Markeaton Primary School

Markeaton Primary School Inspection report

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112739 Unique Reference Number City of Derby LA Local Authority 310992 Inspection number 3 °4 October 2007 Inspection dates Alison Cogher 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 286 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Gary Dempsey Chair Mrs Clare McGarey Headteacher 18 April 2005 Date of previous school inspection Bromley Street School address Derby DE22 1HL 01332347374 Telephone number 01332204130 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 3 °4 October 2007 Inspection dates 310992 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average primary school on the outskirts of the city. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average although an above average number of pupils have a statement of special educational need. Most of these pupils have sight impairment. The school provides a special teaching facility for these pupils who travel from all parts of the city to attend. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage and a small proportion come from minority ethnic backgrounds. A very few pupils are in the early stages of learning English. Pupils come from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The school has achieved a number of nationally recognised awards including the Basic Skills Quality Mark, the Health Promoting School Award, Investor in People status, an Activemark and Football Mark.

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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: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Pupils feel safe and enjoy learning because of the good quality teaching, care, guidance and support they receive. From broadly expected standards on entry to the Reception classes pupils make good progress and achieve well to reach above average standards by Year 6. The headteacher provides focused leadership and the support she receives from other staff and governors is good. Strong teamwork, the collective commitment to improve and the rise in standards in 2007 demonstrate the school's good capacity to improve further. The provision made for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. It is outstanding for pupils with sight impairment because it is extremely well led and managed, support assistants are very skilled and the pupils benefit from being fully included in the normal life of the school. Good progress has been made since the last inspection and the school gives

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Grade: 2

good value for money. The strengths of the school are a consequence of effective leadership and management at all levels. Monitoring and evaluation of the school's work are accurate and clearly identify areas for improvement. Staff are quick to respond to this information and quickly implement changes to make things better for pupils. The improvements to pupil assessment, progress tracking and target setting are good examples of this and have resulted in raised standards this year. However, best use is not being made of this information to set individual targets for pupils that are communicated to them in language that they understand. Good teaching overall enables pupils to build successfully on their previous learning. By the end of Year 6 pupils are well prepared personally and academically for the next stage of their education. Whilst there are notable strengths in teaching throughout the school there are some

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Grade: 2

inconsistencies that impact on pupils' progress. Teachers' marking of pupils' work is variable and does not always indicate to pupils in language they can understand what they need to do to make their work better. Teaching in the Foundation Stage has improved significantly since the last inspection but too little use is made of the outdoor area to support pupils' learning. The good curriculum is well planned and links between subjects are pursued to give pupils' learning relevance. An extremely good range of after-school clubs and other additional activities make a good contribution to pupils' learning and their understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. The school has effective working relationships with outside agencies and other schools. These links make a significant contribution to pupils' health, safety and well-being. Pupils are encouraged and enabled to take on responsibilities in school and they contribute well to the

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Grade: 2

school community. Pupils' personal development is good. They behave well and care for, and about, each other.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage is well led and managed and pupils achieve well because teaching is good. Activities are closely matched to pupils' interests and abilities and they soon develop into confident and enthusiastic learners. Limited use of the outdoor space restricts the opportunities pupils have to work on a larger scale in the natural environment. Pupils receive good support from teachers and teaching assistants who know them well and encourage them to explore and investigate their world. They develop good levels of independence, enjoy each other's company and concentrate on activities and tasks for extended periods of time. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure teachers provide pupils with clear guidance about how to make their work better and use easy to understand language when marking pupils' work and setting them individual targets for improvement. ■ Make better use of the Foundation Stage outdoor environment to support pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. On entry to the school, pupils' standards are broadly in line with those expected for their age. They make good progress and most pupils achieve or exceed the expected goals by the end of their Reception year. Pupils of all abilities continue to make good progress from their individual starting points to reach just above average standards by Year 2. Standards in Year 6 have been above average for a number of years. They dipped slightly in 2006, but improved in 2007 to be above average in English, mathematics and science. An above average number of pupils reach the higher Level 5 standard in all three subjects. The school sets challenging targets and supports pupils well to enable them to be achieved. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the very few pupils at the early stages of learning English achieve as well as other pupils. Those pupils with sight impairment often achieve

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Grade: 2

extremely well because of the very effective support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Their overall spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils enjoy school and behave well. They adopt safe practices and they say they feel safe because 'the teachers are kind'. Pupils say that any minor incidents of bad behaviour or bullying are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Attendance is satisfactory. Recently introduced measures, that include the work of the learning mentors, are resulting in a steadily rising trend, and almost all pupils attend regularly. Most pupils understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle. They make good progress in developing the personal qualities and academic skills that enable them to contribute effectively to their community and prepare them well for their future working lives. Pupils have helped to make a difference to their school community and are developing an awareness of world issues. For example, they have successfully

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Grade: 2

secured the introduction of a salad bar at lunch times and supported world wildlife conservation through the 'adoption' of four tigers.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall although there are some inconsistencies within and between year groups. Teaching in the Foundation Stage has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Throughout the school teachers and teaching assistants have a good rapport with pupils and manage their behaviour well. Teaching assistants provide good support and contribute well to pupils' learning. Pupils with sight impairment receive sensitive but very effective support. Teachers make good use of interactive whiteboards to capture pupils' interest and to make important teaching points. Lessons are planned thoroughly and teachers often 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007 use skilful questioning to help pupils understand what is being taught. Marking of pupils' work does not always help them to improve as the language used by teachers is too complicated for pupils to understand.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and is enriched and extended by an outstanding range of additional activities that make it vibrant and interesting. Good planning of the curriculum enables all groups of pupils, including those with sight impairment, to make good progress. The school constantly seeks to develop the curriculum further. For example, arrangements for pupils to have their own allotment are currently well advanced. The good provision for English and mathematics enables pupils to make good progress in these subjects. Links made between subjects and the use of visits and visitors is effective in giving pupils' learning relevance. The effective use made of information and communication technology further enhances pupils' learning. Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities and the school's provision for health and safety education is good. In spite of the school not making full use of the outdoor

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Grade: 2

space, the Foundation Stage curriculum has improved significantly since the last inspection.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good overall. The arrangements for child protection, health and safety and undertaking risk assessments are excellent. All procedures relating to these areas are firmly established and the staff know precisely what they should do if they have concerns over any pupil. The learning mentors provide good support for pupils and parents. The school encourages parents to become involved in their children's learning, and communication with the vast majority of parents is good. However, inspectors and the school agree with the small minority of parents who feel it could be improved further. Pupils have good opportunities to influence what happens in the school through their school and class councils. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are identified quickly and then given the help they need to enable them to achieve well. Pupils with sight impairment are extremely well supported and this enables them to be fully included in all aspects of life at

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Grade: 2

school. Systems to monitor pupils' academic and personal progress are good. However, most pupils are not clear enough about what their individual targets are or what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management at all levels are good. The headteacher has high expectations and a clear vision for school improvement. Systems to gather information about the quality of the school's work are good and result in accurate evaluations. Teamwork and the commitment to ensuring all pupils achieve as well as possible are strong. Effective subject leadership has ensured that the dip in standards in 2006 in Year 6 has been reversed in 2007. Challenging whole school, year group and class targets are set and a good range of strategies is used to monitor and evaluate the progress being made towards achieving them. Staff are keen to develop their own skills. Good practice is shared and new strategies and systems implemented promptly to address areas identified for improvement. Resources and staff are deployed effectively to support pupils 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007

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Grade: 2

and parents. Governors are well informed but rely to a large extent on the headteacher for information about standards and pupil achievement. However, they are very clear about the school's strengths and weaknesses and effectively hold the school to account for its work. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007 .

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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: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007

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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 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: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007

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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: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

4 October 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Markeaton Primary School, Derby, DE22 1HL Thank you very much for making our visit to your school such a pleasant one. We enjoyed having lunch with you and talking to you about your school and your work. We were impressed by the way you behave well and look after each other. You work hard in your lessons but you are not always sure about what you need to do to make your work better. We have asked your teachers to help you with this by using words you understand when they are explaining what you need to do to improve. We have also asked the teachers of the youngest pupils to make sure that they use the outside activity area more often. All the teachers, helpers and governors care about you a lot and work hard to help you feel safe and happy at school. They want you to enjoy learning and plan a good range of activities for you in lessons. You have the opportunity to be involved in an excellent range of visits and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

after-school clubs. If you need extra help the adults make sure you get it and they keep a close check on how well you are doing. You take your responsibilities at school seriously and have good ideas about how to make your school even better. Your input is very helpful to your headteacher and the teachers and they value your ideas. You, and almost all of your parents, think you go to a good school and we agree. Thank you very much for helping us with the inspection. Keep working hard and enjoy your time at Markeaton. Alison Cogher Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Markeaton Primary School, 3 °4 October 2007

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