Lickey End First School

Inspection Report - Amended Bromsgrove Lickey End First School

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116661 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 290583 Inspection number 12 September 2006 Inspection date Susan Walsh 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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School Lane School address First Type of school Lickey End Community School category Bromsgrove B60 1JG 4 °9 Age range of pupils 01527 872360 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01527 577846 Fax number 147 Number on roll (school) Jane Baker Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ann Hill Headteacher 4 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 290583 12 September 2006 4 °9

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to administration error

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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 a team of two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Lickey End First School is a popular school. Almost all pupils are from White British families and all speak English fluently. Very few pupils are entitled to free school meals. The proportion of children with learning difficulties or disabilities is well below the national average and no pupils have statements of need. The school has achieved the Healthy Schools award and has applied for the Artsmark award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 2006

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Grade: 1

Lickey End School is an outstanding school that successfully combines the achievement of exceptionally high academic standards with warmth, compassion, care and a great deal of fun. The school judged itself to be good rather than outstanding; this reticent view reflects the school’s critical approach to its work and its very rigorous self-evaluation. Parents are very pleased with what the school offers; one parent commented, ‘This is an excellent school that delivers a first class education’. Pupils really enjoy coming to school; one girl said, ‘I love it’. The warm family atmosphere and strong pastoral care, together with the exciting lessons, after-school clubs, interesting visits and visitors ensure that pupils develop very positive attitudes to learning and very high standards of behaviour. Pupils’ outstanding commitment to their schoolwork, including their very high levels of concentration, is an important

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Grade: 1

factor in their exceptional achievement. Pupils are committed to, and proud of, their school community. Children get off to a good start in the Reception class and most reach or exceed the nationally expected standards by the time they start Year 1. Although provision in the Reception class is good, the unsuitable accommodation places some restrictions on the organisation of outdoor activities, as there is no direct access from the classroom. Teaching across the school is consistently good and is occasionally outstanding. Standards at the end of Year 2 are exceptionally high and achievement is outstanding, especially in reading and writing. Achievement in mathematics, although good, does not quite match the outstanding achievement seen in reading and writing. Pupils’ progress is carefully monitored and those who are not making quite as much progress as others are quickly identified and provided with very effective academic support.

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Grade: 1

This helps to secure outstanding achievement. The outstanding leadership team has ensured that information about the school’s performance has been carefully analysed, and effectively targeted strategies have addressed the relatively minor weaknesses. As a result of this continuous drive for improvement, standards that have been above average for many years are now exceptionally high and almost all aspects of the schools work are outstanding.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve accommodation for the Reception class. • Ensure that achievement in mathematics is consistent and matches that in reading and writing.

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Grade: 1

Achievement and standards are outstanding. The very high standards at the end of Year 2 were reflected in the 2006 test results that were exceptionally high in reading and writing and are well above average in mathematics. Throughout the school, no 2 Inspection Report: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 2006 pupils underachieve and the more able do particularly well, and an impressive proportion of pupils reach above average levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities achieve as well as their peers. Pupils continue to make rapid progress in reading and writing in Years 3 and 4 but their achievement in mathematics is not as consistent. This is because the school has focused for some time on driving up standards in literacy and although strategies to improve mathematics are in place, they have not had as much time to have an impact.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being is outstanding. Parents say their children really enjoy coming to school and their children agree enthusiastically, this is reflected in their good attendance. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong. They develop self-worth while retaining sensitivity to others. They learn to appreciate the wonder of the world around them, for example through exploring the school’s wildlife area. Pupils develop a clear understanding of what is right and wrong. Their social development is particularly strong and this is reflected in their exemplary behaviour. They respond extremely well to opportunities to take responsibility; this is reflected in the work of the very successful school council. Pupils make an excellent contribution to the school community. They know how to keep safe and healthy. Mature attitudes and outstanding academic achievement result in pupils

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Grade: 1

being well prepared for the next stage of education.

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Grade: 2

Although there is some outstandingly inspirational teaching overall, it is the consistently good teaching that results in pupils’ outstanding achievement. This sharp, effective teaching is supplemented by the judicious use of assessment information. Teaching in the Reception class is good; however, the unsuitable accommodation does restrict what can be planned. All teachers have high expectations of pupils both in terms of their work and their behaviour, and the school’s assertive discipline policy is consistently applied by teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers make good use of modern technology to make lessons more interesting and exciting. The work of the teaching assistants is often of the highest quality. They support pupils of all abilities and have very warm relationships with pupils. Their very positive approach enhances the self-esteem of the least confident pupils and ensures that they also contribute to

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Grade: 2

lessons. Very good use of assessment ensures that work is carefully matched to pupils’ individual needs and this contributes to outstanding achievement. The school recognises the need to improve the quality of marking. There have been some recent improvements 3 Inspection Report: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 2006 but some marking remains perfunctory and pupils are not always given enough information about how they can improve their work.

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Grade: 1

The school has developed an outstanding curriculum that meets pupils’ needs and interests very well. From Year 1 to Year 4, there is outstanding provision for literacy and good provision for numeracy. Very effective planning ensures that work in one year builds successfully on the previous year and ensures pupils make outstanding progress. An excellent range of extra-curricular activities enriches the curriculum. Outside visits complement learning and pupils and parents comment positively on the relevance it brings to classroom learning. Many exciting activities such as arts week, the forest school initiative, and musical events make important contributions to pupils’ outstanding academic achievement and personal development. The curriculum in the Reception class is good. The school makes significant efforts to ensure that pupils have access to a good range of activities, including outdoor play; however, the outdated and awkward accommodations lacks flexibility and this does

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Grade: 1

have a detrimental effect on the quality and range of activities that can be offered and the use of time. This is because it is not easy for children to move easily between indoor and outdoor play.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding care and support contribute significantly to pupils’ enjoyment of school, their outstanding personal development and their excellent academic progress. Procedures to guarantee the pupils’ welfare are thorough and well implemented and vulnerable pupils are quickly identified and effectively supported. Warm relationships underpin the school’s work. As one parent commented, ‘there is a relationship of trust with staff’. Pupils know that their views are listened to and respected, and this helps them to develop confidence. Parents also comment that they find staff very approachable and willing to discuss concerns; they are confident that their children are safe and well cared for. There is rigorous tracking of pupils’ academic progress, and pupils who are not making as much progress as their peers are very quickly identified and offered well-considered and effective support. As a result, no pupil underachieves and this careful monitoring,

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Grade: 1

combined with targeted high quality support and guidance, is a significant factor in securing the exceptional levels of achievement.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher leads a formidable team. They ensure that very high academic standards are pursued within a school 4 Inspection Report: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 2006 which retains a family ethos where, as one parent said, ‘Every child really does matter’. Rigorous analysis of data has contributed to very effective self-evaluation. The robust manner in which the school has identified and pursued even minor weaknesses has resulted in substantial improvements to standards that were already high. For example, highly effective strategies have been put in place that ensure that the most able pupils are consistently challenged and pupils of all ages and abilities now make more rapid progress in reading. Governors are knowledgeable about the school. They provide a valuable and well-founded perspective on the school and help to ensure that resources

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Grade: 1

are carefully managed. The school’s impressive record of continuous improvement, rigorous self-evaluation and commitment to securing the very best education for every pupil indicates an outstanding capacity to secure future improvements. 5 Inspection Report: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 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 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 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 1 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: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 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: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 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 visited your school. We really enjoying talking to you and were very impressed by your good manners and outstanding behaviour. We were glad to hear that you enjoy school so much, including the after-school clubs and interesting visits. Your school council is working very hard to make sure school is a good place. Adults in the school listen carefully to what you have to say. You have good teachers who look after you well. The headteacher is doing a very good job in running the school. We know that you work very hard in your lessons and you are reaching very high standards in your reading and writing. You are also doing well in your mathematics but not quite as well as in reading and writing. Teachers keep a very careful eye on how well you are doing and support you if you find work hard. Your school is getting better and better, in fact it is really outstanding!

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

But we do feel that the Reception class would be improved by having a better building where it would be much easier to go and play outside and that you could do even better in mathematics. 9 Inspection Report: Bromsgrove Lickey End First School, 12 September 2006

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