Redbridge Primary School

Redbridge Primary School Inspection report

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116123 Unique Reference Number Southampton Local Authority 290423 Inspection number 12 °13 June 2007 Inspection dates Rob Crompton 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 203 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr John Shaw Chair Ms Jane Shiers Headteacher 19 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection 100 Redbridge Road School address Millbrook Southampton SO15 0NR

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023 8077 6379 Telephone number 023 8051 2344 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 12 °13 June 2007 Inspection dates 290423 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 Addition Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school serves an area of high deprivation. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is about double the national average. Attainment on entry is very low. An above average percentage of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities, including many with emotional and behavioural problems. Pupil turnover is above average at around 25 per cent. Typically, about a third of pupils in Year 6 have joined the school during Years 3 to 5.The school is situated alongside a busy dual carriageway close to Southampton docks. The accommodation is barely adequate and a new school building is scheduled for 2009.

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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: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 2007

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good quality education which enables pupils to achieve well. Pivotal to the success of the school is the outstanding leadership of the headteacher. Her clarity of vision, sense of purpose and determination to provide the best possible education for pupils is shared by all staff. The staff evaluate the school's effectiveness accurately and use the information to make improvements. Consistently good teaching, together with high levels of pastoral care, broaden pupils' horizons, raise their self-esteem and motivate them to work hard. As a result, achievement through the school is good. The outstanding provision in the Foundation Stage gets children off to a very good start and they continue to make good progress through the rest of the school. Due to the school's sustained efforts to improve attainment, the standards reached by Year 6 have risen considerably and are now broadly average. Writing is weaker than

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Grade: 2

other areas of English and is a continuing priority, especially in providing opportunities for pupils to practise and refine their skills in other subjects. Pupils' personal development and well being are outstanding, due to the excellent ethos, underpinned by the commitment and expertise of all staff. The rich curriculum engages pupils and supports their learning, providing excellent support for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils' behaviour around the school is good and often exemplary. They thoroughly enjoy learning, feel extremely safe and secure in school and have a clear understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Pupils are eager to help one another and contribute to school life, and there is a strong sense of community and pride. The school's support systems meet pupils' needs very well. Those with learning difficulties or disabilities make good progress because of well designed intervention strategies. Pupils are

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Grade: 2

increasingly aware of what they need to do to improve, although their involvement in evaluating their own progress towards individual targets is not fully established. The school's concern to help all pupils gain as much from their education as possible is evident in the way newcomers are quickly integrated and the outstanding support for pupils with emotional or behavioural problems. In contrast to the continuous noise of traffic from the extremely busy road, the school provides a haven of peace and tranquillity. Governors support the school well and make a good contribution to self-evaluation and strategic planning. Subject managers play an important part in driving up standards in English, mathematics and science through various initiatives like Booster and Springboard programmes as well as the monitoring of lessons and pupils' work.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve standards in writing by providing further opportunities for pupils to practise, consolidate and extend their writing skills across the curriculum. • Involve pupils more frequently in evaluating their own progress in meeting their individual targets.

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Grade: 2

Overall achievement is good. As children start school, many have extremely limited social, literacy and numeracy skills. Against this background, children make very good progress in the Foundation Stage. However, by the end of Reception, standards are generally below those 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 2007 expected. The school's tracking records through Years 1 and 2 show that pupils meet and sometimes exceed the targets set for them. The recent teacher assessments in Year 2 indicate that overall standards have improved, especially in writing, but despite the good progress pupils make, they remain below average in reading, writing and mathematics. Although overall standards reached by Year 6 last year were well below average, the school's detailed tracking records show that those pupils who attend from Reception make good and often very good progress through the school. The recent end-of-year assessments for Year 6

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Grade: 2

pupils, including those who joined more recently, indicate that the percentage of pupils reaching the expected levels in reading, mathematics and science is broadly average. More pupils are reaching the higher levels in mathematics and science than in recent years. Although much improved, standards in writing are below average and remain a school priority.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are outstanding. Pupils develop an excellent spiritual awareness through assemblies, circle times and specific areas of the curriculum. For example, Year 6 pupils discussed their responses to the powerful imagery of a picture they had designed in support of the Marie Curie cancer charity. Pupils develop a very good understanding of cultural diversity through visits, for example to a parish church and a Sikh gurdwara. Pupils' excellent social and moral development is evident from their behaviour and sense of responsibility. Pupils have an excellent understanding of healthy life styles and the high level of participation in physical activities illustrates a clear awareness of the importance of keeping fit. Pupils make a good contribution to the local and wider community through activities such as raising fund for charities and taking care of their environment as members of the 'green gang'. Pupils'

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Grade: 1

improving standards in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) alongside their good skills in co-operation, enterprise and tolerance, prepare them well for their subsequent education.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good and often outstanding. Lessons are underpinned by excellent relationships together with the expectations that, whatever their starting points, all pupils can achieve well. Teachers instil a sense of self-belief in pupils and motivate them to work hard. As a result, pupils make good progress. Generally, lessons get of to a brisk start and teachers make sure that pupils understand what they are meant to learn. They set work with a good level of challenge, which means that pupils make good progress by tacking new work rather than marking time in lessons. Increasingly, pupils are given choices in their learning and this contributes to their self-esteem and confidence. Teaching assistants provide strong support, particularly for pupils with learning difficulties or difficulties. Lessons are generally well structured but occasionally lengthy introductions leave too little time for pupils to work

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Grade: 2

independently or to reflect on their progress towards individual targets. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 2007

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with some outstanding features. It is modified appropriately to meet the needs of pupils. This is exemplified in the way the excellent provision in the Foundation Stage has been adapted this year to include activities appealing to boys, who considerably outnumber girls. Pupils' enjoyment and achievement is enhanced through relevant links between subjects. During a 'Science through Art' week pupils produced some good quality plant sculptures, at the same time exploring scientific ideas of growth. Support for the small number of more able pupils is good, although the impact of such provision is slower in writing than in other areas. A school priority is to further extend opportunities for writing outside literacy lessons. Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is very effective. Pupils have good computer skills and use them well. For example, they use sensors to measure the sound

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Grade: 2

insulation properties of different materials, recording results on a spreadsheet. An excellent range of visitors and visits, and an extensive after-school clubs play an important part in broadening pupils' experiences and contribute significantly to their academic achievement and personal development.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good and lie at the heart of pupils' good achievement and their excellent personal development. Pastoral care is excellent. The arrangements to protect and safeguard pupils are thorough. Pupils are happy to talk to staff or use the 'tell us box' if they are unhappy or worried. The caring ethos of the school is very visible during break times when older pupils look after the younger ones by organising games for them. One pupil commented, 'Redbridge is a very loving and caring community, teachers encourage you even if you get things wrong'. The school deploys specialist staff extremely well to support vulnerable pupils and their parents. This has a valuable impact on the involvement of parents in the school life and on pupils' attitudes and self-confidence. Rigorous systems are used to track pupils' progress and set targets for improvement. However, pupils are not always sufficiently involved in

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Grade: 2

evaluating what they do well and what they need to improve in order to achieve their targets.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. A strong sense of team work is evident throughout the school. The headteacher is ably supported by the two assistant headteachers, and all staff are enthusiastic and committed to further improvement. Standards in English, mathematics and science are improving because the school very clearly monitors and evaluates its work. The development plan is well structured but the success criteria are often not precise enough about the expected impact of initiatives on standards. The school's good capacity for further improvement is evident from the progress made since the last inspection, the improving standards, and the leadership skills and expertise of senior staff. The school uses its resources in a highly efficient way. The limited accommodation is used creatively and the school benefits from the use of facilities at the neighbouring secondary school. There is a good partnership

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Grade: 2

6 of 11 Inspection Report: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 2007 with parents. One parent commented, 'The school is so well managed; all the children are polite and friendly. I should have moved her a long time ago'. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 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? 1 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 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: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

26 June 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Redbridge Primary School,Southampton,SO15 0NR Thank you for making us so welcome during our visit to your school. You told us that Redbridge is a good school and we agree with you. Here are the main things we found out: • teachers make lessons interesting so you enjoy learning and make good progress • you work hard and get on very well with one another • you are very well cared for and always have an adult to talk to if something is worrying you • the wide range of extra activities help your school work and provide opportunities for you to follow your personal interests, such as sport and music • the school is very well run and everyone works as a team to help you do as well as you can • standards are improving but there is still room for improvement in your writing • the school keep a close eye on how you are doing but you could check your own progress towards your targets more frequently, for example by marking your own and one another's

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

work. We are sure that you will continue to help make the school a happy and friendly place to learn and have fun. You can do your bit to help the school improve further by continuing to work hard to develop your writing skills in literacy lessons and other subjects. Most of you have a good idea of your individual targets, so try to think about these as you work and think about what you need to next in order to meet them. Yours sincerely, Rob Crompton Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Redbridge Primary School, 12 °13 June 2007

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