Paget Primary School

103240 Unique Reference Number Birmingham Local Authority 308260 Inspection number 18 °19 June 2008 Inspection dates Andrew McDowall 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 206 School The governing body Appropriate authority Fiona Etheridge Chair Victoria Nussey Headteacher 15 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Paget Road School address Pype Hayes Birmingham B24 0JP 01214 643902 Telephone number 01214 642790 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 18 °19 June 2008 Inspection dates 308260 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average size school. It serves an area where there has been major regeneration in recent years. Overall, the levels of social disadvantage are above average. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds has steadily increased in recent years and is well above average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average and varies considerably from class to class. The numbers of pupils leaving and joining the school throughout each year is above average. Staff mobility is very high. Only the headteacher worked at the school at the time of the last inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. It is improving due to the good leadership of the headteacher and the increasing effectiveness of other leaders and managers. Staffing is now more stable and actions taken by the school have successfully improved the quality of teaching. However, while achievement is now satisfactory overall, the legacy of underachievement at Key Stage 2 is still apparent in pupils' work and in the standards they reach by Year 6. Standards, which are improving in English and science, are satisfactory overall, but weaknesses remain in mathematics because pupils' progress is slower in that subject. Standards in writing are below average. Not enough pupils capable of doing so reach the higher levels in national tests and assessments, but there are early signs that this, too, is improving. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage and their good progress continues in

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Grade: 3

Key Stage 1. Pupils enjoy school and make good progress in their personal development. Older pupils are confident and mature. Pupils are taught about healthy lifestyles, but do not always choose to bring healthy snacks to school or take the opportunities for exercise that are offered to them. They feel safe in school and have confidence in the staff to help them should they be worried about anything. Pupils develop a good understanding of their place in the wider world through the school's extensive international links. Teaching promotes good attitudes to learning. The main reasons why teaching is satisfactory and not good is that some teaching lacks the pace necessary to promote good progress and some of the work set is too easy for the more able pupils. The curriculum is satisfactory and developing well but it does not fully meet the needs of more able pupils in Key Stage 2. A wide range of enrichment activities broaden the horizons of the pupils and provide good stimulation

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Grade: 3

for work in the creative arts. The good pastoral care and guidance pupils receive enables them to make good progress in their personal development. Pupils who find learning difficult, for whatever reason, receive good support and they make good progress. Recent improvements to marking have ensured pupils receive clear guidance on what they need to do to improve. The headteacher is providing clear educational direction to the school and, as a result, standards are rising and the quality of teaching is improving. She has managed the high staff turnover well and has established a staff team who share her commitment to improve the school. Subject and phase coordinators have introduced a range of initiatives to raise standards. There is clear evidence that these are improving teaching and learning, but the full impact of this work is yet to show in end of Key Stage 2 tests and assessments. Recent appointments have strengthened leadership and management in the school. This has

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Grade: 3

had a positive impact on, for example, the quality of assessment and has brought increased rigour to the way pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported in lessons. This, along with the accelerating progress in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, means the school has good capacity to improve. Governors are supportive of the school, but they are not consistently challenging it to improve and their role in monitoring its performance is limited. Some of the school's plans for improvement lack precision regarding how the school will measure its own success. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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Grade: 2

Parents appreciate the good care their children receive in the Foundation Stage. Children start the school with skills and experiences below those expected for their age, particularly in early reading, writing, speaking and listening. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage. By the end of Reception, standards in personal, social and emotional development and mathematics are in line with national expectations. However, although progress is good, standards in early reading and writing are still below average. Teaching is good, the staff work well together and, because they provide a wide range of interesting activities, the children thoroughly enjoy their first taste of school. The classrooms provide good stimulation for children to talk and find out things for themselves. The outside environment is good, but opportunities to use it to reinforce and support learning are sometimes missed. Occasionally, some children

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Grade: 2

would benefit from being taught in smaller groups. The good leadership of the Foundation Stage is demonstrated in the recent improvements to the way children are assessed and the increased progress in children's early reading and writing skills.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in writing across the school and in mathematics in Key Stage 2, particularly for the more able pupils. ■ Improve the pace of lessons and ensure teachers set work that is well matched to the needs of all abilities in the class. ■ Sharpen the targets in the school development plan, be clearer about how the school will measure its success and ensure governors are more involved in monitoring the work of the school. 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 the next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Pupils make good progress in reading and mathematics in Key Stage 1. Progress is satisfactory, but slower in writing, where relatively few pupils are reaching the higher levels. Standards in Key Stage 1 fluctuate from year to year but they are satisfactory overall. Progress in English and mathematics in Key Stage 2 was inadequate in 2007, but this is no longer the case. Standards are rising and pupils are currently making satisfactory progress overall, although progress in mathematics remains slower than in English. Across the school, the more able pupils are not always reaching their full potential. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those learning English as an additional language, receive good support and make good progress. Pupils from minority ethnic groups make satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are polite and friendly and enjoy coming to school. One pupil says, 'It's friendly here.' They say lessons can be fun and they especially enjoy practical science classes. Attendance is 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008 satisfactory. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe, helped by visitors such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, who teach them about safety near water. Pupils move about school sensibly and almost all of them behave well. The behaviour of the very small minority of pupils who occasionally display challenging behaviour is improving. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to take responsibility, for example, as play leaders, peer tutors, reading partners and librarians. The recently reconstituted school council provides a forum where pupils can make their views

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Grade: 2

known. It has bought play equipment with its designated budget, thereby improving the quality of play at break and lunch times. The many visitors to school help pupils develop a good understanding of their place in the community and the wider world. The pupils' satisfactory standards in literacy and numeracy mean they are adequately prepared for their next school and for later life.

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Grade: 3

Teachers manage behaviour well. If pupils lose concentration, teachers and their assistants guide them effectively to avoid misbehaviour disrupting lessons. Relationships are good and pupils work well together in lessons. Teachers are effective role models and are secure in the knowledge of subjects they teach. In some lessons, learning is less effective because introductions are too long. This slows the pace of the learning and limits the progress pupils make. At other times, work is not pitched at the right level for pupils, particularly the more able who are not sufficiently challenged. Teachers use a wide range of assessment information well to support those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Well briefed teaching assistants work closely with teachers to ensure these pupils take a full part in all the activities offered.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is not fully meeting the needs of the more able pupils, and although provision for mathematics in Key Stage 2 is improving, pupils are still not making enough progress in this subject. In addition, although the school has identified the pupils with special talents, there is little provision specifically designed to enable these pupils to reach their full potential. The school is currently developing a curriculum based on key skills that is promoting enjoyment and beginning to make learning more meaningful for the pupils. There are some good examples where the curriculum promotes literacy and numeracy in other subjects, but this is not the case in all classes. The curriculum makes a good contribution to pupils' personal development. A good range of enrichment activities that include events such as Black History Day and the annual visit from the Life Caravan enhance the curriculum. The pupils also enjoy the satisfactory

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Grade: 3

range of after school clubs. Modern foreign language teaching is a positive feature of the curriculum, enabling pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning languages. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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Grade: 2

Pastoral care is good; the school successfully cares for its pupils, including those with specific needs. There are effective systems to monitor the progress pupils are making and this is enabling the school to take effective action where progress is slow. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well looked after and helped sensitively by teaching assistants, both in class and in smaller groups. Pupils have targets in English and mathematics and most know what they need to do to improve. Good links with outside agencies ensure pupils' welfare is swiftly addressed when the need arises. Those who do not speak English at home are also supported well. Arrangements to safeguard pupils and ensure their health and safety are securely in place.

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Grade: 3

The school has an accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses. Senior managers and subject coordinators are monitoring the work of the school and teachers are receiving helpful feedback that is leading to improvement. The school has recognised that there is currently insufficient focus on the evaluation of learning to help the school identify progress pupils make in individual lessons. Senior staff are working with the teachers to set challenging targets for each class and individual pupils. This has contributed to the improved standards seen in reading and writing across the school, but, as yet, it has had less impact in mathematics. The school has good links with other agencies to ensure the well-being of all pupils and it supports families well at points of transition. Partnerships with local schools are effectively supporting the school in the development of its curriculum. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 2 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 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Children Inspection of Paget Primary School, Birmingham B240JP. I would like to start by saying a big thank you to everyone for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school recently to see your work and talk to your teachers. Your school has had many changes of teachers in the past few years and this has affected the progress you make. The good news is that this has improved and your school is getting better. Your school provides you with a satisfactory education. We were pleased to see how well almost all of you behaved and how you get along so well together. Very occasionally, some of you did not behave as well as you should. Please try to be on your best behaviour at all times. You told us you feel safe in school. You know what to do to keep healthy, but some of you do not always bring healthy food to school or take as much exercise as you need to keep fit. We think more of you should join in the clubs the school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

provides for you. You told us you enjoy school and we could see this in the way you work hard in lessons. We have asked your school to do these things to help it to improve.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The first is to improve your work in writing and numeracy so that more of you reach the higher levels in your work. ■ We have also asked the teachers to speed up some of your lessons and set work that is just right for everybody in the class, and be sure those of you who find work easy are given the right work to do. ■ Finally, we have asked your headteacher and the governors to improve the way they write the plans to improve the school and to make sure the governors regularly check how well the school is doing. You can also help by always reading the comments your teachers make in your books and trying to do what they ask you to do to improve your work. Thank you again and good luck for the future. Yours sincerely Andy McDowall Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Paget Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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