Victoria Park Infant School

Victoria Park Infant School Inspection report

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106328 Unique Reference Number Trafford Local Authority 309098 Inspection number 11 °12 February 2008 Inspection dates Robert Robinson 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 5 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 212 School The governing body Appropriate authority Chair Miss S Vrlec Headteacher 28 February 2005 Date of previous school inspection Henshaw Street School address Stretford Manchester Lancashire M32 8BU 0161 8654778 Telephone number 0161 9125211 Fax number

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5-7 Age group 11 °12 February 2008 Inspection dates 309098 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 an average sized infant and nursery school which serves a diverse community. Most pupils are of White British, Asian or British Asian backgrounds. A higher than average proportion of pupils uses English as an additional language. The school has gained the Activemark, Anti-Racism and Healthy School awards. It has Investor in People status. There has been a change of headteacher and deputy headteacher since 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: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 2008

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Grade: 2

Victoria Park Infant School provides a good education and fosters pupils' personal development well. Standards overall are above average. In national teacher assessments at the end of Year 2, standards have been above average overall since the last inspection. This is because of good teaching and effective leadership and management. However, in the 2007 assessments, standards in writing were below those in reading and mathematics. Currently, pupils' overall achievement is good, but only satisfactory in writing. Parents are very appreciative of all the school does. Typical comments include, 'a lovely warm family atmosphere' and 'very pleased with both the teaching and the pastoral care'. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Opportunities for pupils to discuss issues of importance with staff and with other pupils help to develop their self-esteem and confidence. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Attendance rates have improved and are now

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Grade: 2

satisfactory. Pupils respond well to the positive care they receive. They feel very safe. They know how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the nutritious lunches and after-school sporting and cookery activities. Pupils' behaviour in the classroom and at playtime is exemplary. All pupils work and play together extremely well. They are well prepared for their future learning because of the thorough grounding in basic skills and their exemplary behaviour and attitudes to work. The curriculum is well planned and enables pupils to make good progress. Activities, such as school visits, broaden pupils' experiences and eagerness to learn. Lessons are planned well and help to speed up pupils' progress. Teaching assistants and voluntary helpers provide appropriate support for all groups of learners. The school ensures that all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language

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Grade: 2

make good progress. Relationships are harmonious throughout the school. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are building on the strengths of the previous leadership. Increasingly, leaders check on the progress pupils make and on the quality of teaching and learning. However, much still needs to be done to effectively track all pupils' learning. The school is well placed to continue to improve because of the success of recent initiatives and the good improvement since the last inspection. Parents and the community continue to hold the school in high regard.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) is good, as are leadership and management. Overall attainment on entry is below that expected for children of this age. Progress in the Foundation Stage is good because of effective teaching. There is a strong emphasis on personal, social and emotional development and children receive a thorough grounding in early reading and in the basic skills of numeracy. By the end of Reception, most children's skills are broadly average, although standards in writing are lower than those in other areas of their learning. Throughout the Foundation Stage, children respond well to good teaching. Children are happy and secure and settle into school routines quickly because of effective induction procedures. The pre-school toddlers' gymnastics club provides opportunities for children and parents to be introduced to the school surroundings, as well as appreciating

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Grade: 2

the importance of exercise. When children work with adults they make rapid progress. However, 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 2008 in some less structured activities, the pace of learning is slower. Although improvements have been made to the outdoor accommodation and resources, staff are not making the best use of these to promote children's learning. Inside, children enjoy a well organised, wide range of activities. Role play areas are linked to a theme, but these could be more attractively constructed to stimulate further children's interest. Although the assessment of individual children's learning is thorough, the information gained is not always used effectively to track their progress through the Foundation Stage. Parents appreciate the good start their children receive to their schooling.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise pupils' standards and achievement in writing.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve systems to check on pupils' learning, especially in the Foundation Stage and Year 1.

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average. Differences between subjects have been minimal, but in 2007, standards in writing dipped to broadly average. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher level in writing was much lower than the proportion in reading and mathematics. Pupils make good progress overall in Years 1 and 2, but progress is more rapid for older pupils than younger ones. In Year 2, pupils make brisk progress because of good teaching. Fewer pupils are working at the higher levels in writing than in reading and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles and are proud to have achieved the Activemark and Healthy School awards. They are curious and keen to find out about different foods. The Eco Council has a superb knowledge of environmental issues. Pupils report they feel very safe and their behaviour is outstanding. Bullying is very rare. Attendance rates have improved from below average to average since the last inspection. Illnesses and parents taking their children on extended holidays during term time prevent attendance improving even further. Positive relationships and harmonious racial understanding contribute to pupils' enjoyment of school. Pupils play very well together because outdoor playtimes are organised very well. They have a very good awareness of how they can contribute to society. For example, they were pleased to help establish a wildlife garden in the local park and visit a local senior

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Grade: 2

citizens' home. Pupils in Year 2 have a sound understanding of their progress and what they need to do to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is generally good. However, it differs between year groups. Teachers manage pupils' behaviour well and as a result lessons proceed in an orderly and positive manner. Generally, work is well matched to individuals' needs, particularly when pupils work with adults. But in some lessons tasks are not challenging enough. In most lessons, thoughtful questions check on pupils' knowledge and extend their understanding. However, on occasions questions are asked mainly of those who show they know the answer rather than being 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 2008 specifically directed to individuals to extend their learning. Teaching assistants make timely and productive interventions to support pupils' learning. Targets are used effectively to challenge older pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils well and meets requirements. The strong emphasis on personal development results in extremely well behaved and highly motivated pupils. The recent initiatives to group subjects together into themes add interest to the curriculum and to pupils' enthusiasm. However, opportunities for pupils to write in other subjects are currently limited. Visitors, such as a group of senior citizens, from a organisation called Intergen, provide superb assistance to pupils, particularly in helping them to read. A wide range of visits in the local area, to a museum and to places of worship, add purpose to pupils' learning and broadens their cultural development. The ample out-of-class activities encourage pupils to develop sporting and cookery interests and enable them to learn Spanish.

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Grade: 2

The caring ethos of the school helps pupils to blossom in a calm and well ordered community. Safeguarding procedures are in place. Health and safety arrangements and risk assessments promote a safe environment. Parents and pupils agree that children are looked after well. Members of staff know their pupils well and there are good measures in place to ensure that the needs of all groups of pupils are met. Support for pupils learning English as an additional language is effective. The marking of Year 2 pupils' work, together with effective assessment procedures, helps these pupils to understand how well they have done and what is the next step in their learning. This good practice, however, is not established for other pupils.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and deputy headteacher have worked with staff and governors to successfully move the school forward towards the next phase of development. Increasingly subject coordinators take responsibility to improve standards and learning as part of their role. The outdoor environment and resources have been successfully enhanced. This has resulted in superb provision at playtime that encourages pupils to join in physical activities, to recycle and to grow plants. The school has achieved a variety of national awards, including Investors in People. The professional development of staff is good. For example, two teachers are taking part in a British Council visit to India to gain a better understanding of Sikh culture and beliefs to develop further the cultural development of both staff and pupils. Leaders have successfully improved attendance, which was a key issue at the last inspection. Close working relationships

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Grade: 2

with the education welfare officer, clear procedures, implementation of a reward system for good attendance and the appointment of a lead attendance officer have all contributed to this improvement. The school's knowledge of its strengths and areas for development is restricted because it does not fully use the assessment information it has about individual pupils. This has led to some overestimation in the school's view of its performance. Although managers know the needs 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 2008 and standards of individual pupils well, there is no whole-school system in place to enable them to efficiently and effectively track the progress of specific groups of pupils through the school. This priority for improvement has been identified by the school. A start has been made on developing a robust system linked to more rigorous checks on pupils' standards and the quality

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Grade: 2

of their learning. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 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

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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?

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: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Victoria Park Infant School, Manchester M32 8BU Thank you for welcoming the team of inspectors to your school and being so polite and friendly. We enjoyed our visit and we want to share with you what we found out. Your school gives you a good education. You told us how well you are looked after, that you enjoy school and particularly like your lessons. We know that you are proud of your school and all get on well together. We were impressed by your really good behaviour in lessons and at playtimes. You know how to keep healthy. We were pleased that you feel safe in school and you have someone to talk with if you have any concerns. Your headteacher and deputy headteacher know how to improve your school and they are helped well by other teachers and governors. However, we have asked them to make your school even better by checking on what you know more often and helping you all to improve

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your writing. You can all help by trying your very best all the time and coming to school every day. We really enjoyed talking to you about your work and watching you learn. We wish you well for the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Victoria Park Infant School, 11 °12 February 2008

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