Queenswood Primary School and Nursery

Queenswood Primary School and Nursery Inspection report

p.1

123415 Unique Reference Number Telford and Wrekin Local Authority 292655 Inspection number 13 °14 June 2007 Inspection dates Ted Wheatley Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 148 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Matthew Stafford Chair Deborah Cawte Headteacher 1 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection Yates Way School address Ketley Bank Telford TF2 0AZ

p.1

01952 386961 Telephone number 01952 386960 Fax number

p.1

3 °11 Age group 13 °14 June 2007 Inspection dates 292655 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

The school is smaller than most primary schools. Pupils come almost entirely from White British backgrounds with a very small number of pupils from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is above average. Skill levels on entry to the school are very low and pupils have very poor early literacy, numeracy and social skills. A higher than average proportion of pupils has learning difficulties and many pupils exhibit behavioural difficulties.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007

p.3

Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory and improving school. There have been many staff changes in recent years, some of which have severely disrupted pupils' progress. However, staffing is now more settled and, under the very strong leadership of the headteacher, together with the high level of commitment of all staff, pupils' achievement is satisfactory and improving. Standards are well below average but in every year group there is evidence of accelerating progress. Children in the Foundation Stage, and especially in the Nursery class, make good progress. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher, with good support from senior staff, gives very clear direction for improvement. Recent staff changes mean that there are relatively inexperienced staff in some posts of responsibility, but the school has an extensive programme of training to support them. The school has an accurate view of what it needs to

p.4

Grade: 3

do to improve and the improvements in teaching and the focus on raising standards are having a marked effect on pupils' progress. The school is not where it wants to be in terms of standards and achievement, but it has the right approaches in place and is on the way to reaching its challenging targets. The capacity for further improvement is satisfactory. Particular gains have been made in pupils' progress in literacy and numeracy because teachers match work closely to pupils' learning needs. They make sure that there is good support for all pupils and that pupils' behaviour is managed effectively. Despite these strengths, teaching is satisfactory because there are still some weaknesses. Teachers do not always provide enough opportunities for pupils to practise and gain confidence in their speaking and writing skills in subjects other than English. In addition, teachers' subject knowledge in science is not consistently

p.4

Grade: 3

good and this has an impact on planning and teaching. The curriculum is satisfactory and good in literacy and numeracy. This is because the school is rightly focusing on literacy and numeracy as first priorities. As a result, planning for science has not been sufficiently developed. The curriculum includes a very wide range of trips, visitors and activities that make it lively and interesting. The range of clubs, sports and other activities that pupils can join out of school time is wide and many pupils take part in these. Pupils' personal development is satisfactory. The great majority of pupils enjoy school, behave well, get on well together and are considerate of each other's feelings. Their attendance is satisfactory and has improved as a result of the efforts of the school to impress on pupils and parents the importance of regular attendance. Pupils behave safely around school and most eat healthily and take part in physical activities. The quality of care, support and guidance is

p.4

Grade: 3

satisfactory and the school is a safe place to be. All adults are sensitive and provide considerable support for pupils and their parents. Academic guidance for pupils is well established, but pupils do not always understand what it is they need to do to make their work better.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve achievement and raise standards in English by making sure that opportunities for pupils to practise their speaking and literacy skills are provided in all subjects. • Improve achievement and standards in science by ensuring teachers have good subject knowledge and the curriculum is well planned. • Raise standards by making sure that pupils understand consistently what they need to do to improve their work. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007 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.

p.4

Grade: 3

Taking into account very low starting points, pupils' achievement is now satisfactory. Even though standards are well below average by the time that they leave in Year 6 there are signs of improvement this year. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well, especially in the Nursery class. In the Reception class achievement is slightly slower than in the Nursery because children are taught with Year 1 pupils and the curriculum is more suited to the older pupils. Despite their good progress, standards are well below expectations at the end of the Foundation Stage. In Years 1 to 6 achievement is satisfactory, a measure of the successful strategies the school has introduced to improve standards, after several years of underachievement. The overall picture is one of rising standards and improving achievement because work is challenging, pupils' progress is tracked and their learning needs clearly identified. There are still pockets of

p.5

Grade: 3

underachievement in literacy, mainly because pupils do not consistently practise speaking and writing in all subjects. In science, achievement is sometimes unsatisfactory partly because of insecure teacher knowledge and partly because work is not planned well enough. Pupils' improved literacy and numeracy skills mean that they are adequately prepared for their future learning. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make satisfactory progress. A minority make good progress because of effective support by teachers and teaching assistants.

p.5

Grade: 3

Pupils enjoy school and by Year 6 most are confident, caring individuals. Attendance is now satisfactory because the school has worked hard to improve it. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are generally good. A very small number behave badly and this sometimes disrupts lessons or upsets other pupils, but for the most part this is dealt with well. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and pupils have a very good understanding of their own culture and enjoy visiting museums and theatres. Their understanding about living in a multi-racial society is satisfactory. Pupils know how to stay safe and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They talk knowledgably about eating healthily but do not always choose healthy snacks at playtime. Older pupils work effectively as mentors, befriending and playing with younger children. They develop a sound understanding about business and currently run a fruit shop and raise funds for end of term

p.5

Grade: 3

trips. Pupils have satisfactory links with the local community and raise money for charities. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007

p.5

Grade: 3

Teachers establish good relationships with pupils and manage pupils' behaviour effectively. They generally plan lessons well to ensure that work matches the full range of pupils' abilities and is challenging. Lessons are often interesting and catch pupils' imagination. Teachers work effectively with teaching assistants and provide sound support for pupils, especially those with learning difficulties. Work is marked regularly, but pupils do not always act upon the comments made to improve their work. Teachers sometimes miss opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their speaking and literacy skills in other subjects. For example, teachers ask pupils to complete work sheets instead of writing up science experiments, or miss opportunities in technology for pupils to share their findings with the class. In science, teachers' lack of subject knowledge sometimes leads to pupils making insufficient progress.

p.6

Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory, and it is good in literacy and numeracy where work is well matched to pupils' learning needs. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well to reinforce learning in other subjects. However, there are too few planned opportunities for pupils to present work in written reports or make spoken presentations to build their confidence and skills. In science, all aspects of the subject are fully covered, but lack of organisation means there is repetition and limited challenge as pupils move through the school, and pupils notice this. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good, especially in the Nursery. The school has responded well to children's lack of skills on entering the Nursery. There are many carefully planned opportunities for children to speak and start to write, to learn about numbers and to play and work together. Plans to improve the curriculum further are advanced and will come into force

p.6

Grade: 3

when the Reception class is taught separately from Year 1 for literacy and numeracy from September 2007. The wide range of visits, visitors and resources catches pupils' imagination and widens their interests. For example, pupils have sung at the Wembley Conference Centre, where a large number of parents accompanied them, and have plans to sing at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. The range of out-of-school activities is good, with many physical, cultural and recreational clubs and the level of participation is good.

p.6

Grade: 3

The school has secure procedures and polices to ensure pupils' safety and to deal with bullying and racist incidents. There are good procedures for settling young children into the Nursery, enabling them to quickly settle and enjoy school life. The school works well with other agencies to support individual pupils. Staff show great sensitivity to pupils' individual needs, befriending those with problems and working closely with parents. The work of the learning mentor in particular is much appreciated by pupils and parents. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007 Pupils' academic progress is tracked carefully and whilst pupils are given targets to improve their work, these are not always successful because they are often in language that pupils do not always understand.

p.6

Grade: 3

The headteacher provides very good direction for the school's improvement and she is well supported by senior staff. Staff are highly committed to planned improvements, but recent changes to staffing and some unfilled responsibilities mean that there is some variation in the quality of the leadership and management in different areas. The school has a detailed programme of training and support to resolve this. The school's self-evaluation is accurate, and the policies and procedures put in place are starting to have a positive impact on how well pupils achieve, although this is still at an early stage. Targets are challenging and the capacity for further improvement is satisfactory and improving. Governors are effective and meet their statutory responsibilities. They are well informed and provide a good level of challenge to the headteacher in attempts to drive up standards. The school has very good links with support agencies, the local community and the local

p.7

Grade: 3

authority. They contribute effectively to improving teaching and learning and supporting pupils with learning and behaviour difficulties. The school responds well to pupils' and parents' views and does its best to address their concerns. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007 .

p.7

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: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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 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

p.9

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

p.9

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 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007

p.9

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: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, Telford, TF2 0AZ We very much enjoyed being at your school. You made us feel very welcome because you were friendly, polite and very helpful to us while we were there. We spoke to quite a number of you and you helped us to gain a clear view of your school. These are the main things we found out about your school. • Your school gives you a satisfactory education and it is improving. • The headteacher and other staff are doing a sound job. They are working really hard to make this a good school. • Your progress is satisfactory, and you are doing best in English and mathematics. Even so, you could be reaching higher standards. • Teaching is satisfactory and a lot of it is good. Teachers make you work hard and make sure the work is what you need to do even better. • Most of you behave well. Your attendance is satisfactory and improving, and you enjoy

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

school. Most of you eat healthily and take part in the physical activities. • The school gives you sound advice and support. It takes good care of you and it is a safe place. • You enjoy all the extra activities and trips the school organises. To improve things further, we have asked the school to do the following. • Improve how well you do by making sure there are lots of opportunities to practise your speaking and writing in all subjects. • Improve how well you do in science by making sure teachers are well informed about the subject and by planning the subject better. • Make sure you all understand how you can improve your work. With best wishes T Wheatley Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Queenswood Primary School and Nursery, 13 °14 June 2007

p.11