Kings Hill Primary School

Kings Hill Primary School Inspection report

p.1

104179 Unique Reference Number Walsall Local Authority 308534 Inspection number 9–10 October 2008 Inspection dates Lois Furness Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 275 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Michael Syrett Chair Simon Titchener Headteacher 10 January 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Old Park Road School address Wednesbury WS10 9JG 01215 686301 Telephone number 01215 267491 Fax number

p.1

3–11 Age group 9–10 October 2008 Inspection dates 308534 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

In this larger than average school, nine minority ethnic backgrounds are represented, the majority of which are of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage. Most children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) with standards well below those expected for their age especially in their language development. A small proportion of pupils are at an early stage of learning English. A below average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. As a result of financial problems, 16 members of staff left the school in the previous year. Following a period of intensive support from the local authority (LA) a new headteacher was appointed in September 2008.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008

p.3

Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school that provides pupils with a safe and friendly environment in which to learn. Parents are supportive. They are looking forward to the future under the guidance of the new headteacher. One parent commented, 'Since the appointment of the new headteacher, the morale of staff, parents and children has lifted. I am excited to see how school is so much better now.' However, all recognise there is still much to do. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The leadership knows monitoring and evaluation procedures have not sufficiently focused on the actions needed to raised standards and achievement. Children get off to a good start in the EYFS, where, because teaching is good, they make good progress. Although progress is satisfactory in Years 1 to 6, standards have been well below average for a number of years. However, over the last year the school has worked hard to improve pupils' mathematics and reading skills and standards are rising in both of these subjects.

p.4

Grade: 3

Achievement overall is satisfactory. Teaching and learning are satisfactory with strengths in relationships and the use of teaching assistants. Bilingual staff effectively support pupils who are at an early stage of learning English. This results in their good progress. Pupils work hard in lessons and have good opportunities to share ideas and work together. They enjoy learning. However, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils are able to do, and consequently the pace of learning is not always fast enough. The intended learning in lessons is not always clear and assessment information is not used consistently to plan activities that meet the needs of all pupils, especially the more able. A new way of marking has been recently introduced which has the potential to be good. However, as yet, marking does not consistently provide clear pointers to pupils as to what they have done well, and how they can improve.

p.4

Grade: 3

Pupils behave well. Their personal development is a strength of the school. They are polite and show good care and consideration for others. They willingly take on responsibility and in so doing make a positive contribution to the life of the school. The satisfactory curriculum is enriched by a wide variety of activities that add further interest to pupils' learning. All staff are committed to the health and well-being of pupils, who say they feel safe and secure in school. Pastoral guidance is good. Considering the unsettled time the school has gone through, there has been satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. Taking into account the teamwork evident in the school now, and the improvement of standards in mathematics and reading, the capacity for further improvement is satisfactory.

p.4

Grade: 2

Children enter school in the Nursery with skill levels well below those expected for their age, especially in communication, language and literacy. A significant proportion of them are at an early stage of learning English. As a result of good teaching, children make good progress, although by the end of Reception standards are below average. Good induction procedures ensure children quickly settle in school. The skilful bilingual staff support these procedures well. Parents benefit from being able to communicate in their home language, and this ensures good communication between parents and the school. All procedures for ensuring children's welfare and safety are good. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008 Children are happy, behave well and find learning fun. A well planned curriculum promotes this and there is a good mix of activities that children choose for themselves and those that are led

p.4

Grade: 2

by an adult. Staff make good use of the outside area, including the unusual feature of a 'dabbling pool'. Assessment information informs next steps of learning but in the past, end-of-year assessments have not been accurate. The good leader and manager is aware of this weakness. She is working closely with staff to ensure that assessments now provide a more accurate picture of what children are able to do when they enter Year 1.

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the pace of learning by raising teachers' expectations of what all pupils are able to do, especially the more able. ■ Ensure teachers provide pupils with clear guidance about successes and improvement points when marking work. ■ Ensure teachers use assessment information consistently to plan the right level of work for different groups of pupils. ■ Ensure leaders at all levels are involved in rigorous monitoring and evaluation procedures that focus sharply on the actions needed to accelerate pupils' progress. ■ 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.

p.5

Grade: 3

Although progress is satisfactory, there are pockets of better progress, particularly in mathematics and reading, where the school has worked hard to raise standards. Even so, pupils could do better, as standards overall have been well below average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 for a number of years. Recent information suggests an improving picture. This is confirmed by the performance of Year 6 pupils in the 2008 National Curriculum tests in mathematics, when pupils attained standards that were broadly average. Reading also was broadly average, although weaker writing skills affected overall English attainment. Since September, pupils have made a promising start and ongoing class work shows they are making satisfactory progress. Achievement is satisfactory. The support given to pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities enables them to make satisfactory progress. Pupils who are at an early stage of learning English, mainly in the EYFS

p.5

Grade: 3

and Year 1, make good progress because of the well targeted support they receive from bilingual staff.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy learning and behaviour is good. Attendance broadly matches the national average. Pupils know how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and eagerly take part in the many sporting activities offered to them. Messages about keeping safe in and outside of school are understood and followed, but pupils are not as clear about the dangers of the Internet. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have positive and tolerant attitudes towards each other, and respect each other's differences. They are proud to be members of the school council or the eco committee. Older pupils welcome the responsibility 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008 of looking after the younger ones. Such opportunities enable pupils to develop their understanding of the importance of community cohesion. They also promote the warm, friendly atmosphere evident throughout the school. Pupils have good social skills, and work well together.

p.5

Grade: 2

This, alongside their improving literacy and numeracy skills, means they are satisfactorily prepared for their future.

p.6

Grade: 3

Good relationships ensure pupils are attentive and enjoy lessons. This means in classrooms there is a busy working atmosphere. One child said, 'Teachers are good here; they will always help you if you are stuck.' Pupils are often encouraged to work together and 'talk partners' ensure all pupils are involved in answering questions. Teaching assistants, including bilingual support staff, effectively support those pupils who need extra help. The intended learning of the lesson is shared with pupils who use this as a title for their written work. However, some teachers are not clear enough about what pupils are expected to learn. This means they are unable to provide pupils with clear guidance about the good features of their work, and how they can improve. Staff are trying hard to use the new guidance for literacy and numeracy to support planning. However, assessment information is not used sufficiently well to ensure all

p.6

Grade: 3

groups of pupils, especially the more able, receive work that fully matches their needs. Expectations of learning are not high enough, and consequently the pace of learning in some lessons is too slow.

p.6

Grade: 3

The curriculum meets statutory requirements but as yet it is not planned to fully meet pupils' needs and interests. For example, the curriculum for Years 1 and 2 pupils does not fully engage boys, as they perform less well than girls in reading and writing. Enrichment is good, with pupils having the opportunity to go on a wide range of educational visits. They benefit from working with a variety of visitors such as professional sports coaches, including a dance instructor. Such activities effectively develop pupils' social and sporting skills and widen their experiences. There is a good personal development programme that successfully promotes pupils' understanding of healthy lifestyles, personal relationships and environmental issues.

p.6

Grade: 3

Pastoral and personal care is good. Pupils feel safe and parents are confident their children are looked after well. Child protection procedures and arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet requirements. Effective work with community services helps nurture social development, and contributes strongly to this racially harmonious school. A new system for tracking pupils' progress has been introduced this year but the leadership knows it is too soon to assess its effectiveness in identifying weaknesses in the learning of different groups of pupils. The quality of marking is inconsistent and teachers do not make it clear to pupils why they have achieved their learning targets or how to improve. Marking practice is better in English than in other subjects. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008

p.6

Grade: 3

Despite a troubled year due to financial difficulties resulting in many staff redundancies, the school has turned a corner. The intensive support from the LA has been instrumental in this, stabilising staffing, improving pupils' progress and bringing the school to a point ready for the new headteacher. Already a good team spirit is evident. The new leadership team has a good understanding of the work ahead of it, particularly in improving teaching and learning. All are keen and eager to improve achievement for pupils. Subject leaders also know the developments needed to move forward. Even though monitoring and evaluation are satisfactory, there is insufficient checking that the actions taken are those needed to improve pupils' achievement. Governance is satisfactory. Governors are enthusiastic and as the programme for reducing the deficit budget is now under way, they are starting to develop their role of holding the school

p.7

Grade: 3

to account. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008 .

p.7

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: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008

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

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? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

p.9

EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

p.9

Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 4 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/or disabilities make progress

p.9

Achievement and standards

1 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: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008

p.9

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which 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

p.10

learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.10

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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Children Inspection of King's Hill Primary School, Wednesbury, WS10 9JG Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed meeting you and seeing the things you do. I would like to tell you we consider your school to be a satisfactory one. These are some of the things we found out.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your school is a happy and friendly place, where you say you feel safe.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You all seem very happy about your new headteacher who you say is making many changes to the school. ■ Those of you in the Nursery and Reception classes get a good start because teaching is good.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Progress is satisfactory overall. However, you all seem to be doing much better now in mathematics and reading than you did in the past. Keep this up! ■ Those of you who are learning English for the first time make good progress because of the good extra support that you are given. ■ You enjoy working together, you work hard and you like your teachers.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

In order that your school gets better we have asked your headteacher, staff and governors to make sure that:

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ teachers plan lessons that help you all to make faster progress, especially those of you who find learning easy ■ marking helps you to know how well you are doing and what you need to do to get better

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ information about what you can do already is used carefully to plan work that makes you all think hard ■ all leaders regularly check that you are all making good progress in your learning.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Finally, I would like to wish you every success for the future and ask you to keep on working hard. Yours sincerely Lois Furness Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Kings Hill Primary School, 9–10 October 2008

p.11