. Tracking procedures are detailed, although refinements need to be made to ensure

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Grade: 2

they identify any underachievement at an early stage. Governors are fully involved in the strategic development of the school, helping to ensure that finances and resources are directed to areas of greatest need. There are good opportunities for the views of parents and pupils to be sampled through questionnaires and these are taken into account when identifying areas for future development. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 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? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 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 2 The attendance of learners 1 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?

2 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Thank you very much for the warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school recently. Your parents are right to be pleased with the good quality of education it is providing. These are some of the highlights of your school: • you are taught well and make good progress • you behave well, thoroughly enjoy all aspects of school and excel in the way in which you look after, and show concern for, others • you are provided with interesting lessons and there is an excellent range of visits, visitors and out-of-school activities in which you can take part • you get on well with your teachers and they provide good guidance to help you to do well • you understand the importance of keeping healthy and thoroughly enjoy taking part in the many sporting activities on offer • there are excellent links with other schools which help to making learning enjoyable for you • those in charge of the school are providing good leadership. These are the things we have

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

asked the school to do now: • to help you improve your writing further, we have asked teachers to make sure you get plenty of opportunities to practise your writing in other subjects. I hope you continue to work hard and enjoy your time at school 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Fairhaven Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

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