Inglehurst Junior School

Inspection Report Inglehurst Junior School

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120016 Unique Reference Number Leicester City Local Authority 291603 Inspection number 10 °11 October 2006 Inspection dates Chris Kessell 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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Ingle Street School address Junior Type of school Leicester Community School category LE3 9FS 7 °11 Age range of pupils 0116 2624598 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0116 2624598 Fax number 272 Number on roll (school) Vera Bell Chair The governing body Appropriate authority C Glass Headteacher 8 August 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291603 10 °11 October 2006 7°11 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is above average in size and most pupils are from White British backgrounds. A small number of other ethnic groups are represented in the school and a few pupils are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is well above average and the movement of pupils into and out of the school is high. Attainment on entry is below average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above the national average as is the proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 October 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that succeeds in challenging circumstances. Its success results from the inspirational leadership of the headteacher and the effective work of senior staff. As pupils arrive in the morning, they are immediately engaged in a lively and exciting world that they appreciate and enjoy. Pupils leave the school as well-rounded individuals. They are enthusiastic about their academic work and have good social and personal skills. Parents are very impressed by the school, a typical comment being, 'The school sets high standards and prepares the children well for when they leave.' The pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy the interesting displays and high quality artwork that make up their colourful working environment. They keep active and healthy, particularly enjoying the 'Zoneparc' play facilities outside. As a result of the good quality care provided for them, pupils feel safe and well looked after. They

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Grade: 2

know that if they have any problems, there is someone to talk to, either a member of staff or one of the 'helping hands' pupils. The school council is influential. Having changed the tuck shop menu to healthy options, they are currently offering suggestions towards the latest building project that will further improve the school's accommodation. Pupils are pleased that their views count. Pupils make good progress because teaching is good. Teachers do their best to ensure that pupils are given work and experiences suitable to their varying levels of understanding. Even though teaching is good, there are some occasions when the more able pupils are not challenged fully. Pupils are very motivated and their enthusiasm for learning contributes well to their good achievement. They work well together. 'It's important to collaborate', said one Year 5 pupil. Pupils reach average standards by the time they leave school. Their progress is more rapid in reading and

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Grade: 2

mathematics than in writing. The optimistic and upbeat feel of the school encourages pupils to be confident. They happily evaluate their work, commenting if things are too easy or too hard. Pupils enjoy all that they do in school but, despite the school's hard work and efforts to encourage pupils to attend, a very small number have poor attendance records. As a result, the attendance rate is below average. Pupils feel well supported by their teachers who give them plenty of oral advice on how to improve their work. Despite this, teachers' marking does not always contribute enough to the pupils' academic guidance. Leadership and management are good, and innovative practice pervades the school. Initiatives in boys' literacy and a nurture class for pupils who find learning challenging are good examples. Self-evaluation is accurate and the school has continued to move forward since it was last inspected. Staff are well motivated and morale is high. The

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the rate of pupils' progress in writing to equal that in reading and mathematics. • Ensure that the more able pupils are always given sufficiently challenging work. 2 Inspection Report: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 October 2006 • Improve the overall quality of marking in guiding all groups of pupils.

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Grade: 2

Standards are average at the end of Year 6. Pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, achieve well in relation to their starting points. Regular and rigorous tracking of pupils' individual progress towards challenging targets in reading, writing and mathematics enables them to do well. Should an individual fall behind, effective additional support is provided for these pupils to allow them to succeed. The needs of pupils who are at the early stages of learning English are catered for effectively. Consequently, they also achieve well. Although there has been an improving picture over the last few years, pupils' progress in writing has not been as rapid as in reading and mathematics. Because this particularly concerns boys, the school has introduced boys' literacy lessons in Year 6. This has brought a dramatic change in their attitudes towards, and enthusiasm for, writing and

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Grade: 2

their progress is starting to accelerate.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. The consistent application of the school's behaviour policy by all staff ensures that pupils behave well. A wide range of opportunities for pupils to work and play together results in good social development. Pupils have a good awareness of other cultures and beliefs, gained through lessons and displays around the school. Pupils understand the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. They particularly enjoy all of the after school sporting activities and the imaginative play areas that they can use at break times. Pupils' contribution to the community is good and they regularly organise fund raising events for local and national charities. Activities such as 'Young Enterprise', the pupils' ability to work well together in teams and the school's good promotion of basic skills, ensure that pupils are well prepared for secondary education

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Grade: 2

and later life. Although pupils enjoy school a lot, the attendance rate is lowered by the poor attendance of a few pupils.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are successful learners because the teaching is good. Teachers are particularly clever at capturing pupils' interest and enthusiasm. Consequently, lessons have a real buzz about them and pupils move forward quickly. One of the real strengths in teaching 3 Inspection Report: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 October 2006 is the way in which pupils are involved in reflecting on what they have learnt and kept informed about how well they are doing. This is undertaken particularly well in the daily sessions specifically for this purpose and through the pupils' learning logs. One pupil said, 'They're fun to do and you continue learning a lot'. Within the context of this positive picture of effective teaching there are some minor areas requiring improvement. These lie mainly around the consistency of the quality of written marking and the challenge provided for the more able pupils in a few lessons.

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Grade: 2

A well planned and innovative curriculum forms a firm base for pupils' enjoyment of learning and good achievement. Planning for the development of key skills in different subjects successfully meets all pupils' learning needs. There are some clear strengths. These include the work in the nurture group, specialist teaching in music and the expressive arts, links with a local sports college and the programme for pupils' personal development. The school has improved its provision for information communication technology (ICT) over the last few years. Teachers make good use of their interactive whiteboards to support learning across the curriculum. The ICT suite is too small for some classes and this limits pupils' learning, preventing them from doing better in this subject.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. As a result, pupils feel happy and safe in school. All the necessary checks to ensure pupils' safety, protection and welfare are in place. There are good procedures for individual support including learning mentors who work with small groups and individuals to improve their learning. Pupils who need extra help with their work are clearly identified and given the necessary support to enable them to make good progress. Despite minor shortcomings in teachers' marking not always telling pupils clearly what they need to do to improve, academic guidance is good. Pupils are provided with regular opportunities to discuss their work and how to reach the challenging learning targets that are set for them.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and senior staff have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. The quality of teaching is monitored rigorously, as is the performance of individual pupils. Senior staff and teachers know the pupils exceptionally well. This is particularly impressive in a school where the numbers of pupils who leave and join during the academic year is high. 4 Inspection Report: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 October 2006 Governance is satisfactory. The new chair of governors has a good understanding of governors' responsibilities but acknowledges that the governing body is not fully involved in strategic development and self-evaluation. Innovative practice is a key feature of the school. Learning logs for example, have been introduced successfully in many other schools following the lead provided by Inglehurst. The school also involves itself in many initiatives, both local and national,

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Grade: 2

that bring significant benefits to the pupils, such as the Citizenship Project for pupils in Year 6. Both pupils and parents appreciate the good resources and high staffing levels. 5 Inspection Report: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 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: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 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 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. 7 Inspection Report: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 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: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Many of you will remember that we visited your school recently to see how well you are doing. We especially enjoyed talking with you and your teachers and watching lessons. This letter is to let you know what we found out. Many of you told us that you go to a good school and we agree. Your teachers are good at helping you learn well so that you make good progress. You are also very enthusiastic about your lessons and work sensibly with each other. Some of the discussions you hold are very 'grown-up'. Very occasionally, some of you get work that is too easy. We have asked the school to improve this. We have also asked the school to make sure that teachers' marking helps you to learn even more. You work and play in a lovely bright and cheerful building. This is the result of the hard work of the headteacher and staff. They all care about you very much and this helps you do well in your work. Although most of you work hard all of the time, you do not always do as well with

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your writing as you do with reading and mathematics. We have asked the school to help you do better with your writing. Thank you for being so welcoming and friendly, particularly those of you who shared your work and learning logs with us. Best wishes for the future. 9 Inspection Report: Inglehurst Junior School, 10 °11 October 2006

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