Morven Park Primary and Nursery School

Inspection Report Morven Park Primary and Nursery School

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122717 Unique Reference Number Nottinghamshire Local Authority 299914 Inspection number 28 °29 November 2006 Inspection dates Barbara Crane 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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School Street School address Primary Type of school Kirkby-in-Ashfield Community School category Nottingham NG17 7BT 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01623 459395 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01623 459495 Fax number 407 Number on roll (school) C Gear Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mark Watson Headteacher 26 February 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 299914 28 °29 November 2006 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This larger than average primary school serves an area in which more pupils are entitled to free school meals than in most schools. There is a high level of mobility amongst pupils. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is above average. Children's attainment when they start school is well below average. Over the past two years, there have been long-term absences, particularly among the leadership team. The deputy headteacher became acting headteacher in February of this year and was appointed as the permanent headteacher in September.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. Parents rightly feel that it gives their children a good start to their education. Pupils' personal development and well-being are excellent because the staff provide high quality care, guidance and support. They make excellent use of other professionals' advice when necessary. Pupils see the difference the school makes in their lives. In turn, they make the most of their opportunities to make a difference for others, and the oldest pupils set a fine example for the younger ones. Pupils' achievement is good and standards are average by the time they leave. Teaching and learning are good, and relationships between adults and pupils are excellent. Children in the Foundation Stage get a good start and develop very positive attitudes to learning because of the lively environment in which their independence flourishes. There are times when pupils of all capabilities in Years 1 and

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Grade: 2

2 do not make the best possible progress because the work for them is not always pitched at exactly the right level. This is because teachers do not always use their assessments of what pupils can do to build in the right level of challenge. Many pupils in Years 3 to 6 make outstanding progress, particularly in English, because teaching gives them exactly what they need to succeed. A good curriculum is greatly enriched by a wealth of extra activities that boost pupils' enjoyment of school and help them to lead safe and healthy lives. For the youngest children and older pupils, learning is often practically based and so they learn through doing things. Many of the practical resources for teaching literacy and numeracy in Years 1 and 2 are outdated. As a result, this limits the extent to which teachers can plan for pupils to learn through hands-on activities. Good leadership and management underpin the school's success and ensure good

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Grade: 2

value for money. Staff morale is high because they know where they are aiming and are confident they will get the support to achieve their goals. The headteacher's energetic leadership inspires the staff and they happily work with him in checking how well the school is doing. Good self-evaluation has led to the school identifying the right priorities and everyone, including governors, knows what needs to be done. There is good capacity to improve. Good support for teaching has meant that the achievement in Years 1 and 2 seen over the past two years has improved.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that teaching in Years 1 and 2 uses assessments more consistently to adapt work to match pupils' different capabilities. • Improve the quality of resources in Years 1 and 2 so that teaching can better support pupils' practical learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Standards are average by the time pupils leave the school. Good support for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities ensures their progress 2 Inspection Report: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006 is good. Few children in the Foundation Stage meet the goals for their age by the time they start in Year 1, but they make good progress from their low starting point. Children make very rapid strides in their personal, social and emotional development because teaching develops their self-confidence and independence very well. Standards at the end of Year 2 have been average for many years but fell sharply in the last two years. Major factors here have been difficulties with staffing and continuity in teaching. Now that the situation is more stable, achievement has improved and standards are rising. Pupils' progress in Years 1 and 2 still does not match that of the older pupils because

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Grade: 2

the work is sometimes too hard or too easy for them. In Years 3 to 6, pupils often make outstanding progress, particularly in English, where standards are above average. Pupils make faster progress in these years because the level of challenge is pitched at just the right level for pupils' different capabilities.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They are well set up for the future and their enjoyment of school is excellent. The youngest children develop very positive attitudes to learning because they meet with success. The older pupils have the chance to become 'Buddies' and 'peer mediators.' They show considerable responsibility for helping to improve their community and guiding others towards making the right decisions. Pupils say that their work in resolving difficulties and helping others, builds friendships and enables them to reflect on how they can make a difference to other people in their future adult lives. Behaviour is good and pupils have a very well developed sense of fair play and justice. Most pupils put into practice what they have learned about eating healthily and particularly enjoy the nutritious hot meal at lunchtime. Pupils relish the high quality sporting opportunities

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Grade: 1

and feel that these have a beneficial impact on their relationships with each other. They know how to keep safe and have a well-developed understanding of the risks posed by the misuse of drugs and substances. Attendance is good and pupils are pleased when they receive awards for good attendance or the class reaches its target for the week.

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Grade: 2

Excellent relationships and high expectations of behaviour result in calm classrooms and pupils' keenness to learn. Pupils say that teachers are 'friendly, fair and give help when you need it'. Well-trained teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. Teachers in the Foundation Stage use assessments well to plan work that moves children's learning on at a good rate. Children learn self-reliance as well as how to work with others and so their progress in personal development is very rapid. Teachers in all classes promote pupils' speaking very well 3 Inspection Report: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006 and so pupils voice their views confidently. Adults ask good questions to probe pupils' understanding of new ideas. The match of work for pupils' different capabilities is very precise in Years 3 to 6 and leads to outstanding progress for many pupils. In Years

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Grade: 2

1 and 2, there are times when the work planned is not at exactly the right level of difficulty for pupils. This is because teachers do not make the best use of assessments to pinpoint exactly what needs to be learned next. Consequently, the progress made by pupils of all abilities slows at times.

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Grade: 2

An excellent range of extra activities greatly increases pupils' enjoyment of school and supplements the good curriculum. The many visits from health services and sports coaches mean that pupils' learning about health and personal safety is greatly enhanced. Residential trips and visits from musicians, artists and poets add richness and texture to pupils' learning. The practically based curriculum in the Foundation Stage ensures that both girls and boys enjoy learning through doing and make good progress. Initiatives to provide a more practical curriculum are working well in Years 3 to 6. Pupils talk enthusiastically, for example about projects such as working with an artist to create clay figures to represent characters from literature. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 lack some opportunities to learn through practical activities in literacy and numeracy because resources are in short supply or are outdated.

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Grade: 1

The excellent care, guidance and support for pupils mean that they know who to turn to if they face problems in their daily lives. All adults have an excellent understanding of how they can support individual children and are very well trained to do so. Everybody in the school works for the best interests of the pupils and to provide them with what they need to face the future with confidence. The staff keep a close eye on pupils who are vulnerable and track their progress carefully. There is very effective involvement of other professionals within the community to support those pupils who are most in need. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are good. The system for setting targets for individual pupils in their work is working particularly well in Years 3 to 6.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher gives a very clear direction for improvement. His previous knowledge of the staff and pupils has stood him in good stead in moving the school on quickly. Good self-evaluation is firmly based on the analysis of data and frequent checks on teaching and learning. This has led to the identification of where practice is at its best and can be shared. Effective support is given where improvements are needed. This is reflected in children's improved achievement in the Foundation Stage and in Years 4 Inspection Report: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006 1 and 2. The investment in resources for information and communication technology so that all classes have interactive whiteboards has paid dividends in more fully engaging boys' interest in learning. There is still work to do in identifying where other resources for pupils in Years 1 and 2 need improving. Governors work hard to support

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Grade: 2

the school's work. They are in a strong position to help the school improve because they receive very good information from the staff. They have had recent training to further develop their role as 'critical friends' to the school. Parents' and pupils' views are sought and acted upon. This has brought about successful changes to the school's procedures for dealing with bullying. 5 Inspection Report: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006 .

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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: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006

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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 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: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006

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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: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for such a wonderful welcome when we visited recently. You were a big help to us in our work and we enjoyed talking with you. You have a good school that gives you a good start in life. You are right to be proud of it and we can see why your parents are glad you go there. This is what we found out about your school: • good teaching means that you achieve well in your work • you told us that you love coming to school because of all the extra activities you take part in • you behave well and are growing up as very responsible young people who make the right choices in life about keeping safe, healthy and fit • you play a big part in making your school such a happy and friendly place because you help each other and work hard to make things better for everyone • all of the adults take excellent care of you and give you help when you face problems • the staff work hard to get the best for you and they know what to work on next because

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

they check on how well things are going. We have asked your teachers to do these things to make your school even better: • make sure that those of you in Years 1 and Year 2 always get work is just at the right level for and make sure that you have better resources for practical things to help you to learn. You are a credit to your school. You can help your teachers by keeping up your attendance and trying your hardest. We wish you all the best for the future. 9 Inspection Report: Morven Park Primary and Nursery School, 28 °29 November 2006

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