Roby Park Primary School

Roby Park Primary School Inspection report

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104420 Unique Reference Number Knowsley Local Authority 286937 Inspection number 10 July 2007 Inspection date Marie Cordey 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 252 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr David Tully Chair Mr E Cohen Headteacher 11 March 2002 Date of previous school inspection Easton Road School address Huyton Liverpool Merseyside L36 4NY

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0151 4778340 Telephone number 0151 4778341 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 10 July 2007 Inspection date 286937 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a slightly larger than average primary school set in a disadvantaged area close to the city of Liverpool. Almost half of the pupils are eligible to receive free school meals. The vast majority of the pupils are White British. A high proportion of the pupils have a learning difficulty and/or disability. The school has gained a Gold Eco award and is a 'Healthy Eating' school.

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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: Roby Park Primary School, 10 July 2007

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Grade: 2

Roby Park is a good school that has made significant improvements. Pupils make good progress and achieve well. They join the Foundation Stage with skills below the expectations for their age. By the time pupils leave in Year 6 their standards have been raised to broadly average in English, mathematics and science. This current position continues a rising trend of improvement started in 2005. A dip in standards at Key Stage 1 in 2006 was quickly identified and acted upon. This year's results indicate a significant improvement, although standards by the end of Key Stage 1 continue to be a priority in the school's improvement planning. The headteacher's vision is clear to everybody in the school community. As a result both staff and pupils expect the best and work in an atmosphere of care and respect. The pupils are very welcoming and keen to talk to visitors about their school. Although a small number of parents

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Grade: 2

expressed concerns about behaviour, the school was observed to be a well-ordered environment. Pupils are proud to be members of the school council, although there are limited openings for the pupils to adopt other responsible roles in the school. The pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They clearly know the difference between right and wrong and are strong ambassadors for what they consider to be fair play. They appreciate the values of a diverse society and demonstrate good cultural awareness. The quality of teaching and learning is good and in some lessons it is outstanding. Pupils thrive in an atmosphere of high expectations and clear learning goals. Some pupils, however, are not aware of what to do to make their work better. The good curriculum is deliberately tailored to match the wide range of pupils' needs. Because of this all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make good progress. The care, guidance and the support for

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Grade: 2

pupils are good and staff are keen promoters of the pupils' health and safety. Vulnerable pupils are identified early and staff are well deployed to support their learning. This is a prime consideration of the school and it is in this environment that all pupils reach their challenging targets. Leadership and management are good and the headteacher's vision has been instrumental in improving standards and pupils' progress. Staff and governors share this determination and are committed to the pupils' achievement and well-being. Good improvement since the previous inspection reflects this better picture. The school understands itself well and accurately identifies its strengths as well as its areas for improvement. However, care, guidance and support are not outstanding, as the school judges, because the pupils are insufficiently involved in the marking of their work or in setting targets for improvement. Governors are keen supporters of the

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Grade: 2

school. They have managed a budget deficit sensitively and appropriately. Governors regard themselves as part of 'a family'. They challenge and question the school's performance and hold it to account.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Involve pupils more in the marking of their work and setting their targets.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Enable pupils to take on more responsibility for supporting the school community. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Roby Park Primary School, 10 July 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress, especially in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 2. Children settle down well into the Nursery class because they are well looked after and enjoy their learning. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage because of good teaching and support for their social development. Children's language development is weak yet improves significantly because of the focus on phonics and speaking and listening. Standards are significantly below average by the end of Key Stage 1, although the 2007 assessments indicate significant improvement. A sustained period of staffing turbulence in Years 1 and 2 has now been stabilised. The most significant progress is made from Year 2 to Year 6. However, higher attaining pupils do not always achieve as well in English as they do in mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. Good planning and support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ensures

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Grade: 2

that they make the same good progress as that of their classmates. The very small numbers from minority ethnic groups also achieve well.

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Grade: 2

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Children in the Foundation Stage learn to be independent as well as to work together harmoniously. This good personal development continues in Years 1 to 6 and pupils are reflective and articulate. Most pupils and their parents recognise how much behaviour has improved recently. High numbers of exclusions have been reduced to none and pupils are praised and rewarded more. Attendance is broadly average and this is a big improvement. Despite the school's best efforts, however, a small number of pupils who are frequently absent have a disproportionate effect on the figures. Nonetheless, pupils enjoy their learning and are very keen to take part in lessons. They eat healthily and take part in regular exercise. The 'Wake Up and Shake Up' sessions at the start of the day are firm favourites. Pupils enjoy taking responsibility through membership of the

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Grade: 2

school council, but are not involved sufficiently in other opportunities to help others play safely or learn. Pupils are active members of their community and are reliable fundraisers for charitable causes.

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Grade: 2

Teachers make good use of resources such as local history artefacts and posters of famous paintings to excite the pupils' interest and involvement. For example, those in Year 6 have made a successful photograph story as part of their contribution to the leavers' assembly. This focuses on Liverpool as the 'City of Culture' and successfully evokes special memories for them. 'One heart in this city, you'll never walk alone,' is part of a celebratory poem written by the pupils. Outstanding lessons involve the pupils in singing, acting and even filming their work. They are captivated by their learning and keen to talk about it. Teaching assistants share in the planning and teaching of lessons and make a good contribution to the support of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Good relationships allow learning to take place because teachers and pupils share a mutual respect. Most pupils are made aware of the

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Grade: 2

5 of 10 Inspection Report: Roby Park Primary School, 10 July 2007 levels they have reached. However, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for them to share in setting their own targets for improvement and evaluating how well they are learning.

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Grade: 2

The good provision for literacy and numeracy has been successful in improving pupils' skills. There has also been an increase in resources for information and communication technology since the previous inspection. Pupils are now more confident and adept when using computers. Opportunities for enrichment are many and varied. The pupils particularly enjoy the school trips and residential visits. The Gold Eco award celebrates the school's care of and commitment to the environment. Amongst many other interesting activities the pupils tend the school allotment which provides a wide range of produce.

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Grade: 2

Good systems are in place to look after and care for the pupils. The school works well with the majority of parents and outside helpers to ensure that pupils make good progress. Parents are welcomed into school to share their children's learning through the 'Stay and Play' sessions in the Foundation Stage and 'Inspire' for Years 1 to 6. Pupils are appropriately safeguarded through regularly reviewed systems to protect their welfare. They know who to turn to if they are troubled. Pupils are enthusiastic about going to secondary school because they receive good guidance and preparation. Their progress is tracked efficiently and rigorously as they move up through the school. The school is now developing systems to enable pupils to take more responsibility for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Clear procedures for monitoring and evaluating the school's performance have been successful in helping to plan a wide variety of staff training and professional development. More teachers are taking on leadership roles and the performance of individual subjects is more accountable. Much of the work of the governing body is done by a few governors. Planning is in place to review responsibilities and share the workload more evenly. There is good capacity to make the further improvement that is identified in the school's improvement plan. The school provides good value for money. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Roby Park Primary School, 10 July 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: Roby Park Primary School, 10 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 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? 3 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 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 3 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: Roby Park Primary School, 10 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: Roby Park Primary School, 10 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I would like to thank you all very much for the kindness you showed me when I visited your school. You were polite and welcoming and made sure I enjoyed my time with you. I found your school to be a good school. You settle in quickly and enjoy being there. You make good progress to reach the national standards in English, mathematics and science by the time you leave school. The improvements that have been made by your headteacher and senior leaders have made the school a better place to learn. Some of you and your parents are still a little worried about a small number of pupils' behaviour but you feel that the school is a much safer and more pleasant place than it used to be. Your school was peaceful and calm when I visited and all the pupils behaved well. I want the school to help you to improve your work in Key Stage 1. I know that you can do this because the school has already helped you to improve your standards in Key Stage 2. Some of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you are not sure how to make your work better. I would like you to help your teachers by asking about your work and taking part in setting targets to improve it. The school recognises your contribution to school life and intends to give you further positions of responsibility. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Roby Park Primary School, 10 July 2007

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