Ravensmead Primary School

Inspection Report - Amended Ravensmead Primary School

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124056 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire Local Authority 292876 Inspection number 24 °25 January 2007 Inspection dates Brian Holmes 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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Chapel Street School address Primary Type of school Bignall End Community School category Stoke-on-Trent ST7 8QD 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01782 296635 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01782 296635 Fax number 329 Number on roll (school) S Swatton Chair The governing body Appropriate authority David Bell Headteacher 20 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292876 24 °25 January 2007 3°11

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to factual inaccuracy

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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

Ravensmead is a larger than average primary school at Bignall End near Audley in Staffordshire. Most pupils come from the surrounding area. There are below average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and learners with difficulties and disabilities. There are a very small number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features in pupils' personal development and well-being and in their care, support and guidance. It provides good value for money and, under the outstanding leadership of the headteacher, has sustained a good rate of improvement in its performance since the last inspection. The school has a good capacity to improve further. Through hard work, the school has developed a learning environment and an ethos in which pupils prosper both in their academic and personal development. The school motto, 'Be the best you can be,' accurately describes the ethos the school promotes in all aspects of its work. Pupils' achievement is good and their personal development and well-being are outstanding. Throughout the school, pupils make good progress and achieve well. From broadly average attainment on entry to the Nursery, nearly all children reach the goals expected of them by the end of the Reception year and most exceed them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' standards of attainment are above average at the end of both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, particularly in English and in science in Year 6. In mathematics, not as many pupils attain the higher levels as they do in English. Pupils achieve well because leadership and management, teaching and learning and the quality of curriculum provision are all good. The headteacher has an extremely clear vision for the school and has led the staff in focusing on raising achievement. This focus on standards is also evident amongst pupils, as one commented, 'I feel challenged by the work I am set. My teacher always sets me work that stretches me.' The headteacher, governors and staff at all levels have all worked extremely hard to support learning and improve the achievement of all pupils. The use of assessment to monitor and track pupils' progress and then to inform learning is outstanding, as is the involvement of pupils in the assessment of their own learning. The school provides

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Grade: 2

a wide range of activities that enrich pupils' experiences and add value to their education. Pupils' attitudes to school and their involvement in the school are both excellent. Their attitudes to school were summed up by a parent who commented, 'My sons skip into school every day.' As a result of the outstanding care and support the pupils receive they demonstrate outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness and behave well. They feel valued by the school and make a positive contribution to its life in a number of ways, for example older pupils acting as playground buddies for younger pupils. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe and live healthily. The academic guidance provided by the school is also outstanding and results in pupils having an excellent understanding of their targets and what they have to do to achieve them.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase the proportion of pupils reaching Level 5 in mathematics to be more in line with the number of pupils achieving Level 5 in English. 2 Inspection Report: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Since the last inspection there has been a consistent improvement in pupils' achievement and standards of attainment have risen steadily to be above average. Pupils are set challenging targets and their progress is rigorously checked to keep them on track. The school intervenes very effectively to support pupils who need extra help to achieve their targets. Children enter the school with skills and experiences that are in line with what is normally expected for their age. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage, and nearly all children reach the goals expected of them by the end of the Reception year with most exceeding them. The strength of their achievement is in their personal, social and emotional development. In Years 1 and 2 pupils achieve well and attain standards that are above average, particularly in writing. The good progress is sustained in Years 3 to 6, particularly in

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Grade: 2

English and science, where pupils attain above average standards. In mathematics in Year 6, not as many pupils achieve the higher levels as they do in English. The school has put strategies in place to address this issue but the effectiveness of these strategies is yet to be seen. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress because they receive good support to meet their needs.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils clearly enjoy school, have excellent attitudes to learning and behave well. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also outstanding. They participate in a wide range of activities and develop a good understanding of life in other cultures. They feel valued because teachers want them to do their best. Their social development is particularly strong. Pupils make a valuable contribution to both the school and the wider community through their work on the school council, their involvement in deciding school rules and writing sections of the headteacher's report to governors. Pupils work well together to support charities and events in the local community. They learn to be safety conscious and to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Pupils express their views confidently and they demonstrate a mature understanding of rights and responsibilities. Older pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their

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Grade: 1

education. Good personal development results in pupils acquiring the skills and qualities needed for later life. 3 Inspection Report: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good with some examples of outstanding practice. Behaviour is managed well and relationships are good. In lessons, there is a good balance between teacher-led and pupil-focused activities. Teachers use a good range of strategies to stimulate pupils' learning, including information and communication technology (ICT) and opportunities for speaking and listening. These strategies have a positive effect on pupils' attitudes and they respond with interest and enthusiasm. Teachers plan well for pupils with different abilities. This was evident in an outstanding numeracy lesson when all pupils, including those who are gifted and talented, were working on tasks that really challenged and stretched them. The use teachers make of assessment to help pupils improve their learning is outstanding. Pupils themselves are involved in assessing their own learning, and

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Grade: 2

marking gives clear indications of how well they are progressing towards achieving their learning targets. As a result, pupils achieve well because they are clear about what to do next and they can see the progress they are making. The school itself has recognised the need to focus on improving pupils' learning in problem solving and division skills in mathematics in order to help more pupils achieve higher levels in Year 6.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum that meets all statutory requirements and the needs of all pupils. In the Foundation Stage, there is a good emphasis on practical investigations which appeal to the inquisitive nature of young children. A strength of the curriculum is the links made between subjects to make learning interesting and relevant. Pupils get plenty of opportunities to apply their good literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in subjects such as history and science. A particularly good example was seen in Years 5 and 6, when pupils developed their literacy and ICT research skills to write biographies of Lord Shaftsbury. As a result, pupils are finding learning enjoyable so they work hard and achieve well. In mathematics, weaknesses in pupils' problem solving skills have been identified and addressed to improve the curriculum for pupils. There is an outstanding range of enrichment and after school activities which support

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Grade: 2

learning and achievement most effectively. After school clubs meet a wide range of interests and are very well attended. Themes, such as the Mexican days and a Chinese week, extend pupils' knowledge of other cultures and help to prepare them for the future. Visits, visitors and residential experiences further extend the curriculum and contribute positively to pupils' personal and social development. 4 Inspection Report: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Grade: 1

Pupils are extremely well cared for. The safety and security of pupils is the school's highest priority and arrangements for safeguarding pupils are excellent, with thorough risk assessments. Pupils say that they feel the school is a safe place where relationships are very good. Good procedures ensure that attendance is good and unauthorised absence is very low. The school works very well with other agencies to support vulnerable children and those with disabilities. Pupils with learning difficulties are identified early and good arrangements support them well so that they make good progress. The use of assessment to track pupils' achievement and to set challenging targets is outstanding so pupils are guided well to make good progress. Pupils are knowledgeable about their learning targets, which are also shared on a regular basis with their parents. Parents have said that they value the good consultation that allows them to support

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Grade: 2

A strength of the school's leadership and management is the outstanding work of the headteacher, supported well by a committed governing body and an effective leadership team. The headteacher's clear vision has created a consistent sense of common purpose among staff focused on improving standards of achievement and personal development. He is well supported by senior colleagues who, with him, have led improvements in assessment and developments in the curriculum. Effective systems of self-evaluation have been implemented, which include rigorous procedures for checking the quality of teaching and the progress pupils are making. These procedures have led to changes in the way teachers teach and the way pupils are assessed. These are key factors in sustaining pupils' good progress and improving their achievement. Subject leaders have a clear understanding of their management role and work well together to maintain the ethos of a successful and happy school.

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Grade: 2

Governors carry out their responsibilities well. Effective sub-committees are actively involved in the leadership of the school and 'link' governors work well with subject leaders. Parents' views of the school are extremely positive and they have full confidence in the work of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 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: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 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? 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? 2 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?

1 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 1 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: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 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: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so welcoming and helpful when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you and hearing what you had to say about the school. You told us a lot about what you like and what you would like to see improved. We think that 'Fine diners' is a really good idea and we were impressed by how well you all know your learning targets in English and mathematics. We found out many interesting things about the school whilst we were there. These are the main things we found out that your school does well: • You behave well and really enjoy your time in school. • You have excellent attitudes to your learning. • The school provides you with a lot of interesting activities. • You achieve well in your lessons and make good progress. • Your teachers teach you well and take extremely good care of you to keep you safe and healthy. • Your headteacher, the governors and all the adults are helping the school to get better all

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the time. In addition, there is something we have asked the headteacher and the rest of the staff to do in order to make the education you receive at school even better: • To help some of you reach even higher standards in your work in mathematics. You can help your teachers by continuing to work hard and by 'being the best that you can be'. 9 Inspection Report: Ravensmead Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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