Roberts Primary School

Roberts Primary School Inspection report

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103821 Unique Reference Number Dudley Local Authority 286775 Inspection number 14 °15 May 2007 Inspection dates Ruth Westbrook 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 682 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority John Walters Chair David Baker Headteacher 3 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection Robert Street School address Lower Gornal Dudley DY3 2AZ

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01384 818275 Telephone number 01384 818276 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 14 °15 May 2007 Inspection dates 286775 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 four Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a large primary school with a large nursery. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals or with learning difficulties or disabilities is around the national average. There are eight pupils who have a statement of special educational needs. The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups is low. Only one pupil is at an early stage of learning English. In the summer of 2006, 20 children joined Years 5 and 6 from a closing school. The headteacher has been in post since January 2007.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 2007

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Grade: 3

Roberts Primary School is providing a satisfactory education for its pupils. They enjoy school a great deal. They appreciate fully the very attractive and stimulating environment within which they learn. Parents are happy with the way in which their children are cared for and supported. This comment of one parent reflects the views of others: 'Staff are supportive and ready to listen to parents and children'. Children enter the Reception class with skills less well developed than is usual for their age. This year, there has been considerable improvement to the provision in the Foundation Stage, including the careful planning of a livelier curriculum and more detailed assessment of progress. The overall effectiveness of the Foundation Stage is still satisfactory as plans are not fully in place. Children make satisfactory progress but early signs show more are making good progress. Pupils' progress through the rest of the school is satisfactory and by the end of Year 6, pupils

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Grade: 3

reach average standards. Overall, pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Teaching and learning are satisfactory, with some good teaching throughout the school. Assessment is not always used fully to plan activities that consistently challenge all pupils, particularly those who are more able. The curriculum provides a satisfactory range of activities, but does not always include those which will stretch the more able. There is good provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and as a result, skills of both teachers and pupils are well developed and used in their daily work within the classroom. The range of extra-curricular opportunities for pupils is also good, encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle. Personal and social development and well-being are satisfactory, with some good aspects, including the relationships that members of the school community enjoy. Pupils respond very

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Grade: 3

well to the numerous opportunities which they have to take responsibility and show a commitment to their school community. The care, guidance and support provided for pupils are satisfactory. The quality of the guidance which pupils receive on their learning, including their progress towards targets, is inconsistent because an effective school-wide system is not fully in place. Leadership and management are satisfactory. New roles and responsibilities have been allocated to the recently restructured leadership team. The school's leadership has accurately identified key areas for improvement and is clear about future plans. The good impact of initiatives can be seen in improvements to the Foundation Stage and support for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, although they have not yet had sufficient impact on improving achievement throughout the school. More effective systems to support monitoring and evaluation are being

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Grade: 3

developed. Some leaders at all levels currently lack the skills to make the most effective use of information gathered in judging the impact of new initiatives. The school makes good use of specialist advice to support pupils' well-being, and the 'children and parent zone' contributes effectively to good partnerships with parents and the local community.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop the monitoring and evaluation skills of school leaders at all levels in analysing information so that they can more effectively assess the impact of action taken. • Improve the monitoring of pupils' progress so that they have clear targets for their learning and better guidance on how to achieve them. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 2007 • Make better use of assessment to inform planning of activities and ensure that all pupils, including those who are more able, are consistently challenged. A small proportion of schools whose effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory and they reach broadly average standards by the time they leave the school. Children's levels of skills and knowledge when they start school are below those typical for their age, particularly in mathematics. However, they make satisfactory progress in the Reception class, benefiting from the recent improvements to provision. They start Year 1 having reached the expected standards. All groups of pupils make satisfactory progress through the rest of the school in English, mathematics and science. This year, there are improvements to the rate of progress in response to actions taken by the school. For example, in Year 6, some pupils, particularly those of average ability, are now making good progress. However, some of the more able pupils are not making as much progress because the work planned for them is not consistently challenging. Pupils with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress, but recent improvements to provision are

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Grade: 3

beginning to increase their rate of progress.

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Grade: 3

Pupils enjoy coming to school because lessons are 'fun' and sometimes 'exciting', such as science when 'strange, unpredictable things happen'. Attendance is close to the national average and is improving. The school council makes a valuable contribution to improving the school. They have bid successfully for a grant to buy activities for break times. Pupils make a very positive contribution to the school community such as reading mentors and playground pals. Pupils generally feel safe and secure, and know how to get help if they have a problem. They recall instances of bullying, but feel 'that these are quickly sorted out'. Playground pals are seen as helpful in sorting out minor incidents. However, pupils are concerned that there is no suitable forum for older pupils to discuss this question openly. Behaviour in lessons and assemblies is good. Behaviour at lunchtimes, in the hall and outside, is satisfactory. Outside,

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Grade: 3

older pupils do not have enough activities. Most pupils value the new healthy diet although not all choose the healthy eating option, particularly when bringing food from home. They approve of the school's strong focus on fitness and sport and there is a good level of participation in the wide range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory and they have a sound awareness of spiritual, moral and cultural issues. Their social development is stronger, because they take on roles and responsibilities in school. They are pleased to use their initiative, for instance to plan fundraising events to support many charities and school events, and this contributes to their satisfactory preparation for future life. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 2007

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Some good teaching takes place throughout the school and all is at least satisfactory. Staff and pupils enjoy good relationships, where pupils' views are valued and they are treated fairly. This helps the pupils to develop self-confidence. Improvements have been made in the structure of lessons so that they have clear objectives. Many teachers refer to these at the end of the lesson to check pupils' learning. Assessment is not always used fully to inform planning and match the learning activities to all pupils' abilities. Consequently, some work lacks challenge, particularly for the more able. The quality of teachers' marking varies. In some classes, work is marked carefully and written comments help the pupils to improve; in other classes, such comments are scarce. All teachers make effective use of the interactive white boards and this adds interest to lessons.

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Grade: 3

Pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum. A satisfactory range of opportunities are planned for pupils to use their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects. A good example of this is the Year 6 history topic books. However, there are occasions when the range of resources available is limited and teachers rely too heavily on work sheets for pupils to complete. This in turn limits the opportunities for pupils to produce their own writing and for the most able to work independently. Provision for ICT has developed well since the previous inspection. Pupils are now confident and competent users of computers, as demonstrated when Year 4 pupils proudly gave presentations of their visit to Aston Hall. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities and enrichment programmes. Pupils' enjoyment is enhanced by the good use of visits to places of interest and the effective use made of the environmental zone. For the first time

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Grade: 3

this year, there has been a residential visit by pupils in Year 4. Personal, social, emotional and health education is not planned evenly across years and classes in Key Stage 2. As a result, its impact on personal development is only satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

Academic guidance is satisfactory. Systems to track pupils' progress across the school are not fully established. Consequently, the information needed for setting accurate targets for pupils is not available in a consistent form. Although pupils are given useful pointers for improvement, targets are not fully in place and this limits the usefulness of guidance given. The systems for safeguarding pupils are thorough. The staff are well acquainted with the school's procedures for child protection. The school has good links with outside agencies to expand the guidance available for vulnerable pupils. However, guidance on behaviour is inconsistent. Clear boundaries are set in classrooms, but these do not carry over into lunchtimes. The parents of pupils with learning difficulties value the good support provided to help with behaviour or progress in work. Some parents have responded well to the school's sensitive and

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Grade: 3

close contact to improve attendance. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 2007

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Grade: 3

The new headteacher has evaluated provision and its effects on achievement accurately and has a clear view of how the school should continue to improve. Arrangements introduced a year ago to strengthen the school's leadership are having a positive effect on planning and development and contribute to the school's satisfactory capacity to improve. Planning takes account of the leadership's monitoring and evaluation of its work. However, evaluation is not yet finely tuned to focus on the detail of the information available and to consider the impact of initiatives on different groups of pupils. Challenging targets are set at whole-school level but the links to individual pupil targets are not established consistently in the classroom. The systems for tracking pupils' progress and establishing clear targets for individuals are developing but are not well established, including fully effective co-ordination across the whole school.

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Grade: 3

Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. Overall, standards have been maintained and some have improved as a result of action taken to improve provision. In the Foundation Stage, for example, progress has improved as a result of changes introduced over the last year, and attendance has improved this year. The impact of action taken on raising the achievement of pupils throughout the school has been slower, but the pace of change is now quickening. Governors have provided satisfactory support to the school, and have been appropriately involved in decision-making. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 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? 3 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?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 May 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Roberts Primary School, Dudley DY3 2AZ Recently we visited your school. Thank you for the warm welcome which you gave us, and for helping us to find out about your school. We thought you might like to know what we found out about your school and how we think it can improve. • Your school provides you with a satisfactory standard of education. • You enjoy school very much and like the environmental zone. • Although attendance at school is improving, a few of you could attend more often than you do. • The headteacher and other staff look after you well and make sure that you are safe. • You make satisfactory progress in your lessons, and some of you are making good progress. • Many of you make a good contribution to the school community as playground pals, reading mentors or school council members. • You know how to be healthy and safe in school and take advantage of the many opportunities

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to be active. • You behave well in lessons, but we think that the behaviour of older pupils could be better in the playground and dining room at lunchtime. We are asking your school to do three things, and hope that you will do your best to help. • To improve the way that the school checks on its work. • To set challenging targets for you in your learning and give you lots of help on how to reach them. • Some of you could make better progress in your learning by tackling work which is more difficult and makes you think. You can help by working hard and coming to school every day. Ruth Westbrook Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Roberts Primary School, 14 °15 May 2007

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