Forest Lodge Community Primary School

Inspection Report Forest Lodge Primary School

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120090 Unique Reference Number Leicester City Local Authority 291625 Inspection number 18 °19 January 2007 Inspection dates Ruth Westbrook 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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Charnor Road School address Primary Type of school Leicester Community School category LE3 6LH 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0116 2871220 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0116 2223886 Fax number 359 Number on roll (school) Barbara Chantrill Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Karen Cane Headteacher 3 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291625 18 °19 January 2007 3°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

Forest Lodge is a large primary school in the north of Leicester. Many of the pupils are affected by social and educational disadvantages. 76% of pupils are of White British heritage and the remainder are from a wide range of minority ethnic groups. 24 pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. At 34%, the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is above average. 80 pupils are on the school's register for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, including 6 pupils with a statement of special educational need. These proportions are above the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 2007

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Grade: 3

The overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory and improving. Standards have improved since the last inspection and although still well below average data indicate that pupils make satisfactory progress from a very low starting point. Standards have improved because good leadership and management have succeeded in improving the quality of teaching and learning and the curriculum. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and improving as a result of effective intervention and support from the school's leadership. The legacy of poor teaching in the past is still reflected in recent test results for older pupils, but some pupils, particularly the more able, are beginning to make good progress. The satisfactory curriculum is providing greater enrichment, and as a result, pupils are enjoying their learning more. For example, the arts programme in Year 4 is enriching for pupils and is raising pupils' achievement. The impact of

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Grade: 3

curriculum initiatives has yet to be felt across the whole school. The overall effectiveness of the Foundation Stage is satisfactory, but recent planning for improvement in provision and leadership is bringing about rapid change. Strong senior leadership has set clear direction for change which has led to good improvement since the last inspection. There is a shared understanding amongst staff that further improvement in the quality of teaching and learning is necessary in order to raise standards further. They have established a climate in the school which provides good care, support and guidance and includes everyone. As a result, pupils from a wide variety of backgrounds develop good personal and social skills which contribute to the well-being of the school community. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes, for example, are now good across the school because expectations are set clearly, pupils respond

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Grade: 3

well to active encouragement to meet them and supportive systems are in place to help those who need additional support. The school's leadership includes a wider group of subject coordinators who are contributing to planning and checking on the school's work. A number are new to the role, and have yet to develop leadership and management skills, so that their impact on raising standards can be felt. The awareness of leadership and governors of the school's strengths and weaknesses and good understanding of developments required to move the school forward indicate that its capacity for improvement is good. Relationships with parents have been strengthened since the last inspection. Good relationships are established through 'meet and greet' in the Foundation Stage. Throughout the school parents are involved more closely in their pupil's education in a number of ways suitable to the age of the child, and a small number are beginning

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Grade: 3

to help with activities in school. The response of parents to the inspection's questionnaire was very positive.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that they are consistently raising standards in English, mathematics and science. 2 Inspection Report: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 2007 • Improve the skills of all subject leaders so that the level of support given to staff in teaching the subject is strengthened.

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Grade: 3

Standards are well below average and pupils' achievement is satisfactory and improving steadily in all age groups. This represents a major improvement since the national tests in 2003 when data showed that many pupils made inadequate progress and were therefore not achieving as well as they should. Most children start school with particularly weak language, social and personal skills which are well below expectations for their age. They make satisfactory progress through the Foundation Stage but enter Key Stage 1 with low language and communication skills which remain a significant barrier to learning. A wide range of strategies have been put in place and are beginning to compensate for the lack of skills on entry to the school. This is evident in Reception and Key Stage 1 where children are achieving well because activities are suited to their language learning needs. All groups of pupils make satisfactory progress through the

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Grade: 3

rest of the school in English, mathematics and science and this progress is improving. Some pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 are making good progress. They are meeting higher expectations and are on course to achieve more challenging targets in the summer tests.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes to school and each other are good because of planned opportunities for moral and social development. Opportunities for cultural development have improved substantially since the last inspection and pupils have a good understanding of the diverse society in which they live. Pupils show respect towards those who have different religions from their own. There are fewer opportunities for spiritual development and this is satisfactory. Pupils' attendance has improved significantly in recent years to a satisfactory level. Pupils say they enjoy school and demonstrate their enjoyment through enthusiastic participation in a range of activities in school and at the end of the day. Pupils say they 'feel safe' and have confidence in adults to help if they have a difficulty in school. Although aware of instances of bullying pupils feel that they are dealt with. They have a good understanding of how to keep

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Grade: 2

themselves safe and healthy both in school and outside. At break, older pupils choose to use the healthy tuck shop run by their peers and large numbers take advantage of opportunities for additional exercise like 'Wake and Shake.' Pupils involved in the creative curriculum are developing good skills to enable them to work independently and take responsibility. Others help as mediators at playtimes. 3 Inspection Report: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning have continued to improve since the last inspection. All teaching is now at least satisfactory and some is good and occasionally outstanding. The good teaching engages pupils' interests through lively and stimulating activities, such as making the 'special' environment of a rain forest which enthralled Year 4 pupils. Some lessons do not engage pupils' attention as well as they should because the work is too easy for more able pupils or not well matched to needs. A calm and purposeful atmosphere is established in classrooms largely as a result of the good relationships established between staff and pupils. Teachers are well organised and so pupils know what is expected of them. In most situations, support staff and teachers work well together. This is a key factor in enabling pupils with learning difficulties to participate fully in learning activities and make similar progress to others. Sometimes, teaching

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Grade: 3

assistants are not deployed to the best advantage and teachers fail to offer effective support for learning once pupil activity begins. Children in the Reception class and the Nursery are given good opportunities to work independently and to make choices. This makes a significant contribution to their good personal development. Effective marking gives clear feedback and pupils understand how well they are doing and how to improve their work both from discussion and the written symbols and comments on completed work. This approach is not consistently the case where teaching is satisfactory. Although teaching and learning have improved the school correctly realises that in order to raise standards in English, mathematics and science such improvements should be used as a springboard for continued development.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum provides a sound basis for pupils' steady progress and meets the needs of most pupils. Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception class where the work is interesting, engaging and meets children's specific needs. Recent curriculum innovations, particularly in the arts, are making the curriculum livelier and more exciting. A successful bid for funding has enabled string music tuition to be offered to Year 3 pupils. The organisation of themed days and visits out of school and the introduction of more after school activities have enriched the curriculum. These developments are beginning to have a positive effect on pupils' achievement. An effective programme helps pupils develop their understanding of personal, social and health issues. At the moment opportunities for pupils to use their basic literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills in other subjects are

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Grade: 3

limited so the development of skills for future learning and economic life is satisfactory. 4 Inspection Report: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 2007

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Grade: 2

The good care and support provided for pupils promote 'a unique family' atmosphere in which pupils develop well. Meeting the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is managed well. Considerable additional support is deployed effectively to meet a wide range of needs including those of more vulnerable pupils. Outside agencies are used well to provide additional support. Pupils with additional English language needs are identified early, and a good range of additional strategies supports language development. The school has satisfactory systems in place to ensure that pupils are safe and protected. Pupils are well supported in their learning. Most pupils know their targets and what they need to do to reach them. The tracking of progress towards those targets is done systematically through an effective school-wide system. This leads to effective identification of underachievement and a range of programmes provides additional

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and deputy headteacher have provided clear leadership for the school since the previous inspection and their planning is leading to considerable improvement. Those have been highly significant factors in moving the school forward from a time when it had substantial weaknesses. Governors give good support and challenge to the leadership to ensure that the school keeps moving forward. The central focus of improvement has been to raise standards by improving the quality of teaching and learning. Many of the plans implemented by the school's leadership are now well established and are leading to an improvement in standards and pupils' attitudes to learning which are evident in the school but are not yet reflected in external test results. There are a number of areas where progress is now good as improved standards are working their way through the school. Systems for checking the school's work are good and well established. The senior

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Grade: 2

leadership's use of data is thorough and effective systems are in place for sharing that data with all staff so that they can ensure suitable targets are set for individual pupils. Subject coordinators are in place for all subjects, but have varying levels of experience in using data in their subjects to inform planning. Some coordinators, new to that role, lack skills to support other members of staff in improving the quality of teaching in the subject. However, leadership roles are well developed in some key areas and such staff are in a good position to help to spread that good practice throughout the school. 5 Inspection Report: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 2007 .

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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: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 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 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 4 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 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: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 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? 8 Inspection Report: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Recently, we visited your school to check on how well you were doing. We enjoyed our two days in your school. Thank you for being so friendly and welcoming to us. We thought you might like to know what we found out about your school and how we think it can improve: • The school has improved a lot recently and provides you with a satisfactory education. • Your headteacher and staff look after you well and make sure that you are safe. • Your behaviour is good and you work and play well together which helps you in your good personal development. • You enjoy the wide range of activities which are available for you and particularly the new opportunities to be involved in expressive arts and music. • Most of you make satisfactory progress in lessons where much of the teaching is satisfactory and you also enjoy some good and some excellent teaching. Your teachers are working hard to improve the quality of their teaching and your learning so that you can make even better

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

progress. • You understand how to keep yourselves healthy and safe. To improve further, we have asked the school to do a number of things: • Improve your standards in literacy, numeracy and science. • Make sure that all the teaching helps you make faster progress in your learning. • Support new leaders in the school in improving the subject for which they are responsible. We hope that you will do your best to help teachers to put these in place and make the school even better than it is. 9 Inspection Report: Forest Lodge Primary School, 18 °19 January 2007

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