Bramhall Park Primary School

Inspection Report Nevill Road Infant School

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106062 Unique Reference Number Stockport Local Authority 287402 Inspection number 16 °17 October 2006 Inspection dates Stephen Wall 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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Nevill Road School address Primary Type of school Bramhall, Stockport Community School category Cheshire SK7 3ET 3 °7 Age range of pupils 0161 4394817 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 4384817 Fax number 227 Number on roll (school) Mr Brian Needham Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs K Rosie Headteacher 5 November 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287402 16 °17 October 2006 3°7 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Nevill Road is an average sized infant school serving a socially and economically diverse area. A small number of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The number of pupils with English as an additional language is low. Fewer than average numbers of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with statements of special educational need, is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. It offers good value for money. 'My child has come on in leaps and bounds since joining Nevill Road' and 'I really admire the way the staff support and care for my daughter' are typical parental expressions of how highly they value the quality of the school's care, guidance and support and the contribution it makes to the pupils' personal development and well-being; both these aspects are outstanding. The pupils love coming to school. Their behaviour is excellent in and out of lessons. They are welcoming and courteous to each other and adults, including visitors. In the school's warm and nurturing environment, pupils develop into confident and inquisitive youngsters ready and eager to take advantage of the next stage of their education. The school has established very effective links with a wide range of outside agencies to support those pupils with identified additional needs.

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Grade: 2

From their broadly average starting points children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage where both good and sometimes outstanding teaching and a stimulating environment enable them to make good progress and achieve well. It is a similar picture in Years 1 and 2 where consistently good and sometimes outstanding teaching enables pupils to make good progress, achieve well and attain significantly above average standards in reading and mathematics. Standards in writing dipped in 2004 and 2005 to average levels and were not as high as they should have been, especially for higher-attaining pupils and boys. The school is tackling this rigorously and the improved results for 2006 show that the actions being taken are starting to have a positive impact. Teachers are making good use of information and communication technology (ICT), especially electronic whiteboards, to add interest and variety to lessons. The good

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Grade: 2

quality curriculum effectively combines a solid approach to teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy with a theme-based approach to encourage the transfer of learning between subjects. The good range of enrichment activities in dance and sports, for example, are very popular and add significantly to the pupils' very good understanding and adoption of healthy lifestyles. The school judges leadership and management to be outstanding. Inspectors judge it to be good overall with outstanding features, such as the leadership of the headteacher. Her strong vision for how young children are best taught promotes good teamwork and a sense of common purpose. The school's procedures for self-evaluation are very thorough and enable it to identify areas in need of improvement, such as standards in writing, where the actions put into place still have to impact fully. Despite the dip in standards in writing, the high standards identified at the time of the previous

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Grade: 2

inspection have been maintained in all other respects. This good progress and the headteacher's strong leadership mean the school has good capacity for further improvement. 2 Inspection Report: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing to the levels pupils achieve in reading and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Children start Nursery at the level expected for their age but a small minority have limited communication skills. Children make good progress in Nursery and Reception classes as a result of effective teaching, guidance and care. By the time they reach Year 1, nearly all have reached expected levels and some have exceeded them. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 continue to make good progress because of good teaching which is closely focused on their needs. In 2005, pupils reached significantly above average standards in reading and mathematics. In the same year, standards in writing were about average with a dip in the proportion reaching higher levels, particularly marked in the case of boys. The school is working hard to deal with this and the 2006 writing results show definite improvement although standards could still be higher. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well owing

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Grade: 2

to the good support from teachers and teaching assistants.

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Grade: 1

This is an area in which the school excels. Above average attendance levels and happy, smiling faces show how much pupils enjoy coming to school. 'I love it at school; the teachers really help me feel welcome and special', was the representative view of one Year 2 pupil. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They show good levels of respect to each other and adults. They learn the importance of quiet reflection in assemblies and they develop a very good knowledge of other cultures from their topic work such as 'around the world in eighty days'. Pupils have a very good appreciation and understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. Large numbers participate in the sports and dance clubs. They appreciate and like the healthy food options available to them. Pupils enjoy contributing to the community and take on responsibilities such as becoming play leaders and class

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Grade: 1

monitors. Their excellent attitudes, high levels of self-confidence and good grasp of basic literacy, numeracy and ICT prepare them well for their future learning.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage where good and sometimes outstanding teaching really engages them in their learning. Teachers make the learning 3 Inspection Report: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006 environment in classrooms very stimulating. They also make very good use of the attractive outdoor area to encourage pupils' awareness and understanding of the outdoor environment and the world around them. Good and sometimes outstanding teaching continues in Years 1 and 2 and encourages good learning. Teachers have good subject knowledge and prepare their lessons in detail to include a range of activities to meet pupils' needs and keep them interested and motivated. As a result, very good use is made of time. Relationships are very positive. Teachers work well together as a team and enable the pupils to make good progress in developing their basic skills. Teachers encourage pupils to work independently; this leads them to

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Grade: 2

developing good work habits. Teaching assistants make an effective contribution. They work particularly well with the small number of pupils who find learning difficult. Pupils' work is marked regularly and teachers' comments indicate what they need to do to improve. Teachers make good use of assessment data in planning their lessons to set appropriate tasks for pupils of differing abilities.

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Grade: 2

The range of learning activities for children in the Foundation Stage is particularly strong. The outdoor facilities provide a stimulating environment for the youngest children to learn, play and share harmoniously. The curriculum in Years 1 and 2 is broad and balanced. Good attention is focused on the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT. The themed, topic-based approach in other areas adds extra interest and enjoyment. It promotes the effective transfer of learning across different subjects. A good range of enrichment activities at lunchtimes and after school is offered. The dance and sports clubs and the choir attract large numbers of enthusiastic participants.

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Grade: 1

The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support for all pupils. This is one of the school's key strengths and results in outstanding personal development and good achievement. Procedures for ensuring pupils' safety and welfare are firmly in place, including checks on adults working in the school. The headteacher and other staff are thoroughly committed to enhancing pupils' academic, personal and emotional development. Procedures for tracking achievement are used very effectively to set targets for learning. In writing, for example, all pupils have small but manageable targets stuck into their books for every lesson. Pupils know these targets and understand that meeting them will help them to improve their work. Pupils value highly the programme of personal, social and health education which teaches them how to keep safe and lead healthy lifestyles. Excellent links with the partner junior school

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Grade: 1

mean that effective arrangements are in place to ease the transition to the next stage of their education. 4 Inspection Report: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006

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Grade: 2

The headteacher is an outstanding leader who provides a clear vision for the school and a solid framework for continued improvement. Her leadership puts the needs of all pupils fairly and squarely at the heart of the school's activities. Her leadership, together with that of the deputy headteacher, promotes good teamwork. The process of self-evaluation is thorough and rigorous. It takes into account the views of all involved with the school including parents and pupils. It allows the early identification of areas in need of improvement and effective strategies to tackle them, such as standards in writing. Teachers have responsibilities as subject coordinators and take their duties very seriously in striving for improvement. The quality of teaching and learning are monitored regularly and the outcomes used to identify training needs and areas for improvement. Day-to-day management of the school is good. Pupils

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Grade: 2

learn to behave well and respect each other because of the established routines and the effective systems for rewards. The governors fulfil their responsibilities well. They keep themselves fully informed about the life and progress of the school. They are supportive but ready to challenge when necessary. 5 Inspection Report: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006

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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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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?

1 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: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006

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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: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to visit your school. We really enjoyed talking to you. What you had to say certainly helped us to make up our minds in judging what your school does well. We think you attend a good school. We were very impressed with the way you behave and how polite you are to each other and to your teachers. The school takes very good care of you and does everything it can to make sure you are happy and safe. Your teachers go to a lot of trouble to make your lessons interesting and we were pleased that so many of you join in and enjoy your learning. We think your headteacher does an excellent job in making Nevill Road such a happy school. She is of course really well supported by all the teachers and teaching assistants. We think you make good progress in reading and mathematics. Your teachers are already doing lots of things to help you to become good writers. We are asking them to give you some extra

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help in this. We hope you will work hard with your teachers and produce work you are really proud of. 9 Inspection Report: Nevill Road Infant School, 16 °17 October 2006

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