Marshlands Primary School

Marshlands Primary School Inspection report

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117937 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 312754 Inspection number 24 °25 September 2007 Inspection dates Kathryn Dodd 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 185 School The governing body Appropriate authority Cllr Beryl Beck-Taylor Chair Mrs Julie Newby Headteacher 1 November 2003 Date of previous school inspection Hall Road School address Old Goole Goole East Yorkshire DN14 5UE 01405 765094 Telephone number 01405 764871 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 24 °25 September 2007 Inspection dates 312754 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

Almost all the pupils at this average sized school are from White British backgrounds. It serves an area of significant social and economic need. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is well above the national average, as is the number that has learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The headteacher was appointed in January 2006, following a long period of instability in leadership. The school has achieved the Healthy Schools accreditation and holds a national award for information and communication technology (ICT).

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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: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school that provides satisfactory value for money. It is an improving school, which has some good features. The high level of care for individual pupils, for example, is seen in the way that staff nurture them and provide a happy, safe and secure place for them to learn. A strong priority is placed on making sure pupils develop the necessary personal skills to achieve well and this is providing a positive platform for improving pupils’ academic achievement. Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory and standards are well below average. From very low starting points pupils make satisfactory progress. Standards are improving from year to year. Teaching is satisfactory overall and supports pupils’ progress. There are examples of good teaching. However, teachers do not use information about pupils’ progress precisely enough to plan work that meets pupils’ differing needs, especially those of the more capable pupils. Nevertheless,

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Grade: 3

recent changes, such as giving more opportunities for pupils to talk about their work and ensuring that pupils are taught in small groups, are starting to have a positive effect on progress. The headteacher has put the school on a clear pathway of improvement. Her vision and determination are paying off. She has secured the support of staff and of other leaders, managers and governors who share her vision. Numerous opportunities for the professional development of staff are embraced with enthusiasm and this is improving the quality of teaching and learning. Effective partnerships forged with outside organisations have secured good support, particularly for pupils and families with social and emotional needs. Parents are becoming increasingly involved in school life. They say how much they appreciate the changes they see, particularly following the arrival of the current headteacher. Although the pace of change is rapid, there

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Grade: 3

remains a lot to do and the school has a clear and realistic view of what needs to be improved. Self-evaluation is satisfactory and the school has accurately identified its strengths, particularly in pupils’ personal development. However, the school’s own view of its overall effectiveness is too generous. Recent changes to management roles mean that not all leaders and governors have developed the skills to enable them to contribute fully to the process of self-evaluation and improvement. Improvements made since the previous inspection and their effect on raising standards demonstrate that there is satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 3

The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception classes) is satisfactory. When children start in the Foundation Stage, their skills are well below those typical for their age. Their communication, language and literacy skills are poor. Children make satisfactory progress from their very low starting points; a minority reach the goals set nationally for their learning by the time they start Year 1. The warm and caring relationships between adults and children ensure that they settle quickly into school life. This, along with a strong focus on developing children’s personal skills, results in good personal development and enjoyment of learning. The curriculum is tailored well to take into account children’s poor communication skills. However, learning activities are not always well planned and structured to ensure that children make sufficient progress in all areas of learning. Improvements to the way teachers

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Grade: 3

and support staff record children’s achievements are helping to highlight individual learning needs. This information is not always used well enough to ensure that activities closely match the learning needs of all children, particularly the more capable ones. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Use information about pupils’ standards and progress more precisely to meet their differing needs, especially for more capable pupils. ■ Ensure activities in the Foundation Stage are well structured and support children’s learning in all areas of the curriculum. ■ Develop the skills of leaders, managers and governors, so that they can contribute fully to self-evaluation and school improvement. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged as satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory, although standards by the end of Year 6 are well below average in English, mathematics and science. Between Years 1 and 6, pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make satisfactory progress. The school has correctly identified that raising standards and improving the rate at which pupils make progress, particularly in English and mathematics, are priorities for improvement. Results in national tests and teacher assessments in English, mathematics and science, both at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, are improving. The most recent were the highest for five years. Nevertheless, standards remain well below the national average. The rate at which pupils are making progress has also started to speed up and this is confirmed by school data. This is particularly noticeable in Year 6, where pupils work in smaller groups for lessons in English and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Pupils say they feel happy, safe and secure. Parents and pupils agree that behaviour has improved recently and most pupils across the school behave well. This provides a secure basis on which to improve academic achievement further. Pupils behave well because they have a good understanding of the school rules. They are clear about the consequences of their actions and are aware that their achievements are valued highly. Attendance is satisfactory and the school works hard, particularly with parents, to promote better attendance. Pupils make a satisfactory contribution to their school community. Older pupils show their growing maturity and confidence by helping with duties around school. However, there remains scope for pupils to take on greater responsibilities to develop their

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Grade: 2

independence, particularly at an earlier age. Pupils understand how to develop a healthy lifestyle. Many of them enjoy taking part in a good range of sporting and other physical activities, including the daily `Activate’ session. Their growing personal and social skills, along with satisfactory progress in literacy and numeracy skills, provide a sound platform to support their future economic well-being. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 2007

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Grade: 3

Although pupils make satisfactory progress as a result of satisfactory teaching and learning, there are increasing examples of good classroom practice. Thoughtful organisation, positive relationships, effective management of pupils’ behaviour and the support offered from the high numbers of adults in classes are strong features of most lessons. Teachers make regular assessments to find out what pupils can do. They do not always use this information to plan and provide work and support that is tightly matched to pupils’ individual learning needs. This sometimes slows learning down, especially for the more capable pupils. Nevertheless, teachers and support staff have responded with enthusiasm to recent changes aimed at raising standards. They are keen to take up opportunities for professional development and to apply their new skills with growing confidence in their everyday classroom practice. This is starting to have a

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Grade: 3

positive impact on pupils’ progress and the standards they reach.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum enables pupils to make satisfactory progress. It also has some good features. The curriculum in Year 1 takes account of the fact that many pupils are not ready for the formal National Curriculum that is typically provided for pupils of this age. The curriculum has recently been adapted to help improve weaknesses in pupils’ literacy skills and is beginning to help raise standards. Pupils now have more opportunities to practise vital speaking and listening skills. A `Positive Futures’ programme for Year 6 pupils provides a good range of opportunities to understand how to adopt healthy lifestyles. This is making a strong contribution to pupils’ good personal development.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Staff know pupils well as individuals and relationships are good. This ensures a high quality of care. Appropriate procedures for protecting and safeguarding pupils are in place. Pupils know that staff are on hand to help them overcome any difficulties. Pupils that have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or those with particular social and emotional difficulties are well supported. The various support programmes, led by the learning mentor and support staff, and the effective partnerships fostered between home, school and external support agencies, are notable features. Pupils’ progress towards reaching the nationally expected standards is carefully checked. However, this information is not used consistently well to determine where progress needs accelerating, especially for more able pupils. Staff are starting to help pupils understand how well they are doing and how to improve.

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Grade: 3

These practices are relatively new and are not yet consistently applied across the school.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher is successfully steering the school through a period of rapid change. She is making a considerable contribution to its 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 2007 improvement. There is evidence of improvements in the standards pupils reach, in the rate of progress they make, and in their behaviour. As a result, more pupils are reaching the targets set for their learning. The school places high priority on improving the quality of teaching, learning and the curriculum. This is reflected in the good range of professional development opportunities taken up with enthusiasm by staff, and by the ongoing close support from the local authority. Governance is satisfactory; governors are supportive and committed to their work. Although a clear structure for leadership and management is firmly in place, there have been a number of recent changes to roles and areas of responsibility. As a result, leaders,

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Grade: 3

managers and governors have yet to fully develop their skills so that they can contribute more fully to the process of self-evaluation and school improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 2007 .

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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: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 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? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 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 3 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?

3 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: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 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 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: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

26 September 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Marshlands Primary School, East Riding of Yorkshire, DN14 5UE Thank you for making us feel welcome when we visited your school. You were polite, keen to talk to us and answered our questions thoughtfully. Most of you behave well and work hard in your lessons. We were particularly pleased to hear that you have noticed that behaviour has improved and that you feel safe in school. All the adults care a good deal about you and are working hard to make sure you get any special help you need to do well. I am especially pleased to know that, if you have any problems or are upset, there is always someone you can talk to and get help. It is easy to see why you told us that you enjoy coming to your school. Those children who do small jobs around school, and those on the school council are helping to make your school an even happier, safer and healthier place to be. There are many things in your school that are changing quite quickly and it is clear that these

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

changes mean that you are now doing better at school. Your parents have noticed this too. However, there is still a lot that can get even better. Some of you told us that you sometimes find your work too easy. We agree. We think that you could learn more if your teachers looked more closely at what you can already do, and then gave you work to make you think even harder. This would allow you to show what you are capable of! We also think that the different activities offered to the Nursery and Reception children do not always give them enough chances to practise what they have learnt. Your headteacher works very hard indeed, and we have asked that she gets even more help from other teachers and governors to keep a closer eye on where you are learning well and where you might be able to do even better. You can help your school to become even better by making sure that you always tell your teachers if your work is too easy or too hard, and that you know what it is you need to do to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

get better at your work. Also, it is really important that you continue to behave well all the time and try your very best in everything that you do. I wish you every success for the future. Kathryn Dodd Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Marshlands Primary School, 24 °25 September 2007

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