Rise Park Primary and Nursery School

Inspection Report Rise Park Primary and Nursery School

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122474 Unique Reference Number CITY OF NOTTINGHAM Local Authority 292410 Inspection number 1 °2 March 2007 Inspection dates Roger Sadler 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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Bestwood Park Drive West School address Primary Type of school Rise Park Community School category Nottingham NG5 5EL 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0115 9153775 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0115 9153776 Fax number 369 Number on roll (school) Mr Christopher Pallender Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Karen Slack Headteacher 9 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292410 1 °2 March 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a broadly average sized school. Most pupils are from White British families and almost all speak English as their main language at home. A smaller proportion of pupils than is typical have learning difficulties. The school serves an area where levels of social deprivation are slightly above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. Pupils achieve well and make good progress. The headteacher provides a clear and strong lead. Good leadership and management have resulted in a consistency of approach to important aspects such as how behaviour is managed or how pupils are made aware of where they need to improve their work. Children enter the Nursery with knowledge and skill levels below what is nationally expected. Very good induction arrangements help children make a good start to school and children make good progress with more than half attaining standards expected for their ages by the end of Reception. Pupils continue to progress well in Years 1 and 2, so that by the end of Year 2 standards are broadly average. Throughout the school, care, guidance and support are outstanding. Work is marked carefully and constructively and many pupils, especially older pupils, know their targets and demonstrate a clear

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Grade: 2

understanding of where and how they need to improve. As a result, pupils in Years 3 to 6 make good progress and achieve well. Standards are average overall. In 2006 standards attained by eleven year old pupils were above average. Pupils currently in Years 5 and 6 are attaining in line with national expectations in English and mathematics. Higher attaining pupils make good progress and those with learning difficulties make outstanding progress and achieve very well because staff make careful assessments and ensure they are well supported. The curriculum is outstanding overall and results in very interesting lessons that pupils thoroughly enjoy. The curriculum in Foundation Stage provides particularly good opportunities for children to develop their creative abilities and interests. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils show great enthusiasm for school and especially enjoy weekly Spanish lessons where they speak and read

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Grade: 2

simple Spanish with great confidence. Although the school actively promotes good attendance, levels are below average because a few pupils do not attend regularly. The school's increasing emphasis on exercise and healthy eating is helping pupils adopt healthy lifestyles. Teaching is good overall and teachers form very good relationships with pupils and expect pupils to do their best. Because monitoring and evaluation are rigorous and effective, the school improvement plan focuses on the most important areas and contains appropriate actions to improve standards. However, ways of measuring the effect of actions are sometimes vague and this makes it more difficult for staff and governors to check the impact of the actions taken. Almost all parents and carers who responded through the Ofsted questionnaire are fully supportive of the school. Parents' views reflect the inspection findings and the positive picture of a school with a strong track record of improvement and good

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Grade: 2

capacity to continue to improve further. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the school improvement plan by providing specific criteria to enable the school to judge the effect of the actions taken. 2 Inspection Report: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 2007 • Work to ensure pupils with poor attendance come to school regularly.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and make good progress in school. In Nursery and Reception, because they are well taught, children quickly grow in confidence and make good progress, especially in their personal and social development. By the time they go into Year 1 many are achieving national expectations for their ages in all areas of learning. In Years 1 and 2, pupils are progressing well and, in 2006, Year 2 pupils attained standards around a term behind what is expected nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. The current Year 2 are attaining in line with expectations for their age. In the oldest classes, pupils continue to make good progress because of good teaching and the careful use of assessment. By the time they leave in Year 6, pupils attain average standards overall. Test results attained by 11-year-olds in 2006 were above average. Ambitious targets in English and mathematics have been set for the current

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Grade: 2

Years 5 and 6 pupils. School assessment information and pupils' current work indicate that they are achieving well and attaining in line with what is expected for pupils of their ages.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is good. Their cultural development is also good, supported by the school's strong emphasis on raising awareness of the different cultures within society. Pupils very much enjoy school. Relationships are very good and pupils concentrate well, work hard and behave with consideration for their own and others' safety and feelings. The pupils make good choices in relation to healthy eating, for instance bringing a fruit snack to school to eat at playtime. Many are active participants in the good range of sporting activities the school provides. The school council and peer mediator system enable pupils to show responsibility and be strongly involved in developing the life of the school. During the inspection, the school council held a meeting to organise the school's participation in the 'Red Nose' day charity. Pupils are well prepared for

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Grade: 2

secondary education, the world of work and for life in adult society. Despite the school's procedures to ensure pupils attend well, attendance levels are below average, because a small minority of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers' high expectations, especially in the oldest classes, are reflected in well presented work, good standards of behaviour and in the 3 Inspection Report: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 2007 good progress pupils make. In the Foundation Stage a good balance is struck between practical activities and the teaching of key skills. As a result, children are interested and involved and know what they must do to succeed. All teachers manage and motivate pupils well and very good relationships and a calm atmosphere are strong features. Well trained, high quality teaching assistants work closely with teachers and support pupils very effectively, especially those with learning difficulties who make outstanding progress. Pupils in most classes are often given demanding and interesting tasks and teachers frequently challenge their thinking by asking searching questions

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Grade: 2

and by giving them chances to discuss and prepare answers in pairs before responding to the teacher. Interactive whiteboards are confidently used and add considerable impact to lessons. In a few lessons, especially in Years 1 to 3, the pace can be a little slow and this slows learning. Most teachers are skilled at establishing clear criteria or checklists to help pupils assess their own work. However, in some classes, chances are sometimes missed at the end of lessons to help pupils assess their work against these criteria to clarify and reinforce where they need to concentrate their efforts in future.

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Grade: 1

The school's curriculum is outstanding. It is innovative and creative and provides enjoyment through its variety. Barriers between subjects are broken down to make learning more relevant, interesting and often exciting for pupils. Children in the Foundation Stage get off to a good start because they have some interesting and exciting activities that encourage them to learn. English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) skills are used widely to support work in other subjects. The development of speaking and listening is high profile in the school's work and results in above average standards in speaking and listening. The curriculum is significantly enriched by high quality visits, visitors and special events. For example, visits to Eyam, and visitors, such as local artists, help to bring learning to life. Themed events, such as a Greek Day and a Book Week, and successful school performances

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Grade: 1

help stimulate pupils' interest and promote learning. As a result, pupils' horizons are broadened considerably as they move through the school. Pupils of all ages attend popular clubs, such as creative crafts, chess, gymnastics and gardening. As well as adding to their enjoyment of learning, these rich experiences help to develop healthy and varied lifestyles.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Pupils feel valued and secure and their efforts are acknowledged and celebrated. From when the children first start in Nursery, there are very good procedures to ensure they are happy and settled and parents are given comprehensive materials to help them play a full part in their child's learning. This helps parents make an important contribution to pupils' good progress, especially in reading. There are extremely good arrangements, including staff training, for safeguarding pupils. Staff know the pupils well and encourage them to share and 4 Inspection Report: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 2007 discuss any concerns or worries they may have. Teachers and other staff respond very well to pupils' needs and readily provide guidance in matters of personal development. There is some very useful work underway to provide further support for pupils' social

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Grade: 1

and emotional development and their attitudes to learning. The school has thorough and effective systems for tracking pupils' progress. Potential underachievement is clearly identified and carefully tailored programmes guide pupils to do their best. Staff set targets and, through helpful marking and on-going discussions, help pupils to understand how to improve their work. Classroom displays are of high quality and are used very well to guide pupils' behaviour and help them learn well, especially in writing and mathematics. Teaching assistants work well with teachers and give sensitive support to pupils with learning difficulties and lower attaining pupils, which enables many of these pupils to progress at a faster rate than other pupils.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and are key factors in the school's successes. The headteacher, supported effectively by the deputy head and senior teachers, leads and manages the school very well. She has played a pivotal role in school improvement. Her impressive knowledge of the school is reflected in the school's self-evaluation, which is honest, rigorous and accurate and takes account of the views of staff, governors, parents and pupils. Subject leaders make an effective contribution to monitoring the school's work and helping it improve. The headteacher has very high expectations and this is a school that shows no sense of complacency. All staff are united in their determination to provide a good quality of education for all pupils and there is a strong sense of team spirit. The school improvement plan is understood by staff and governors and focuses on the right issues to help raise standards further.

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Grade: 2

Very effective arrangements for staff training support the consistent implementation of the plan. However, the success criteria in the plan are not always precise enough to enable the school to accurately evaluate what has been achieved. Leadership is further enhanced by the governors of the school who are supportive and play their part in holding the school to account. 5 Inspection Report: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 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: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 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 1 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 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 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: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 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: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

3 March 2007 Dear Children, Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, Bestwood Park Drive West, Rise Park, Nottingham, NG5 5EL Thank you for making Ms King, Mr Pattinson and me so welcome when we came to inspect your school. We are pleased that you show such great enthusiasm for your school. We thoroughly enjoyed talking with you and your teachers and watching you learn. We think your school is well run and is giving you a good education. Adults provide good teaching and outstanding care for you so that you do your best and make good progress. You are being well prepared for the next stage of education and the world of work beyond. You show good understanding of the importance of eating the right food and exercising regularly. Your behaviour is good, you know right from wrong, show consideration for others and are friendly and helpful to each other. You show good understanding of the beliefs and lives of people from other cultures. We

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

were impressed by the work of the school council and how well older pupils take responsibility for helping others within the school. Those of you who find learning hard make excellent progress because the school gives good attention to helping you learn. There are two things that we have asked your school to work on. • To provide clearer ways of measuring the effect of the work the staff do to make the school even better. • To ensure that everyone comes to school regularly so that you can all learn as much as you can. With very best wishes for the future, Mr Sadler Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Rise Park Primary and Nursery School, 1 °2 March 2007

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