Fishwick Primary School

Fishwick Primary School Inspection report

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119333 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 301724 Inspection number 16 °17 May 2007 Inspection dates Geoffrey Yates 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 51 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Councillor Vali Patel Chair Mrs Sarah Nock (acting) Headteacher 1 July 2003 Date of previous school inspection Downing Street School address Preston Lancashire PR1 4RH

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01772 491402 Telephone number 01772 463572 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 16 °17 May 2007 Inspection dates 301724 Inspection number .

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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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Fishwick Primary School is much smaller than primary schools nationally and is situated in an urban inner city area. Pupils are taught in mixed-age group classes. Most families live in housing association or council owned properties. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above average. Pupils are predominantly from White British families. The school has a well above average number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. When children start school, they have low attainment. The governors have recently appointed a substantive headteacher who will take up her post the term after the inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school with strengths in children's personal development and in the personal care it provides, which are both good. It provides satisfactory value for money. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory because teaching and learning are satisfactory and classroom assistants and specialist staff provide much needed support for the large number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children start school with very low attainment, particularly in communication and personal and social skills. They make satisfactory progress through the Foundation Stage, but do not reach the standards expected nationally by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1, but since the previous inspection, standards have declined at the end of Year 2 in reading and writing. However, there has been a significant recent improvement in the standards by the end of Year 6 and standards in English,

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Grade: 3

mathematics and science are broadly average. Pupils enjoy being at school, get on well with everybody and say that they feel safe and valued as individuals; they have positive attitudes to learning. One child commented, ‘Everybody is friendly, lessons are fun and you can always talk to teachers if something is wrong.’ As a result of school initiatives to improve pupils' behaviour, it is now good in and out of classes. Pupils understand the importance of staying healthy and enjoy taking part in regular exercise. For example, sporting initiatives such as those organised in conjunction with the local professional football club are much looked forward to and enjoyed by pupils of all ages. Older pupils enjoy helping younger children at break-times as playground leaders and those on the school council take their responsibilities very seriously. The school does all it can to improve links with parents; for example, regular newsletters are informative about what is happening in school. Parents

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Grade: 3

feel that their children are well cared for and the inspectors agree. Pupils' attendance, which is average, has improved significantly in the last four years owing to the very good work of the learning mentor to encourage pupils and parents to appreciate its importance. Teaching, learning and the curriculum are satisfactory overall. Teachers work very well with support staff and lessons are suitably organised and pupils managed well. However, particularly in Key Stage 1, pupils have insufficient opportunities to apply their reading and writing, in all subjects. The marking of pupils’ work and teachers’ use of assessment data is used insufficiently to help pupils improve their work or plan the next stages of their learning. The quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. Governance is satisfactory. However, the school’s development plan does not show with sufficient clarity what the school intends to do

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Grade: 3

and who is to do it. The acting headteacher has carried out her responsibilities very well and has taken action to bring about improvements. An improved system of monitoring teaching and learning has shown the staff what needs to be done to improve provision. Recent improvements in standards at Key Stage 2 and the accuracy of the school’s self-evaluation show that the school has a satisfactory capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in reading and writing, particularly in Key Stage 1, providing pupils with more opportunities to develop their skills in all subjects. • Improve the quality of marking of pupils’ work. • Ensure that teachers use assessment information more effectively to plan pupils’ learning. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007 • Ensure that the school’s development plan is a more effective tool for school improvement. 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.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall but faster progress in Key Stage 2 than in Key Stage 1. Standards are broadly average by the end of Year 6. Children enter the Foundation Stage with low attainment compared to what is expected of children their age, particularly in their social and communication skills. Progress in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and, by the end of Reception, children have gained valuable skills and knowledge, although their attainment is below the excepted levels. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2, but standards have declined and are below average in reading and writing. Standards have fallen in recent years, in part because the school has not made effective use of information about pupils’ progress to ensure they all achieve as they should. However, pupils make faster progress in Key Stage 2 that in Key Stage 1, and the most

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Grade: 3

recent national test results of the Year 6 pupils are broadly average in English, mathematics and science, with targets being met. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress through the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, as well as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of helping those less fortunate than themselves. This is reflected in the significant amount of money they raise for charitable causes. They like school, as shown by improving attendance; they behave well and enjoy their lessons. The school's learning mentors are highly successful in helping pupils with behavioural problems and low self-esteem to do the best they can. As a result, pupils feel valued and respond accordingly. Pupils feel safe and form good relationships with adults and their peers and their successes are recognised. However, they do not take sufficient pride in their written work, which is often poorly presented. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles. One pupil said, ‘I am pleased there is not a lot of junk food and that school dinners are healthy.’ Pupils

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Grade: 2

take on responsibility for helping the school run smoothly. Older pupils act as playground leaders and as a result they benefit in terms of taking responsibility for younger pupils. The school council gives all pupils a say about what should be improved and a suggestion box is available. Pupils say they are proud to be council members and to have a say in their school. By the time pupils leave school, they are prepared satisfactorily for the next stage of learning because they have a sound grounding in basic skills.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, but there is some good teaching in Key Stage 2. Teachers and support staff work well together and, as result, learning is made interesting. Key 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007 strengths of teaching are the support given to individual pupils and the way pupils’ behaviour is managed. In the Foundation Stage, children are provided with plenty of opportunities to develop not only their academic skills but also their social skills and this continues throughout the school. Teachers encourage all pupils to take an active part in lessons, especially during discussions. However, the teachers do not use assessment data well enough to plan pupils’ learning, particularly at Key Stage 1, and so pupils are not always challenged sufficiently. The marking of pupils’ work does not show them clearly enough how to improve. When teachers

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Grade: 3

do make written comments they do not check rigorously enough that pupils do what is required.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Careful planning of personal, social and health education promotes good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. The work of the learning mentors has a positive impact on personal development. Steps have been taken to improve the quality of the curriculum with regard to writing. The staff are developing curriculum planning systems to ensure that the needs of pupils in mixed-age group classes are met well in terms of skill development. Children have access to all aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum but the lack of a well resourced outside area places limitations on the quality of provision. The curriculum is enriched with lunchtime and an after school club, residential visits and visitors to school, which all make a strong contribution to pupils' learning and enjoyment.

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Grade: 2

The quality of personal care, guidance and support is good. The school’s procedures that ensure pupils' safety, including child protection and checks on staff are embedded in all the school's work. Numerous strategies, such as the school’s behaviour improvement programme, have proved very effective in supporting pupils with learning or behavioural difficulties. Since the introduction of learning mentors the whole-school ethos has been improved. Incidents of misbehaviour have declined considerably and, in general, playtimes are harmonious, social occasions. New arrangements for monitoring pupils' academic development are in place but as yet the information gathered has not been used to have a full impact on pupils’ progress.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The acting headteacher has carried out her responsibilities very well and has been successful in ensuring that the school continues to move forward despite the lack of a permanent headteacher. Appropriate systems for monitoring pupils' progress, attainment and the quality of teaching and learning are in place but have not yet had sufficient time to have had an effect on standards, although early signs are promising. Strategies to deal with the issues of attendance and behaviour, mentioned in the previous report, have been successful. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and satisfactory, but the school development plan does not show clearly enough what needs to be done and by whom. Governors support the school and carry out their required duties. Parents and pupils are consulted on a regular basis. The school has made good progress since the previous inspection

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Grade: 3

in raising standards in English and mathematics in Key Stage 2. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 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? 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

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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

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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 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

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and interests of learners?

2 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

18 May 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Fishwick Primary School, Preston, PR1 4RH Thank you for the very friendly welcome you all gave me when I visited your school recently. I really enjoyed my time with you and seeing you in lessons. I promised the school council that I would let you know what I thought. I am pleased to tell you that I agree with your headteacher that your school gives you a satisfactory standard of education. I agree with you that your teachers and other adults make lessons interesting and that if you need help you get it. There are a couple of things that I have asked the staff to do to make your school better. Firstly to help those of you in Years 1 and 2 reach higher standards in reading and writing and have more chance to use your skills in all subjects. I have also asked all your teachers to make sure that their marking of your work and the information they have about your progress is used to make sure that you are always challenged to do your best. You

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

can all help your teachers and yourselves by writing neatly and by taking notice of any comments they write in your books to help you to improve. Your behaviour is good and I was very impressed with how polite you were. You told me that you feel safe in school and that if problems occur an adult will sort it out quickly when you tell them about it. The school council is busy on your behalf and members enjoy being able to take new things forward to make life better for you. The headteacher and governors are going to bring together all their ideas in a special written plan about how to make the school even better. Keep on working hard so you can continue to play a big part in ensuring that your school continues to improve. Yours sincerely Geoffrey Yates Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Fishwick Primary School, 16 °17 May 2007

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