Newlands Community Primary School

Barwell Newlands Community Primary School Inspection report

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119984 Unique Reference Number Leicestershire Local Authority 291593 Inspection number 13 °14 June 2007 Inspection dates Alison Cartlidge 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 266 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Heather White Chair Leyton Smith Headteacher 29 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection Moore Road School address Barwell Leicester LE9 8AG

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01455 844369 Telephone number 01455 840540 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 13 °14 June 2007 Inspection dates 291593 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Pupils' attainment on entry to the school is below average and most pupils are of White British backgound. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average. A new headteacher joined the school in January 2007.

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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: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 June 2007

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Grade: 3

This satisfactory school provides well for pupils' pastoral needs. Friendly members of staff support pupils' good personal development particularly successfully. Consequently, pupils behave well and are keen to attend. Satisfactory teaching and learning help pupils to make sound progress throughout the school. As a result, pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Children make a satisfactory start to their education in the Reception Year although many are still working below the levels expected for their age when they start in Year 1. Children in the Reception Year make good progress in personal, social and emotional development because these skills are promoted especially well. Standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are below average overall, with writing being the weakest subject. Whilst the pupils are taught basic skills systematically in literacy lessons, teachers do not always expect pupils to check their work thoroughly enough for avoidable

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Grade: 3

mistakes or to use and develop the skills they have learnt fully. Teachers have good relationships with the pupils and their positive management of behaviour is successful in helping pupils to gain confidence. Not all teachers make sufficient use of the new assessment information to ensure that pupils' differing needs are consistently being met. Teachers mark the pupils' work conscientiously but tend to be overly positive, so do not provide challenging guidance on how pupils could improve. This particularly affects more able pupils who are not consistently expected to complete hard enough work. The satisfactory curriculum has an outstanding range of exciting additional activities particularly in sport. These contribute exceptionally well to the pupils' fitness. Good procedures for care, guidance and support enable pupils to feel safe. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The new headteacher has made a good start to

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Grade: 3

improving provision. He has carried out an accurate school self-evaluation and consequently has a clear understanding of what needs to be done next. Developments are too recent to demonstrate a sustained impact on improving standards. Other members of staff and governors have received training to help develop their roles. They are hard-working and want the best for the pupils. Senior managers and subject leaders have not yet had sufficient time to analyse the new tracking information to help ensure that all pupils make enough progress. The school has a good partnership with the parents and outside agencies. One parent highlighted the pupils' outstanding enjoyment of school by stating, 'My children have always been happy at the school.'

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve achievement and standards in writing by enabling pupils to take a more active part in improving their work. • Ensure that teachers make more effective use of information on pupils' progress to challenge pupils of different abilities, especially the more able. • Expand the role of subject leaders so that they make better use of test information to ensure that all pupils make enough progress. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5 inspection. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 June 2007

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Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Pupils make sound progress in the Reception Year. They make good progress in personal, social and emotional development and become independent and work together sensibly. In other areas of learning, many children are still working below the nationally expected levels for their age when they start in Year 1, particularly in communication, language and literacy. Satisfactory progress continues in Years 1 and 2 and standards by the end of Year 2 remain below average, especially in writing. Many pupils write in simple sentences and often make mistakes in spelling and punctuation. Standards by the end of Year 6 are below average overall, although less so in mathematics and science than in English. Standards in writing continue to lag behind those in reading. Across the school, there are occasions when pupils, particularly the more able, could make faster progress by being given more challenging work.

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Grade: 3

Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are supported by well trained teaching assistants enabling them to make similar progress to other pupils.

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Grade: 2

Pupils love their school right from when they first start in the Reception Year. Across the school, when asked what they like a good number say 'everything'. They cite the clubs, trips and dramatic performances as particular favourites in making school enjoyable. Pupils' good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is underpinned by their good behaviour and strong friendships. Their level of attendance is above the national average demonstrating their outstanding enjoyment of school. They show pride when contributing to the school community as road safety officers, librarians, buddies and play leaders. These roles are respected and give pupils responsibility and confidence. The school council provides pupils with a voice and has a positive impact on the social life of the school. Pupils know how to stay safe and healthy. A high proportion gain exercise by walking to school and by taking part in the great number of sports and games provided. Whilst pupils know their

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Grade: 2

individual targets, they are not sufficiently encouraged to take an active part in improving their work. The pupils' good personal and social skills and their improving basic skills provide a satisfactory foundation for the future.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory in the Reception Year. Members of staff work together especially well to promote good personal development and provide relevant activities that capture the children's interest. Throughout the school, teachers have good relationships with the pupils that enable them to manage behaviour successfully. They use interactive whiteboards effectively to gain pupils' interest at the start of lessons and this increases the pupils' willingness to learn. Teaching assistants work well with groups of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, although 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 June 2007 they are not always gainfully employed during whole class work. Teachers mark work regularly and use praise well to raise pupils' self-esteem, but do not expect pupils to take the initiative in improving their work. This particularly affects more able pupils, who are not always expected

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Grade: 3

to make enough progress because work is not pitched at the right level for them.

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Grade: 3

There is a satisfactory curriculum for children in the Reception Year. It is successful in encouraging children to become independent and responsible. In Years 1 to 6, the curriculum is broad and balanced and helps pupils to build steadily on what they have already learnt, although planning does not always take enough account of the differing needs in each class. The curriculum is successful in providing a two year cycle of topics for pupils in the mixed age classes. Teachers are aware that opportunities are missed to extend pupils' writing skills, for example by using them more productively to support learning in other subjects. The school promotes healthy lifestyles well and this contributes successfully to pupils' personal development. Outstanding extra-curricular and enrichment activities contribute exceptionally well to the pupils' enjoyment of school. For example, there is a very wide range of sporting activities

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Grade: 3

including gymnastics, cricket and basket ball, and three drama productions a year.

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Grade: 2

The school cares well for the pupils' pastoral needs. One pupil voiced the views of many others when describing the school motto 'Newlands cares' by saying 'and it does'. Members of staff know the pupils well and good links with parents and outside agencies safeguard their well-being effectively. Children settle quickly into the Reception Year and become confident learners. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Good procedures are newly in place to track pupils' progress across the school. The data this provides is not yet fully utilised for whole school planning or by teachers to meet the wide range of abilities in lessons. All pupils are set individual targets in literacy and numeracy but these are not promoted and checked sufficiently to ensure that pupils are fully involved in their learning. Procedures for tracking the individual attainment and progress of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are good.

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Grade: 3

The new headteacher has gained respect from members of staff and parents quickly and has established many new systems that are starting to have a positive impact on provision. For example, teaching and learning are being monitored by several members of staff and clear priorities are being identified to help teachers to improve. This demonstrates the school's satisfactory capacity to improve further. Members of staff are good role models for pupils' personal development because they are enthusiastic and supportive. The school's procedures for self-evaluation are satisfactory and enable members of staff to understand the priorities for whole school development. There is a clear system to show how 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 June 2007 well pupils are doing. This is not yet evaluated in detail by senior managers and subject leaders to ensure that all pupils make enough progress.

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Grade: 3

Governance is satisfactory. Governors are supportive and know the school's strengths and weaknesses well. They are developing their role in holding the school to account. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 June 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

3 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 3 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 2 The attendance of learners 1 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: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 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: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

15 June 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, Leicester, LE9 8AG Thank you for welcoming us to your school and for sharing your work with us. Your school is providing you with a sound education. Here are some other things about you and your school: • You make satisfactory progress in most subjects but could do better in writing. • You are polite and friendly and take responsibility well. Your school council helps teachers know what you would like to improve. • You are taught soundly and your teachers help you to behave sensibly. • You study all the right subjects in lessons. • We were especially impressed with all the clubs you can join. • All adults in school are kind and caring and they look after you well. • Your headteacher, other teachers and governors are working hard to make your school better. • Parents and carers are pleased that you enjoy coming to this school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

What we have asked your school to do now: • Help you to take a more active part in improving your writing. • Use the information about how well you are doing to help you all make better progress, especially those of you who are quick at learning. • Ensure that the leaders of your school check to see that you are all learning well enough. What we would like you to do: • Check your writing for mistakes before you have it marked. We thoroughly enjoyed talking with you about your work and watching you learn. We hope your production of Romeo and Juliet goes well. It sounds like it should be well worth seeing. Yours sincerely Alison Cartlidge Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Barwell Newlands Community Primary School, 13 °14 June 2007

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