The Latimer Primary School

The Latimer Primary School, Anstey Inspection report

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119903 Unique Reference Number Leicestershire Local Authority 291562 Inspection number 6 °7 June 2007 Inspection dates Pat Walsh HMI 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 257 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Jay Phelps Chair Steven Williams Headteacher 12 June 2000 Date of previous school inspection Latimer Street School address Anstey Leicester LE7 7AW

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0116 2362138 Telephone number 0116 2357868 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 6 °7 June 2007 Inspection dates 291562 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 of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school, which is a little larger than average, serves the village of Anstey on the outskirts of Leicester. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average. Most pupils are White British, and just a small number enter the school with English as their additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is slightly above the national average. The school has gained the Healthy Schools Award, the Basic Skills Award, the Eco Schools Award, and the Activemark for sports.

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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: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 June 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good and improving school. The school is highly regarded by parents and well liked by pupils who say they enjoy school. As one parent wrote, 'My daughter is doing extremely well at school. She enjoys what she is given to do and even enjoys the homework!' The headteacher and deputy headteacher have led the staff very well to ensure that teaching and pupils' attitudes to their learning have improved. Standards have risen across the school and are now average at the end of all key stages. Pupils' achievement and progress are good and rapidly improving. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make good progress because of the good quality support provided by all staff. Teaching is good and the curriculum is satisfactory. The children in Reception get off to a good start because of the well focused teaching and purposeful curriculum. Teaching continues to be good, although the curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils, although satisfactory, does

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Grade: 2

not always provide sufficient interest and excitement. For example, there are limited opportunities to use information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance learning across all subjects in the curriculum. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good because this is at the heart of what the school does. Pupils receive good care, guidance and support, which encourage them to get on well together, behave appropriately and be polite and courteous. They feel very safe and are keen to learn. A culture of learning is apparent throughout the school and pupils respond well to the expectation that they should work hard. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides clear direction and has an accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. He has motivated and empowered his colleagues to settle for nothing but the best. The governors are supportive and involved in the life and work of the school, although they are still developing the skills that will enable them

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Grade: 2

to challenge the school more effectively. The school's good self-evaluation and its good track record of improvement demonstrate that it has a good capacity to improve even further.

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What the school should do to improve further

Provide more exciting opportunities in the curriculum, including the use of ICT, to meet the needs and interests of all learners.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement and progress are good. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make equally good progress. Convincing evidence seen during the inspection shows that standards across the school have risen and are now average. The children enter Reception with skills and knowledge that are broadly average for their age. They make good progress because of skilful teaching and an interesting range of activities. Many reach the goals expected by age five. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 and reach standards that are in line with national averages by the end of Key Stage 1. The extent of progress in Key Stage 1 has until recently been uncertain because teachers were not skilled in assessing the pupils' performance accurately and tended to overstate it. This explains why the standards in Key Stage 2 are not higher than they are, as pupils have had to catch up in aspects of their learning that were not

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Grade: 2

as strong as their formal assessments suggested. However, decisive action taken by the school's leaders means that rigorous pupil assessment and tracking systems have been introduced by the school and there is now a reliable picture of attainment at the end of Key Stage 1. Standards 4 of 11 Inspection Report: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 June 2007 in English, mathematics and science in Key Stage 2 have risen in recent years because of better teaching, especially in Years 5 and 6 where pupils' learning accelerates. There are clear signs of pupils making good progress from their starting points as a result of changes made by the headteacher and staff. The school has prioritised writing as an area for development and are quite rightly delighted with the improved results.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They talk animatedly about the 'four L's', which help them to live and learn together. They are very enthusiastic about the lessons and subjects they enjoy. In a school assembly one child spoke with pride about her teacher who 'can be strict but who also makes learning fun'. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good. They know what to do if they are bullied, and older pupils support younger ones in the playground friendship area. Pupils' behaviour is good and their attitudes to learning have improved since the last inspection. As one pupil in the school council commented, 'we are mostly good for most of the time'. Attendance is broadly in line with the national average. Pupils are aware of the need to adopt safe practices, and they know about 'stranger danger' and the hazards associated with crossing the road. They have a good understanding of how to be healthy, and that they should eat five

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Grade: 2

portions of fruit and vegetables a day. They are, however, less confident about how eating healthily can benefit their health. The older pupils make a valuable contribution to the school community by assisting other pupils as leading learners. The good development of pupils' basic skills and their willingness to work alongside one another show that they are well prepared for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. In the Foundation Stage, good teaching enables children to make good progress in all areas of learning. In Key Stage 2, especially in Years 5 and 6, strong teaching is helping pupils to catch up rapidly and make good progress. Relationships between teachers, learning support assistants and pupils are good. This helps pupils to enjoy their learning and become increasingly confident. Teachers plan appropriate activities that meet the needs of most learners. They are very good at celebrating pupils' successes. As a result of this, pupils respond well by showing enthusiasm and a good attitude to learning. An effective range of strategies is used to engage pupils in their learning. For example, pupils have learning partners who enable them to reflect and discuss what they have learned. Teachers use the interactive whiteboards with confidence to engage pupils in their learning. However, there are

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Grade: 2

inconsistencies in the opportunities for pupils to use computers during lessons. Good attention is given to the development of the pupils' speaking and listening skills. Teachers give careful attention to assessing the performance of each pupil, and now do so accurately across the school. They use the outcomes of these assessments effectively as a basis for planning the next stages of pupils' learning. In lessons, pupils are very aware of what they are learning and how their progress will be measured. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are well supported by committed learning support assistants. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 June 2007

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum that meets the legal requirements. Although there are pockets of creativity that engage the pupils, this is inconsistent throughout the school. In the Foundation Stage the curriculum is exciting and reflects the interests of the younger children. First-hand experiences, both inside and outside, are used well to enable children to extend their learning. There is good provision for literacy and numeracy. Provision for the use of ICT, with planned opportunities in other curriculum areas, is satisfactory but not consistent in all year groups. The school has ensured that all aspects of the 'Every Child Matters' agenda are thoroughly covered. It also makes certain that pupils' personal, social and health education are now planned into the curriculum. Pupils speak enthusiastically about their lessons and visitors to the school. Year 5 pupils were able to examine several classic motor vehicles as part

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Grade: 3

of their project on life in the 1960's. These visits, along with visitors to the school extend the pupils' learning. Good use is made of the local church as a resource for learning. However, pupils have limited opportunities to become part of the wider community outside the school. There is a wide range of additional activities, which have a high take up and are much enjoyed by the pupils. The school is often very successful in sporting activities in the local area.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support of pupils are good. The school and its staff ensure that the school is a safe place in which to learn. Pastoral support of all pupils is good and help for pupils experiencing difficulties is very good. The school works closely with parents and support agencies to ensure that pupils who need extra help receive the necessary support to help them do as well as they can. Procedures for child protection, risk assessments and health and safety are rigorous. A recently appointed care coordinator works very effectively with pupils and their families, and this is having a positive impact on learning. The academic guidance of pupils is good. Teachers use learning objectives and targets to make what needs to be learned clear to the pupils. In Years 5 and 6, pupils have challenging targets that are linked very effectively to their individual needs. Pupils throughout the school can talk

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Grade: 2

about their personal learning targets, and how they will improve. One boy who has joined the school recently talked about how this clear direction from staff has helped him and said, 'it's easier to learn here!' Relationships with parents are positive, for example in the Reception class parents and children are proud of the homework books and use them well. The school plans to widen the opportunities for parents to be even more involved in their children's learning through developments in the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

The school's good capacity to raise standards and achievement is demonstrated by its intensive work to improve the quality of teaching and learning in all areas of the school. This is evident in the drive and determination of the headteacher to bring about improvement in the shortest time possible. He has a clear vision of how the school can improve, and has worked hard and been effective in building an improving staff team. Accurate evaluation of the school's weaknesses by the headteacher and his senior team, and the action they have taken, ensure 6 of 11 Inspection Report: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 June 2007 that all staff understand the part they play in raising standards and improving achievement. Overall, leadership and management are good because this accountability has begun to have an impact on the standards that pupils achieve. The upward trends in achievement and standards

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Grade: 2

show that effective action is being taken to improve teaching and learning. Subject leaders play a full part in checking how well pupils are doing across the curriculum. The governors have an accurate understanding of the schools' strengths and weaknesses and provide satisfactory support and challenge. Recent improvements to the accommodation and learning environment have had a positive impact on the work of the school. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 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: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 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? 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 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: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 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: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

8 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, LE7 7AW Thank you for making us welcome when we visited your school. We really enjoyed looking around and meeting you, your teachers and teaching assistants and seeing what you achieve in school. We found talking to you very interesting and these discussions helped us to come to decisions about how good your school is. You go to a good school and your parents are very pleased with what you are doing. Everyone I spoke to likes the way everyone works together and cares for each other. Your teachers go to great lengths to help you improve your work and do the best you can. I know from talking to you that you appreciate this and enjoy learning new things. It is very clear that you enjoy school and this shines through in your good behaviour and in the way you help one another around school. I was particularly impressed by the way the 'Four L's' are helping you learn to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

live and work well together. The school is in good hands under the leadership of your headteacher. The way all your teachers and governors work together will help the school to get even better in the years to come. I have asked Mr Williams and your teachers to give you more opportunities to do work that really interests and excites you. I hope you will do your very best to help them and work as hard as you can. I wish you all well for the future. Yours faithfully Pat Walsh Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: The Latimer Primary School, Anstey, 6 °7 June 2007

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