Glendale Infant School

Inspection Report Glendale Infant School

p.1

125595 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire Local Authority 293304 Inspection number 23 January 2007 Inspection date David Carrington Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Skye Close School address Infant Type of school Nuneaton Community School category CV10 7LW 4 °7 Age range of pupils 024 76349672 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 024 76343060 Fax number 239 Number on roll (school) Peter McKenna Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Stella Saje Headteacher 7 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection date Age group 293304 23 January 2007 4 °7 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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 one Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Glendale is an average-sized infant school. Most of the pupils live close to the school. The entitlement to free school meals is a little below average. Nearly all the pupils are White British, and very few speak English as an additional language. Just over a fifth of the pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities, which is a little above average.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 2007

p.3

Grade: 3

Glendale Infant School gives its pupils a satisfactory education. It is an improving school. There is now a clear focus on raising the achievement of pupils. The headteacher and senior leaders give good direction to the school and successfully ensure pupils' personal development and well-being are good. The pupils are well behaved and get on well with each other and the staff. They support each other carefully and are proud of everyone's achievements. Pupils enjoy school and are keen to learn. 'Our teachers make learning fun and we like the hard work we have to do' is a typical response from the pupils. They have a good sense of keeping healthy and safe. The personal development of children in Reception is good. Attendance has been below average for a number of years. The school works effectively to improve attendance and, so far this school year, the attendance rate is above that of the last two years.

p.4

Grade: 3

Standards are average by the time pupils leave Year 2. This shows that pupils achieve satisfactorily from their just below average starting point in Reception. Standards fell in 2004 but the school has successfully raised them since then. Standards in writing have been lower than in other subjects for the past few years. The school is making some useful changes to the way writing is taught, which are beginning to show through in improved achievement. Children in Reception make good progress in their literacy and mathematical development. Teaching is satisfactory overall. In a few lessons the pace of work is not brisk enough, which affects the progress made by the pupils because their concentration lapses. Boys and the higher attainers are most affected by the inconsistent pace. The curriculum is satisfactory. The new 'integrated curriculum' is planned to link subjects together more successfully. The programme of activities outside lessons is good. Pupils are

p.4

Grade: 3

given good support and guidance and they are well cared for, although there is inconsistent sharing of targets for achievement with the pupils. The procedures for safeguarding pupils are rigorous. The leadership and management is satisfactory. There are pressures on the budget. This has meant that the school has been unable to appoint a deputy headteacher for some time and the proposed changes to senior posts have had to be postponed. This has slowed improvements in some key areas such as monitoring and evaluation of the school's work because there are not enough staff to take on these responsibilities. Nonetheless, senior managers and governors have a realistic understanding of the school's performance and the capacity for future improvement is assured.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that the pace of lessons is consistently brisk in order to enable the boys and higher attainers to achieve well. • Accelerate the improvement of systems to check and evaluate the work of the school and to share targets for learning with the pupils. 2 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 2007

p.4

Grade: 3

Children in Reception are enthusiastic learners. The staff ensure that the children's achievement is at least satisfactory in all six areas of learning. When the children start school, they have below average levels of skill and knowledge in communication, language and literacy and in their personal, social and emotional development. They progress well in these areas so that by the time they join Year 1, three quarters have achieved all their learning goals and the rest are not far short of their targets. Many pupils make steady progress in Years 1 and 2. The effective support given to pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ensures they achieve soundly. Boys have not achieved as well as the girls in recent years and, like the higher attainers, lose concentration at times when the pace of lessons flags. This means their progress is inconsistent and so they do not all reach the standards of which they are capable.

p.5

Grade: 3

Girls hold their interest over longer periods and their progress is often good.

p.5

Grade: 2

Children in Reception enjoy their work and play in school and they develop good skills of joining in with others and sharing the toys and equipment. Some lack confidence and self-esteem when they start school but, with encouragement, they successfully venture into unfamiliar activities, safe in the assurance that they are under the watchful eye of an adult. Reception children gradually take on more responsibility and independence and are happy to join with older pupils in assembly and other events. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 have a strong sense of their own community and have instigated a system of playground friends to make sure everyone is able to play happily together. Pupils in Year 2 take turns, two boys and two girls at a time, to act as playground friends and they say they enjoy the responsibility this brings. Many pupils took part in the recent concert at Bedworth Civic Hall and are proud that they performed so well

p.5

Grade: 2

for their parents and others in the large audience. The pupils develop the skills of working together, sometimes in teams, and in making decisions. In this way, they are prepared well for their future education and life outside school. In general, their sound development of basic skills, including considerable competence in the use of computers, contributes to their readiness for the future.

p.5

Grade: 3

Teaching in Reception is satisfactory. Learning is based on activities that are an appropriate mix of adult-led and independent investigation activities. Writing and numeracy skills are promoted satisfactorily. Children enjoy the practical activities. They 3 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 2007 were observed to make several new discoveries when exploring the water tray and its contents. They concentrate well when making collages from an attractive mix of materials. In Years 1 and 2, teaching is satisfactory. In a few lessons the pace of learning is not brisk enough, which slows the progress of higher attainers and some of the boys. Lesson planning is thorough and the skills and knowledge to be learned are identified clearly. When marking work, teachers do not always show their pupils how well they have achieved or indicate ways in which they can improve their work. Pupils' achievement is assessed regularly and the information from this is used effectively to

p.5

Grade: 3

match work to the different abilities in class. Pupils work productively and purposefully. Teaching assistants give good support to their pupils, especially those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

p.6

Grade: 3

The curriculum for children in Reception is satisfactory. The school is in the process of improving the outdoor facilities for Reception children in order to give them better chances to broaden their learning, especially in their physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. The focus on early literacy and numeracy is good. The introduction of the 'integrated curriculum' is proving a positive step forward because it is enabling the more successful development of key skills and knowledge in many subjects. There are evident strengths in the curriculum for art and design and information and communication technology, and improvements are being made to the provision to encourage better writing skills. Pupils enjoy the many visits and visitors they encounter and say that they 'like all the different things we do in lessons'. The school provides a good range of out of school clubs, which the pupils thoroughly enjoy.

p.6

Grade: 3

They say they are full of fun activities.

p.6

Grade: 2

One of the school's strengths is the ethos of care and welfare where all pupils are expected to do their best. There are reliable systems for child protection. Relevant checks on all adults working with pupils have been undertaken. The pupils report that they feel well looked after. They know who to turn to if they have any concerns. They say that there is very little bullying and that the school deals effectively with any that may occur. Support and guidance to help pupils achieve well is also good. Individual targets are set for each pupil and these are tracked carefully to identify the progress made towards them. However, these targets are not shared consistently enough with the pupils. 4 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 2007

p.6

Grade: 3

Leadership and management is satisfactory. There are some good qualities of leadership and management, not least in the purposeful direction provided by the headteacher and two temporary senior leaders. Leadership of provision in Reception is sound and the coordination of literacy and numeracy are good. At present, the three key leaders provide most of the ideas and skills to take the school forward. The absence of a deputy headteacher to take responsibility for leading key areas of the school's work means that the headteacher is under much pressure to improve the school further. The school's self-evaluation is satisfactory and key leaders and the governors have an accurate view of the school's work. Other staff are not involved widely enough in this evaluation. The school manages its tight budget soundly. 5 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 2007 .

p.7

Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 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? 3 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 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 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? 8 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You gave me a very warm welcome when I visited your school recently and I thought you were polite and well behaved. I discovered a lot about your school and want to thank you for helping me do this. It is clear that your school gives you a satisfactory education. The other main things I found were: • You reach average standards by the end of Year 2. • Those of you in Reception have fun and make new discoveries every day. • In Years 1 and 2, you want to do well, enjoy school and work hard. • You are taught satisfactorily. • Your teachers and other staff make sure you are safe and well looked after. • Your headteacher expects you to do your best and she leads the school well. There are two important things that can be improved: • Your teachers need to make sure that you can learn well all of the time in lessons. • Not all of your teachers make enough checks to see that your school is as good as possible,

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

or that you are meeting your targets. I know that you will enjoy helping your teachers make these improvements. To start, you can make sure that you listen and concentrate well at all times in lessons. 9 Inspection Report: Glendale Infant School, 23 January 2007

p.11