Fishburn Primary School

Fishburn Primary School Inspection report

p.1

114095 Unique Reference Number Durham Local Authority 295387 Inspection number 13 °14 March 2007 Inspection dates Moira Fitzpatrick 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 224 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Mr John Irvine Chair Mr Daniel Eason Headteacher 1 January 2006 Date of previous school inspection East View School address Fishburn Stockton-on-Tees TS21 4AU

p.1

01740 620162 Telephone number 01740 620162 Fax number

p.1

3 °11 Age group 13 °14 March 2007 Inspection dates 295387 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 about average size, with many more boys than girls on roll. Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average, so too is the proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. When children join the school in the Nursery their attainment is broadly typical for three-year-olds except in their personal, social and emotional development and their language development, where their attainment is below what is usually seen at this age.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

p.3

Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school no longer requires significant improvement. The school has made rapid improvement since the last inspection. Its effectiveness is now satisfactory and it has improved well in some areas. Curriculum, leadership and management, and some aspects of care, guidance and support are now good. The quality of teaching has improved and pupils make better progress than formerly. Provision in the Foundation Stage is very good and children make good progress, except in some aspects of reading and writing, where progress is slower. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and they reach standards that are in line with the national average by Year 6. Teaching is satisfactory and has some good features which motivate pupils to learn. The school has enough good and outstanding teaching from which to draw good practice to develop further the skills of all teachers. Now and again, a few pupils, especially

p.4

Grade: 3

the lower attaining and more able, need either more support or challenge in their learning. Nevertheless, pupils’ learning is improving because of changes to the curriculum, which is responsive to their needs and interests. It provides a strong basis for their good personal development by encouraging them to adopt healthy lifestyles. They are developing a good understanding of other cultures and what it means to live in a multicultural society. Pupils behave well, know the difference between right and wrong, and from an early age they develop the skills to help them get on with others. They have good attitudes in lessons and enjoy school very much. This is seen in the quality of handwriting and presentation in their books which is excellent and shows the pride they take in their work. Pupils’ independence and confidence are well promoted so that they seize opportunities to improve their own school and the local community. All these skills and qualities prepare them

p.4

Grade: 3

well for the future. Pupils are well cared for and say they feel safe in school. Parents agree that teachers take good care of their children, and say that, ‘Children’s views are taken seriously and listened to’. Leadership and management are good. The senior leadership team has devised good systems for staff to monitor how the well school is doing and have created an atmosphere where all staff feel involved in contributing to the school’s rapid improvement. Governors are dedicated to the school’s improvement and bring much expertise and commitment to helping it move forward. Staff and governors have worked together extremely well since the last inspection to ensure that standards and pupils’ progress have improved swiftly.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve learning about letter sounds, and children’s writing by the end of Reception. • Raise standards for lower attaining pupils, and increase the number of pupils who exceed the expected level for their age at the end of both key stages.

p.4

Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. They make satisfactory progress to reach average standards in Year 6. Children start in the Nursery with attainment that is slightly below that which is 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007 typical for their age. They make good progress and most reach the goals set for their learning by the end of Reception, except in learning about letter sounds and some aspects of writing. By the end of Year 2, pupils make satisfactory progress to reach broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. In last year’s national assessments, standards were close to the national average, though girls did much better than boys. The school has responded well to this with a new curriculum in Year 1 which is working well to improve boys’ motivation and achievement. In the juniors, pupils are making satisfactory progress, with some making good progress,

p.4

Grade: 3

especially in Years 3, 5 and 6. Results in national tests last year showed that pupils in Year 6 had made satisfactory progress from Year 2. They reached standards that were slightly below average in English and mathematics and average in science. Huge improvements in pupils’ writing led to the school almost doubling the percentage of pupils who achieved the expected level in the tests. The school has set challenging targets for this year and is on course to meet them. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities generally make the same progress as other pupils.

p.5

Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils have opportunities to reflect on their learning, to explore their own feelings and to consider the feelings of others. The result is that their behaviour is good, ensuring that they enjoy their lessons and feel safe and secure in school. Pupils’ attendance is satisfactory and improving this year. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles by eating sensibly and taking part in plenty of exercise because the school provides many opportunities that encourage pupils to do this. Pupils have good levels of independence and confidence because they are expected to make a contribution to the school and wider community and begin to do this from an early age. The School Council is active in making decisions about what happens within the school community, and older children enjoyed making a DVD that helped with a successful bid for substantial lottery funding to improve play facilities in the village community. Pupils’ confidence, their improving skills in

p.5

Grade: 2

information and communication technology (ICT) and their ability to work both independently and collaboratively, all contribute to their good preparation for their future economic well-being.

p.5

Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teaching seen during the inspection was good and some was outstanding; all lessons contained elements of good teaching and pupils’ progress accelerated as a result. The improvements to teaching mean that there are increasing numbers of pupils making good rather than satisfactory progress. This is a result of the school’s focus on regular assessment and monitoring of pupils’ work. Teachers now set targets for pupils in lessons. They mark pupils work conscientiously and give advice on how to improve. For lower attaining pupils, this advice is not always easily understood, and some teachers do too little to create smaller steps for the learning of these pupils. For more able pupils, the targets are not always high enough. Where teachers make good assessments of pupils’ learning, they have high expectations of pupils and 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

p.5

Grade: 3

set challenging targets for all groups. In these lessons pupils relish the challenges; they enjoy the thrill of their success and are rightly very proud of their achievements. Teachers are using a wide range of learning strategies. Pupils’ report how much more they enjoy lessons when they learn through discussion, work with a partner to solve a problem, or engage in practical activities. Older pupils also enjoy the competition of league tables and work hard to beat their own ‘last best’.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It serves the needs of all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and those who are vulnerable. It has undergone considerable improvement since the last inspection, especially in Year 1 where provision has been adapted to allow pupils to continue learning through play and exploration. Standards are rising quickly in both mathematics and English as a result of these changes. Provision in the Foundation Stage, especially for outdoor learning, has improved well since the last inspection. In the older classes, the curriculum has been adapted to take more account of the interests of boys. This is improving boys’ motivation and achievement. Teachers make good provision for developing pupils’ literacy, numeracy and ICT skills and there is good emphasis on speaking and listening skills. The curriculum is well enhanced by visits and visitors who help broaden pupils’ view of learning. The increasing number of extra-curricular activities, that include a

p.6

Grade: 2

lunchtime chess club are well-attended and give pupils the opportunity to develop new interests and talents. Good links with the local secondary school enrich opportunities for sport.

p.6

Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. The school’s pastoral care and support for pupils’ personal development are good. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils, child protection and risk assessment are in place and used by staff. Children feel safe at school. As one child said, ‘Teachers praise us when we’re good and help us if we’re stuck.’ As a result, they feel good about themselves. They are well cared for by all staff in the school. Guidance for pupils’ academic development is satisfactory and improving. However, not all teachers consistently plan activities matched to the abilities of their pupils. This is especially so for higher and lower attaining pupils. Because of this, pupils’ progress is satisfactory rather than good. Parents of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities appreciate the efforts made by teachers to include their children in the life of the school. The responses from parents

p.6

Grade: 3

in their questionnaires were positive, with parents showing a good level of confidence in the school to care for and educate their children well. The school has good links with local schools, and external agencies which provide specialist support when needed.

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good because of the headteacher’s very good direction and his support for the development of senior leaders. Good self-evaluation has allowed senior leaders to identify accurately what the school needs to do to improve. They have taken effective 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007 action, bringing improvements to standards in writing, mathematics, and to the quality of the curriculum and the teaching. All staff in the school share the headteacher’s vision for high achievement for pupils. They have worked hard since the last inspection to tackle weaknesses. The result is that standards are rising and progress is improving. All teachers are developing leadership and management expertise as the headteacher’s ambitions for the school are put into effect and roles are enlarged. Given the improvements to leadership and management, the school has a good capacity for further improvement.

p.6

Grade: 2

Governors continue to bring very good support and expertise to the service of the school. They have a very good first hand knowledge of standards and how the school is developing and they are ambitious for it to do well. Parents are very pleased to have been consulted about their views of the school. They are very supportive of recent changes and feel fully involved as partners in their children’s learning. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007 .

p.7

Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 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 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

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?

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: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 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: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Fishburn Primary School East View Fishburn Stockton-on-Tees TS21 4AU 14 March 2007 Dear Pupils Thank you for welcoming us when we visited it recently and helping us to find out about it,. You have all helped your school to improve a lot since the inspection last year by working hard to improve your standards in writing and mathematics. Well done! Your good behaviour and kindness to each other were really nice to see and we felt they helped you all feel safe and happy in school. Some of you told us how well your teachers look after and care for you, and how your lessons are becoming more interesting and fun. We agree, and can see that you really enjoy the changes your teachers have worked hard to make. It was good to learn that bullying only happens now and again, and that you know the headteacher will always sort it out quickly. It is so important to your learning that you feel happy and safe in school. Your school is preparing you well for the future by helping you develop important skills and

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

have a good understanding of the world in which you are growing up. It is good to see that you have a good sense of giving something back for all school does for you. We were very impressed with your video to help win funds to improve play facilities in the village and with how you all chip in and help with jobs around the school every day. To help your school to get even better, with think the children in the Foundation Stage could learn more about reading and writing. We think that some of you could achieve more if your teachers planned work that you could manage on your own, so that you feel more confident about your learning and get better at it; and that others of you could do work that is more difficult than it is a present, so you learn faster. Finally, a word about how beautifully you do your work. Your handwriting and presentation are among the best that we have seen. Congratulations! We know how hard it is to keep up

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

high standards like that. For those of you who haven’t got there yet - it is well worth the effort - keep trying! Our very best wishes to you all for the future! Yours sincerely Mr Kemp and Mrs Fitzpatrick Inspectors 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Fishburn Primary School, 13 °14 March 2007

p.11