Marriott Primary School

Marriott Primary School Inspection report

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120077 Unique Reference Number Leicester City Local Authority 313505 Inspection number 29 °30 January 2008 Inspection dates Paul Brooker 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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Middle deemed primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 242 School Interim executive Appropriate authority Pat Peel Chair board Mary Gwilliam Headteacher 1 September 2003 Date of previous school inspection Marriott Road School address Leicester LE2 6NS 01162 832433 Telephone number 01162 832433 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 29 °30 January 2008 Inspection dates 313505 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Marriott Primary School serves an urban catchment area that has high levels of social and economic deprivation. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language. Over half of pupils are entitled to free school meals, a proportion that is three times the national figure. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need is broadly average. The school experiences high levels of pupil mobility year on year, and the number on roll has declined significantly following the opening of a new local school in September. The school achieved Investors in People in July 2006 and Healthy School standard in July 2007. In June 2006 the local authority (LA) targeted additional support for the school through the Improving Attainment in Priority Primary Schools (IAPPS) programme in order to raise standards. In October 2007 the LA issued the school a Warning Notice because

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Description of the school

it judged the performance of the school to be unacceptably low and because weak leadership was prejudicing attempts to raise standards. On 18 January 2008 the governing body was disbanded and replaced by an Interim Executive Board and an executive headteacher was appointed to oversee the work of the school, working with the headteacher and staff.

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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: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008

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Grade: 4

In accordance with Section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvements in the school. Although there is some good practice in this school, the overall quality of education it provides is inadequate. The school recognises that pupils' standards are too low, but its view of its performance and effectiveness is overstated. The headteacher is not giving the school the strategic leadership needed to bring about rapid or sustained improvement. Weaknesses in provision are not identified or addressed. The LA has taken suitable steps to intervene to strengthen governance, leadership and teaching. However, this work has had very little impact

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Grade: 4

because the school has not responded purposefully or effectively to the advice and guidance provided. Standards are well below national figures. Pupils' achievement is inadequate because it varies too much from class to class and a significant number of pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, underachieve. By the time the pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6, too many have not made enough progress and are not adequately prepared for the next stage of their education. Although standards are low across all subjects, underachievement is most evident in English, and particularly in writing. The curriculum is satisfactory. It is suitably balanced and has some good features, notably in the creative and cross-curricular topics and in the way that pupils' social skills and self-esteem are developed. However, short-term planning varies in quality. Although some teaching is good or outstanding,

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Grade: 4

too much is unsatisfactory. The overall quality of teaching is inadequate because there are too many weaknesses and inconsistencies in the way that work is planned, managed and assessed. Too many pupils are unable to achieve to their potential because they make slow or uneven progress. Assessments of pupils' work have been unreliable and data have not been collated or analysed systematically enough to give teachers or subject leaders an overview of the progress that pupils make. Although some marking is effective, pupils are not sufficiently well informed about their progress or what they need to do to improve. Teachers do not consistently use assessment information or individual pupil targets to focus sharply on what pupils should learn in lessons or to plan the next steps in their learning. Behaviour is satisfactory. A significant number of pupils have challenging attitudes and behaviour, but the school manages this issue

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Grade: 4

effectively. Attendance is well below average and punctuality remains an issue, but the majority of pupils are happy at school and develop as confident young people. Pastoral care is particularly good. The pupils know how to stay safe and keep healthy. Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Although a few parents expressed concerns about bullying, the small number of parental responses to the inspection questionnaire were generally positive about the way that the school has supported their children. Despite weaknesses in academic guidance, the care, guidance and support of pupils are satisfactory. The headteacher and leadership team work effectively to promote pupils' well-being but not in other respects. The school's self-evaluation lacks rigour and improvement planning is weak. Best practice is not routinely recognised and shared, and support for weak aspects of provision is not effectively

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Grade: 4

planned or implemented. The school has not made adequate progress since its previous inspection and lacks the capacity to make the improvements needed. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008

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Grade: 3

Provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Children enter the Nursery with skills well below the levels expected for their age, and many have delayed personal and social development and weak language skills. Staff work hard to support children, but standards are still below those expected for their age when they move up into Year 1. The school's management structure has no coordinator to lead this important stage, to monitor provision or to drive up standards. However, the strong teamwork that exists between staff results in an effective curriculum, particularly in the Nursery class. The topic on growing, for example, provides the children with opportunities to learn successfully across the six areas of the curriculum, through exploring at first hand the growth of plants. The well-resourced indoor and outdoor areas provide good opportunities for children to engage in imaginative play and for explorations.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards, particularly in English, by assessing the individual needs of pupils and ensuring that they are met. ■ Improve the quality of teaching by developing a rigorous system of monitoring and evaluation that pinpoints strengths and areas for improvement, so that best practice is disseminated and support is provided where provision is weaker. ■ Strengthen leadership at all levels by clarifying roles and responsibilities and by developing accountability, robust management systems, rigorous self-evaluation and effective improvement planning.

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Grade: 4

Standards are too low and achievement is inadequate. Although the school had made some progress in improving results since the previous inspection, the results in 2007 declined at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Assessments for seven-year-olds in 2007 show very low standards in reading and mathematics and particularly in writing. The attainment of boys was exceptionally low. Standards were also very low in the tests at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2007. Given their starting points, pupils made broadly satisfactory progress in mathematics, but in science and particularly in English it was inadequate. The standard of pupils' writing and spelling is exceptionally low and is an impediment to high achievement across a range of subjects. The school has a comprehensive programme of interventions to boost pupils' progress. However, there is too much onus on this additional support to help pupils to catch up once they have

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Grade: 4

fallen behind. By the time that pupils start Year 6, their progress has been too uneven and they have too many gaps in their knowledge and skills. So, despite some excellent teaching, too many are unable to achieve the standards that they should.

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Grade: 3

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and what they need to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy opportunities to be involved in the life of the school, for example, as school councillors, and having a say in the development of the playground into zoned areas.. Most pupils behave satisfactorily in class and outdoors. They respond well to good teaching and are very keen to participate and take responsibility for their own learning. However, when teaching 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008 is weak or slow paced, the pupils quickly become restless and disaffected. The pupils mention some cases of bullying but say that when this happens, teachers deal with it effectively. They note that it is now rare, and more so since the school held a Bullying Week to address this particular issue. Pupils know that they can approach staff, particularly the mentors, to provide

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Grade: 3

them with support. The 'Wonder Walls' also provide pupils with opportunities to air issues that are worrying them. Pupils keenly support charities of their choice and instigate fund raising whenever they can. Although attendance is well below average, it most recently is showing small improvement. Punctuality is still a problem despite a variety of strategies to improve it, such as providing all pupils with an alarm clock and opportunities to win prizes for maintaining good punctuality.

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Grade: 4

There is wide disparity between the best lessons, where pupils make excellent progress, and unsatisfactory lessons, where the quality and pace of learning are inadequate. In too many lessons teaching does not plan in detail what, or how, different pupils will learn, and does not make effective use of additional adult support. In weaker lessons, pupils spend too long listening for information. When the pace of learning slackens, pupils tend to become restless and inattentive, or are simply too passive to make gains in learning. However, the best lessons are well planned and use stimulating resources and a variety of different activities to motivate and engage the pupils. Carefully structured group work consolidates the pupils' learning and encourages them to take responsibility for their own work. In these sessions there is a sharp focus on what pupils will learn and the expertise of teaching assistants is carefully utilised.

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Grade: 4

Some marking is good, but assessment and target setting are underdeveloped. Assessment information is not used consistently to set suitable learning objectives or to guide improvement. The pupils are often either unaware what they need to do to improve their work or simply ignore comments in marking.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum, including provision for personal, social and health education. Recent innovations such as Philosophy for Children and creative units of work using music, art and drama make learning more relevant and enjoyable for the pupils. Purposeful role play across different subjects provides the pupils with opportunities for speaking and listening, and also puts them in decisionmaking situations. This makes a good contribution to pupils' personal development. There are also several clubs, which successfully enrich the curriculum. The planning for the delivery of the curriculum, however, is inconsistent.

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Grade: 3

The school cares well for its pupils, with effective systems in place to safeguard their welfare and promote their personal development and well-being. There are satisfactory systems in place in classes to support pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities through classroom assistants. Support for pupils with challenging behaviour is also beneficial, particularly in respect of the two mentors who have built good relationships with pupils and their parents. However, 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008 academic guidance is the weakest aspect of this provision. Assessment systems are currently not rigorous enough to identify weaknesses and guide improvement. There are instances where assessment, target setting and marking are effective, but good practice is not consistent across the school and is not shared.

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Grade: 4

The very recent appointments of the deputy headteacher and executive headteacher have strengthened leadership and management, but have also highlighted weaknesses in the school's strategic planning and management systems. Although the school has had considerable additional support from the LA, it has not adhered to the advice and guidance provided and has not effectively addressed weaknesses in provision. The headteacher is not providing the focused leadership and purposeful direction that the school needs in order to raise standards. Since the previous inspection the school has made inadequate progress. Nonetheless, there have been some important developments. The new accommodation for the Foundation Stage, the improved playground facilities and several vibrant classrooms all combine to provide a stimulating learning environment in which children can learn and play. In addition, the school has worked hard and has successfully strengthened the pupils' personal development by actively

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Grade: 4

promoting positive attitudes and building their self-esteem. Shortcomings in improvement planning and self-evaluation demonstrate that the school does not have the capacity to improve. The school's self-evaluation is not accurate or effective. Procedures for evaluating the quality of teaching are superficial. Strengths and weakness are not identified accurately and actions are not prioritised. Not all senior managers are involved in the processes of evaluation or improvement planning, and the roles, responsibilities and accountability of subject leaders and senior managers are either unclear or underdeveloped. The school collects data on pupils' progress, but the information is not analysed rigorously or used effectively. The school has not addressed the variation in the quality of teaching and learning that is at the root of the underachievement. The governing body has been ineffective in holding the school to account.

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Grade: 4

7 of 11 Inspection Report: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008 .

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Grade: 4

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 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? No 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 4 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

4 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 4 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 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 3 How well learners enjoy their education 4 The attendance of learners 3 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: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 4 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? Yes Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ 31 January 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Marriott Primary School, Leicester LE2 6NS Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we inspected your school recently. We were impressed by your friendly welcome, by the improvements that have been made in the playground and with some of the lively classrooms, particularly in the new Nursery and Reception areas. We really enjoyed talking to you, listening to your opinions and seeing your work. The things that impressed us most were: ■ In the good and outstanding lessons, you get involved, enjoy your work and make really good progress. ■ The school provides a positive environment for you. It takes good care of you and supports you well when you need help. ■ You know how to stay safe and understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. We agree that the school does some things well, but we have also told the school there are important things that need to be improved. This is particularly important in English and with your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

writing because it affects a lot of your other work. Here is what we have asked the school to do: ■ Improve some of your lessons so that you can all make good progress in your learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that you make better progress as you move up the school so that you achieve the standards that you should at the end of Year 6. ■ Improve the way that the school is led and managed so that it can check its work more carefully and plan improvements. The school has been told that it requires 'special measures'. This means that it will receive help to make the changes needed. Inspectors will visit the school regularly to check how well you are doing. The next visit will be in about six months. In the meantime, you all have an important part to play by getting to school on time, attending regularly and by working hard in lessons. With all best wishes for your future, Yours sincerely Paul Brooker Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Marriott Primary School, 29 °30 January 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of Marriott Primary School, Leicester LE2 6NS

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Annex B

Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we inspected your school recently. We were impressed by your friendly welcome, by the improvements that have been made in the playground and with some of the lively classrooms, particularly in the new Nursery and Reception areas. We really enjoyed talking to you, listening to your opinions and seeing your work.

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Annex B

The things that impressed us most were: • In the good and outstanding lessons, you get involved, enjoy your work and make really good progress. • The school provides a positive environment for you. It takes good care of you and supports you well when you need help. • You know how to stay safe and understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

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Annex B

We agree that the school does some things well, but we have also told the school there are important things that need to be improved. This is particularly important in English and with your writing because it affects a lot of your other work. Here is what we have asked the school to do: • Improve some of your lessons so that you can all make good progress in your learning. • Make sure that you make better progress as you move up the school so that you achieve the standards that you should at the end of Year 6. • Improve the way that the school is led and managed so that it can check its work more carefully and plan improvements.

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Annex B

The school has been told that it requires ‘special measures’. This means that it will receive help to make the changes needed. Inspectors will visit the school regularly to check how well you are doing. The next visit will be in about six months. In the meantime, you all have an important part to play by getting to school on time, attending regularly and by working hard in lessons.

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