Causeway Green Primary School

Causeway Green Primary School Inspection report

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103983 Unique Reference Number Sandwell Local Authority 286828 Inspection number 11 °12 July 2007 Inspection dates Roger Sadler 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 438 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Lorne Walters Chair Alan Wood Headteacher 28 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection Penncricket Lane School address Oldbury B68 8LX

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0121 5592068 Telephone number 0121 5611575 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 11 °12 July 2007 Inspection dates 286828 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large primary school is situated in an area of some economic disadvantage. Most pupils are from White British families and speak English as their main language. An above average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school operates a daily pre-school breakfast club and after-school childcare facility.

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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: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school where the quality of education is improving. Leadership and management are satisfactory and the headteacher and other leaders have ensured that pupils' achievement and progress are satisfactory. The school provides satisfactory value for money. Children enter the Foundation Stage with levels of knowledge and skills below what are expected nationally. They quickly settle in and make good progress in Nursery and Reception because their needs are carefully assessed and effectively met. Rates of progress have improved substantially and pupils' work and school records indicate that pupils in Years 1 to 6 have made satisfactory progress this year. Although pupils are catching up to nationally expected levels, standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 remain below average. Too few pupils attain above the standards expected of their ages. Staff accurately diagnose the needs of pupils with learning

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Grade: 3

difficulties and/or disabilities and these pupils also make satisfactory progress. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and pupils are given good care, guidance and support. Extra support is given to pupils who are falling behind and this is helping improve their achievement. The school has recently introduced a good system to give pupils ambitious targets to aim at in their writing, reading and mathematics, and pupils are beginning to see more clearly where they need to concentrate their efforts to improve their work. This is helping improve the rate at which they learn and is helping them develop positive attitudes to learning. In some classes the more able pupils are not given work that is challenging for them. The curriculum is satisfactory and supports pupils' personal development well. Consequently, pupils' personal development and well-being are good. The school is a happy school where

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Grade: 3

behaviour is good and where pupils cooperate well and enjoy working together. Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility for helping the smooth running of the school and for helping other pupils. They feel safe in school, confident that they can turn to any adult for support if they are worried about anything. Pupils are given too few opportunities to use computers in classrooms to support their learning in other subjects. Monitoring and evaluation have improved and are satisfactory. The school uses a much improved and effective assessment system to monitor the progress of individuals and groups as they move through the school and this has been an important reason why pupils are now learning at a faster rate. However, governors, senior leaders and subject leaders make insufficient use of national data to compare the performance of the school's pupils with similar pupils nationally.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that more pupils exceed the levels expected of their ages and provide additional challenge, in some classes, for the more able pupils. ■ Make sure that leaders, at all levels, compare the performance of the school with that of other schools nationally to continually challenge the school to raise standards. ■ Provide pupils with frequent opportunities to use information and communication technology (ICT) to support their learning in other subjects. A small proportion of the schools whose overall 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. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 2007

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Grade: 3

Achievement and progress are satisfactory. Provision in the Foundation Stage is much improved, and this year's children have made good progress so that most of them attain the standards expected by the end of their Reception Year. Pupils with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress throughout the school. In 2006 too many pupils attained below expected standards in national assessments for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils. Improved teaching and much improved assessment have resulted in faster rates of learning throughout the school, but many of the oldest pupils are attaining below or well below the standards expected of pupils of their ages. School records and pupils' work indicate rising standards in all year groups. However, too few pupils are attaining above expected levels.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school and many take a pride in their work and the progress they are making. One pupil said proudly, 'I am getting better at mathematics because the teachers show me how to do it.' Though many pupils come to school regularly, a significant minority have poor attendance and this slows their learning. Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school and almost all staff manage pupils' behaviour well. Pupils have a good understanding of safe behaviour and act with due regard for the safety of others. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have a good understanding of right and wrong and generally show care and consideration for each other. The wide range of responsibilities pupils are given, including the work of the school council, helps pupils gain good understanding of how a community should cooperate. They develop an appreciation of different cultures both at school

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Grade: 2

and through visits, and very good racial harmony is apparent in the school. Pupils show a clear understanding of which foods are most healthy and the benefits of exercise. Pupils' preparation for the next stage of their education and the world of work is satisfactory. They have good interpersonal skills, although some pupils still do not have good enough literacy or numeracy skills.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teaching has improved this year and this is resulting in pupils now making better progress than previously. Teaching is now focused much more effectively on developing pupils' basic skills and confidence in literacy and numeracy. This is helping many pupils catch up on previous underachievement and most pupils are now achieving more in line with their abilities. Assessment is also more accurate and better used to help pupils learn. In most classes marking provides helpful comments that show pupils where they need to improve their work. Pupils are helped to assess their work against criteria or checklists and this also helps them see where improvement is needed, especially when the teacher limits the number of aspects that pupils are asked to concentrate on in a particular lesson. Although lesson planning has improved, not enough is expected of the more able pupils in some classes,

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Grade: 3

with the result that too few pupils attain above the levels expected of pupils of their ages. In 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 2007 Years 5 and 6 teachers hold high expectations of how pupils present their work. As a result many pupils take a pride in their work, work hard and organise and present their books well.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and gives suitable emphasis to the development of basic skills. In the Foundation Stage there is a strong emphasis on developing early language and mathematical skills and this helps children make a good start to school and make good progress in the Foundation Stage. Throughout the school, pupils enjoy the basic skills sessions at the start of each day and these supplement other daily literacy and numeracy lessons. The curriculum is suitably modified to take account of the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and consequently these pupils make satisfactory progress. Pupils have regular opportunities for exercise during physical education and school sporting activities and clubs. Good extra-curricular activities, work with other schools and the wider communities and frequent visits, including residential visits, also enable pupils to develop confidence, teamwork and

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Grade: 3

initiative. Opportunities in lessons to use computers in the classroom are too limited.

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Grade: 2

The school has good and much improved systems for checking pupils' academic achievement and guiding their learning. Better assessment is helping improve the rate at which pupils learn. The school is able to identify pupils at risk of underachieving and regularly provides extra help where necessary. Throughout the school staff set learning targets for pupils, and many learners can see where and how to improve their work. Sound support given to children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, often by teaching assistants, enables them to make satisfactory progress. The school provides a good level of care and support for all its pupils. They say they feel safe and are willing to go to any of the adults in school if they have a problem. The arrangements for ensuring pupils' health, safety and welfare are good and potential dangers are carefully assessed and properly dealt with. Child protection and safeguarding procedures

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. Since September 2006 the newly formed senior management team has appropriately concentrated more closely on raising standards, and pupils are now making better progress than previously. Provision and progress in the Foundation Stage are much improved. Monitoring and evaluation are satisfactory and senior managers and subject leaders carry out regular checks to ensure that the effective guidance provided to staff, for example on how pupils work should be marked, is consistently implemented. Regular and accurate monitoring and evaluation of teaching and pupils' work and the school's successful work to improve achievement this year indicate that the school has satisfactory capacity to continue to improve and raise standards further. However, governors and senior and subject leaders take insufficient account of nationally provided performance data. This limits the

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Grade: 3

school's ability to compare its performance with that of other schools nationally. It also limits the capacity of leaders at all levels to effectively challenge one another to ensure that pupils at Causeway Green make good progress. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 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 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?

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?

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: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 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: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 July 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Causeway Green Primary School, Oldbury. West Midlands B68 8LX Thank you for making Mrs Martin, Mr Elam and me so welcome when we came to inspect your school. We enjoyed talking to you and your teachers, and watching you learn. We think your school is properly run and is giving you a satisfactory education. We are pleased that many of you attend school so regularly but some of you have too many days off. We are pleased that you enjoy the good range of clubs the school arranges for you. Adults provide satisfactory teaching and provide good care, guidance and support for you so that you make sound progress. New children settle into your school happily and make good progress in Nursery and Reception. We are pleased you understand about eating the right food and playing sports and games so you stay fit and healthy. This is important. Most of you behave well in lessons and around

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

school and are polite and welcoming to visitors. Most of you know right from wrong, show enough consideration for others and are friendly and helpful to each other. We were pleased to see how older ones look after the younger ones, so keep up the good work! Those of you who find learning hard make sound progress because teachers and teaching assistants help you learn. There are three things that we have asked your school to work on:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help more of you, especially those who find learning a little easier, do your very best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Ensure that those who run the school check that you are learning as quickly or more quickly than pupils in other schools. ■ Provide you with more opportunities to use computers in lessons to help you learn in other subjects. With very best wishes for the future. Mr Sadler Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Causeway Green Primary School, 11 °12 July 2007

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