Park Brow Community Primary School

Park Brow Community Primary School Inspection report

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104429 Unique Reference Number Knowsley Local Authority 308598 Inspection number 6 March 2008 Inspection date Dee Brigstock 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 279 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Eileen Gaskin Chair Miss Valmai Roberts Headteacher 8 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection Broad Lane School address Southdene Kirkby Liverpool Merseyside L32 6QH 0151 4778540 Telephone number 0151 5472261 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 6 March 2008 Inspection date 308598 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. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues in depth: achievement and standards, including for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, in Key Stage 1; pupils' personal development and well-being; and provision in the Foundation Stage. Evidence was gathered from visiting lessons, discussions with pupils, staff and governors, looking at pupils' work and evaluating individual education plans. In addition, the school's tracking system was used to assess pupils' current progress. School documents and parental questionnaires were analysed. Some aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified and these have been included, where appropriate, in this report.

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Description of the school

Park Brow Community Primary School is a large school serving an area of social and economic deprivation. The great majority of pupils are White British and very few pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Just over half of the pupils are entitled to free school meals and this is well above average. There is a small number of pupils in the care of the local authority. The school has the Activemark and Healthy School Awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Park Brow Community Primary School, 6 March 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. It provides good value for money. The care, guidance and support for pupils are excellent and, as a result, they flourish and become well-rounded, mature, young citizens. Their understanding of social and moral issues and their exceptionally good behaviour, coupled with a 'wicked' sense of humour and understanding of how to stay fit and healthy combine to make their personal development first-rate. Pupils say, 'Visitors want to come into our school because we like to join in, we like to learn and we're not shy.' Their positive attitudes are very clear and reflected in the overwhelming majority of parents' comments, which focus on their children's enjoyment in their learning and on the school at the heart of the community. Regular information between home and school and the school's extremely effective methods of involving parents in their children's education contribute

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Grade: 2

well to pupils' good achievement. For example, at least twice a year, parents or other family members enjoy an 'Inspire' day in their children's classes when families work together to complete projects which are valued in displays around the school. Almost all pupils achieve well from their low starting points. Achievement is satisfactory rather than good in Key Stage 1 because the work planned is not challenging enough for the average or higher attaining pupils in mathematics. However, progress picks up rapidly in Year 2 where expectations of what pupils can achieve are higher, and records show that many of them make two years' worth of progress in one year. Standards in 2007 were well below average in Year 2 but the intensive tracking and extra small group support given, already established in Key Stage 2, have now been applied in Key Stage 1. School leaders, through the performance management process, identify relevant courses to support teachers' professional development, which is not

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Grade: 2

yet all of consistently good quality. Both these processes combine to improve teaching and learning, and current Year 2 pupils are working at standards that are closer to average for their age. Compared with their attainment on entry into Year 3, pupils' achievement in Key Stage 2 is outstanding. They benefit from some inspirational teaching, particularly in Year 6. Older pupils agree that, 'Teachers are doing the best possible job and so we're improving as much as we can.' Standards in 2007 were broadly average and current Year 6 pupils are already working at average standards. The targets set for them in English, mathematics and science, are more challenging than in 2007. The progress of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities mirrors that of their peers. Pupils are very happy in school. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, enhanced by an interesting, well-planned curriculum and increasing opportunities to work with

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Grade: 2

the local community. They say they feel safe and secure in school and have teachers to turn to if they have a problem, making comments such as, 'They give you sympathy when you need it.' Older pupils' leadership skills are promoted extremely well. For example, alongside staff and governors, they are active members of committees that make decisions on how best to improve pupils' health, safety and enjoyment. The school is very successful in this. A good example is the 'walking bus,' which has three routes into school and is the longest established in the country. Pupils take an increasing lead in planning events for the school and are developing a good economic awareness for their age. By Year 6, they are looking to their future with confidence. As one pupil remarked, 'In Year 6, we did our CV - I put on that I was a play-leader - that will help us in later life.' Pupils' attendance is slightly below average but

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Grade: 2

levels are rising satisfactorily. Local health professionals, parents and school leaders have regular meetings to improve some families' attitudes to good attendance and these have been successful 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Park Brow Community Primary School, 6 March 2008 in reducing the number of days pupils have 'off sick.' Further progress in improving attendance is limited by too many parents taking their children on holidays in term-time. The excellent progress that the school has made since the last inspection is the result of the headteacher's leadership and management and her uncompromising, direct and honest evaluation of how good the school is and how it can improve further. Governors are also involved in school self-evaluation and take an active part in promoting the school's priorities for improvement. The headteacher has successfully encouraged parental attendance at courses run within the

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Grade: 2

school. As a result they are able to support their own children's learning effectively. The experienced and effective senior leadership team confirm the headteacher's inspirational leadership and together they have welded staff into a strong and reflective team, focused on school improvement. Crucially, the quality of teaching and learning has improved through accurate monitoring and the resulting well-planned professional development that is linked into the school improvement plan. The headteacher maintains an unrelenting focus on the progress of individual pupils in the school through an extremely thorough analysis of assessments. However, the quality of teaching and learning still varies too much. There is a very high proportion of teaching which is good or better, but weaknesses in planning appropriate work for all groups of pupils in mathematics in Key Stage 1, are still being addressed. The improvements that have taken place since the last inspection, including a sustained upward

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Grade: 2

trend in pupils' achievement and standards, confirm the school's excellent capacity to improve.

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Nursery with low skills and, because of the focused teaching and good curriculum in the Foundation Stage, make good progress in all aspects of their learning. They make excellent progress in their personal development. Their speaking and listening skills also improve very well. By Year 1 most children are meeting expectations for their age, except in reading and writing, where their skills are well below average. The curriculum is well planned and interesting and has a strong focus on children's enjoyment in their learning. Leadership is good. The coordinator has a good understanding of how children learn and, as a senior member of staff, is involved in whole school development. This gives her a good overview as well as an appreciation of the place of the Foundation Stage within the school's development.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise the quality of teaching and learning so it is all at least good.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ In Key Stage 1, improve teachers' planning in mathematics. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Park Brow Community Primary School, 6 March 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Park Brow Community Primary School, 6 March 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 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 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?

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 of 9 Inspection Report: Park Brow Community Primary School, 6 March 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Park Brow Community Primary School, 6 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome when I visited your school recently. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations I had with the older members of the school council and with others of you in the playgrounds. You were all very keen to tell me how highly you thought of your school, your teachers and the headteacher. I was very impressed with your 'Inspire' days and it was really uplifting to look at all the displays of work that you and your parents completed. I agree with you that you go to a good school, have a good education and that you are learning well. You are learning so much because nearly all the teaching is at least good, you have excellent attitudes to learning new things and your behaviour is outstanding. I think that your involvement in the committees to decide how to make your school even healthier and safer is extremely interesting. Your headteacher and other staff have some really good ideas on how to make

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your school even better. I have asked them to do two more things. First to make all the teaching good and secondly to plan better mathematics lessons for the younger children in Key Stage 1 - although I believe they already know these need to happen! You have all my best wishes for the future and I sincerely hope you stay as fit, healthy and positive as you are now. 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Park Brow Community Primary School, 6 March 2008

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