Inglewood Junior School

Inglewood Junior School Inspection report

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112216 Unique Reference Number Cumbria Local Authority 310816 Inspection number 29 °30 April 2008 Inspection dates Steve Isherwood HMI 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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Junior Type of school Community School category 7 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 282 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Keith Abbot Chair Mr David Grimshaw Headteacher 1 October 2004 Date of previous school inspection Arnside Road School address Harraby Carlisle Cumbria CA1 3QA 01228 607513 Telephone number 01228 607514 Fax number

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7-11 Age group 29 °30 April 2008 Inspection dates 310816 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 of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average school, situated to the south of Carlisle. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and many come from areas of high social disadvantage. A larger proportion of pupils than normal is entitled to a free school meal and a higher than average percentage have learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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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: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Grade: 2

Inglewood is a good school and is well placed to improve further. Pupils’ achievements are good. They reach average standards in their work and make good progress in their personal development. They behave well, show positive attitudes to their learning and have considerable trust in their teachers. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and feel safe and secure. Parents’ questionnaires overwhelmingly endorse this view. One parent’s view reflected many: ‘My child enjoys going to school and really enjoys his lessons. His teacher makes the work interesting and he always tells us what he has learned that day’. Staff at all levels care for pupils well, responding sensitively to their individual needs. This means that relationships are strong and pupils recognise that they have responsibilities towards other pupils and the adults in the school. Through the work of the school council, they are confident in making decisions and

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Grade: 2

showing initiative. The school is well thought of in the community and there are good partnerships with other schools and agencies. Pupils make good progress overall in their work. By the time they leave in Year 6, the proportion reaching the level expected at age 11 is similar to that found nationally. This represents good achievement given their starting points. A significant factor in this is that teaching is good overall and the curriculum is well planned with a strong emphasis on the development of key skills and extra-curricular activities. However, pupils’ achievements are not uniformly good. Progress in Years 3 and 4 is slower. This is because there are pockets of inconsistency in the teaching and learning which means that the level of challenge for pupils in some lessons is variable. As a result, some pupils, including some with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do not always achieve as rapidly as they should. In the best lessons pupils learn well with

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Grade: 2

activities that challenge and spur them to make good progress. Expectations are high, the pace of learning is brisk, pupils are engrossed in their work and are keen to succeed. New learning consistently builds well on pupils’ prior knowledge, tasks are well chosen and pupils are given every opportunity to discuss and share their ideas with others. The headteacher is leading the school well and benefits from the strong support of senior colleagues and the chair of governors. As a group, they are aware of their responsibilities, are increasingly accountable for their work and possess a good understanding of the strengths of the school and where further improvement is required. As a consequence, the leadership team is forward thinking and reflective and actively seeks out ways to improve further. Plans of good quality are in place to push the school forward. However, the school’s response to tackle identified weaknesses in teaching and learning is not rapid enough. This means that the rate

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Grade: 2

of progress for some pupils in Years 3 and 4 and for others withdrawn for extra work is being held back. Governors give satisfactory support to the school. Many are new to the school. They are developing their knowledge of how well the school is performing and the priorities for improvement. The capacity of the school to improve even further is good as judged by the advances made since its last inspection and the fact that senior leaders are focused on raising achievement further and in maintaining strong levels of personal development for pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the consistency of teaching and learning in Years 3 and 4 to accelerate pupils’ progress. ■ Use the evidence gained from monitoring the quality of teaching and learning to take swifter action to rectify identified weaknesses. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ current work, together with the test results from 2007, show standards are broadly average and pupils’ achievement is good. Although pupils start school with a range of abilities, most enter the school in Year 3 with skills that are below average. Work in lessons, together with the school’s own data confirm that progress is good overall as pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, move through the school to Year 6. Nevertheless, the pattern of progress is uneven in the earlier years in Key Stage 2, and pupils lose some ground compared to their starting points. Progress picks up as the quality of teaching improves. By the time they are 11; most pupils reach the expected Level 4 in English, mathematics and science, as the test results for 2007 show. In addition, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher Level 5 was above the national average in English and science, and average in

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Grade: 2

mathematics. The school has set its targets high in the national tests for 11 year olds in 2008 and pupils’ progress towards these targets is being monitored closely. Information from the school indicates that the vast majority of pupils in the current Year 6 are on track to reach their targets this year.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good and supports their learning well. Pupils are self- assured, well mannered and get on well with each other. Their spiritual, moral and social development is good. Although the pupils know about different faiths and aspects of life in other cultures, their overall cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils say they feel safe and secure and are confident that staff will listen to their concerns and worries. They have positive attitudes to learning and through the school council they make a difference to school life, for example, planning the new toilets. Pupils have a strong social conscience, raise substantial funds for charities and organise summer fair stalls for community events. In addition, they are proud to act as sports leaders to younger children in the local infant school. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They show kindness and consideration to others. On occasions, a few

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Grade: 2

become restless and less considerate where the teaching fails to capture their interest and enthusiasm. Pupils have a good awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and a balanced diet. They eagerly participate in an extensive range of sports and physical activities. As one child said ‘If you are into sports, this is the place to be.’ Gaining the Healthy Schools and Activemark awards confirms the school’s strong commitment to pupils’ health and well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good, leading to good progress in learning so that pupils’ achievement by the end of Year 6 is also good. In most lessons, the teachers provide interesting and challenging learning activities that meet the needs of different groups of pupils well. Teachers’ assessment and marking often point pupils to where they have done well and guide them effectively as to how they can improve but this is not consistent in some classes. Teaching generally caters effectively for all groups of learners in Years 3 and 4, including those with learning difficulties and/or 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 2008 disabilities. However, this is not consistent between classes. Some pupils here make slower progress than they should, including some of those withdrawn from class for extra help. This is because the tasks set are not focused sharply enough on their specific learning needs. Learning

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Grade: 2

accelerates strongly in Years 5 and 6 because teaching is well-planned to meet the teachers’ high expectations for pupils’ progress. For these pupils, there is a strong and effective concentration on English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT).This has led to raised standards in national tests, and confidence in their own learning for the pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets all statutory requirements. There is an effective focus on the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, and provision for ICT and pupils’ personal development is strong. Pupils say that they really enjoy most of the subjects, and value the rich provision for out-of-school activities, particularly for sport and residential adventure activities. These add value to the overall curricular provision. Pupils and staff have enjoyed the school’s innovative work in planning a week’s work around a theme, such as a ‘Russian Week’ or a ‘Creativity Week’. This has helped pupils to learn how to link understanding and skills between many areas of the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good. Careful attention is given to the needs of pupils who state clearly that they are well supported. ‘Teachers always help us when we are stuck and never shout at you’ said one group. All required checks, systems and procedures are in place to safeguard the pupils’ well-being. Pupils are well motivated by a good system of rewards and incentives and opportunities to celebrate their achievement. Pupils are helped to settle well when they start school. There are strong links with other schools and agencies that underpin the good arrangements to support pupils’ smooth transition to secondary school. The school tracks the progress of all pupils, taking into account the outcomes of regular assessment. However, some teachers are not fully aware of some pupils slower progress. Procedures for marking pupils’ work have improved since the last inspection. There are some good examples,

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Grade: 2

where pupils are given clear guidance on how to improve their work. However, the quality of marking is variable. Comments are sometimes celebratory without always guiding pupils to what they need to learn next.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher is leading the school down the right path, works with energy and commitment and has generated a strong momentum for improvement. He is well supported by a similarly committed team of staff who share his vision and sense of purpose. As a team, they actively seek ways to improve further the current position, particularly in raising achievement and in the development of better and more rigorous self-evaluation. As a result, there is a strong sense of teamwork, morale is improving and there is clear agreement on the strengths and weaknesses of the school. However, a lack of rigour 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 2008 in the school’s approach to rectifying weaknesses in teaching and learning is holding back the rate of progress for some pupils. Governors offer satisfactory support. They are well informed, are fully committed and fulfil

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Grade: 2

their statutory responsibilities well. They are developing their understanding of the agenda for improvement and their confidence in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school is improving with training and guidance. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 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: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 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 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 2 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: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 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: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Age group 7 °11 Inspection date(s) 29°30 April 2008 Inspection number

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 May 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Inglewood Junior School, Cumbria, CA1 3QA Thank you all very much for the friendly way in which you helped Mr Jackson, Mrs Richardson and myself when we visited your school recently. We came to the school to find out how well you are learning. We really enjoyed chatting to you in the playground, in your classrooms and in the interview with the school council. You told us how much you enjoy coming to school and having spent the two days with you we can understand why. You go to a good school and you make good progress in your work. It is a happy and safe place to be and everyone gets on so well. We were really pleased to see how well you behave and how you help one another in class and around the school. We can also see how all the adults in school look after you really well, and your parents told us this too. You told us that you enjoy your work and that your teachers help you to learn well by making

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your lessons interesting and often fun. We agree. We could see this with our own eyes when some of you in Year 6 were measuring angles using a protractor, when pupils in Year 5 were talking about graphs of local temperatures and when some of you in Year 3 were writing letters about a Roman soldier’s job. Mr Grimshaw and all the staff work very hard to make the school as good as it can be and we are confident that it will continue to improve. To help with this, we have asked them to ensure that all of you make good progress in your work and that more of your lessons are like the very best ones we saw when you were very enthusiastic about your learning. We have also asked if they can be a bit quicker in making improvements to some of your lessons. We are sure that you can help them by telling them what makes lessons interesting and what helps you to learn. We wish you well for the future. Yours sincerely

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Steve Isherwood Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Inglewood Junior School, 29 °30 April 2008

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