Manorfield Church of England Primary School Stoney Stanton

Manorfield Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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120161 Unique Reference Number Leicestershire Local Authority 313538 Inspection number 5 °6 December 2007 Inspection dates Frances Gillam 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 Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 325 School The governing body Appropriate authority Gary Smith Chair Stephen Palmer Headteacher 12 January 2004 Date of previous school inspection Station Road School address Stoney Stanton Leicester LE9 4LU 01455 272787 Telephone number 01455 271523 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 5 °6 December 2007 Inspection dates 313538 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

Manorfield is a bigger than average primary school. Pupils' attainment on entry into the Reception Year is broadly in line with the expectations for four-year-olds. Almost all pupils come from a White British background. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with a statement of special educational need, is average. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average.

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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: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 2007

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Grade: 3

Manorfield is a satisfactory school. Predominantly satisfactory teaching enables pupils to do as well as expected and to reach above-average standards by Year 6. This helps to prepare pupils satisfactorily for the future. Teachers praise and value pupils' efforts and because of this, many pupils grow in confidence and work hard. Pupils have some good ideas about how their learning could be more exciting and how to make their school a better place. They say that science lessons are now more enjoyable because recently they have had greater opportunities to explore and find things out for themselves. They do not have this same level of enjoyment and independence in all subjects. In addition, pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not have enough opportunities to practise their literacy skills and develop their ideas and opinions in extended writing activities. This means that they do not always do as well as they can. Although

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Grade: 3

improving the progress of the more able is a key priority for the school, inconsistencies in achieving this are evident in the Foundation Stage and in Years 3 to 6. This is because teachers do not make good enough use of what they know about more able pupils' achievements to plan effectively the next steps in their learning. By comparison, pupils in Years 1 to 2 perform well. This is because lessons are often lively and exciting. These features inspire pupils and they concentrate and work hard. Work builds well on what pupils have learned previously, enabling them to make good progress by the end of Year 2. Pupils are friendly and polite and this leads to a calm and well-ordered school. Pupils act safely and with care and consideration for others. They have a secure understanding of how to keep fit and well, although not all of them make healthy choices about what they eat. Pupils' attendance is good. Parents say their children like coming to school. Pupils describe school as

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Grade: 3

a friendly place to be and that staff are kind and caring. The good range of clubs and visits to places of interest enhance the curriculum and contribute successfully to aspects of pupils' personal development and well-being. Pupils are aware of suffering in different parts of the world and they are eager to raise charitable funds. However, the school is not developing sufficiently well pupils' understanding of different cultures and beliefs. The monitoring and evaluation of the school's work identifies the right priorities for improvement. This enables senior leaders, governors and staff to have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. This has focused support for pupils and led to improvements, for example, in the attendance rate and standards by the end of Year 2. These features show the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve. However, action to deal with some other priority areas has been less successful. This is because leaders do not check

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Grade: 3

rigorously enough if staff are taking the right action to bring about improvement. As a result the quality of teaching and learning and the curriculum are inconsistent , notably in the Foundation Stage and Years 3 to 6.

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Grade: 3

Relationships are strong and children feel safe and protected. This helps children to settle quickly and to achieve satisfactorily. Activities provide the opportunity for children to enquire and investigate but do not always challenge the more able children to do their best. In addition, the teaching of letter formation is not always good enough and this leads to difficulties with recording later on, especially for boys. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Engage pupils more in their learning and extend the opportunities for them to write at length using their own ideas and opinions. ■ Ensure teachers make better use of assessment information to challenge the more able pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Strengthen monitoring and evaluation procedures to make sure that action to bring about improvement is fully implemented and working successfully. ■ Improve pupils' awareness of other cultures and beliefs.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory and standards are above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make satisfactory progress. In English and mathematics, more able pupils do not always do as well as they can. This is because some activities for these pupils are not demanding enough, particularly in Years 3 to 6 and the Foundation Stage. Developments in science, including a greater focus on pupils carrying out experiments and investigations, are beginning to work. Pupils' achievements are improving and their progress is now satisfactory. Writing is the weaker aspect of English provision. The time given for pupils to develop and sustain their ideas in writing is sometimes not long enough. As a result, pupils are not enabled to make best use of their literacy skills to improve. Although children in the Foundation Stage make a satisfactory start, some children, particularly boys,

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Grade: 3

are not developing the necessary letter formation skills to become competent writers. This puts these pupils at a disadvantage when they move into Year 1. Systematic teaching in Year 1, with many opportunities for pupils to practise and improve, helps to redress this. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress. Standards in these year groups have improved since the last inspection and they are now well above average by the end of Year 2.

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Grade: 3

Pupils have a good understanding of safe practices. They look out for their own and others' safety. Pupils make satisfactory choices about their health. A good number of pupils participate enthusiastically in physical activities. Even though pupils fully understand the need for a balanced diet, some pupils still choose to eat things they know are not good for them. Pupils' behaviour is satisfactory. Most pupils have a good understanding of moral and social issues but some are not always attentive in lessons. Pupils understand that beyond the school is a wider community in which they play an active part. This includes taking part in church and local events. They reflect on their own actions and show concern and compassion for others. However, aspects of their spiritual and cultural development, such as their understanding of other beliefs and cultures, are not so strong. Attendance is good, but although pupils say they like school,

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Grade: 3

their enjoyment of learning is varied. Generally, pupils would like more independence in their learning and a greater say in how they learn. Pupils' progress in developing key skills in literacy and numeracy prepares them satisfactorily for their next stage of learning. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 2007

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Grade: 3

Pupils are happy at school. They enjoy the way teachers praise their efforts and say this makes them want to work hard and do their best. While marking acknowledges pupils' achievements, it is not fully effective in all classes. This is because it does not always give pupils enough information about how they can do even better. The school has worked hard to improve the quality of teachers' assessments and the use of these assessments in planning the next steps in learning. Despite this work, some teachers are still not using assessment information well enough. Teachers in the Foundation Stage and Years 3 to 6 tend to provide all pupils with the same activities. These activities are often better matched to the ability level of average-attaining pupils. This means the activities are sometimes too easy for the more able pupils. The well-focused help from learning support assistants for less able pupils and those with learning

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Grade: 3

difficulties and/or disabilities enables these pupils to cope with tasks and do as well as expected. Good teaching in Years 1 and 2 provides a sensible balance between teachers sharing information and pupils doing things for themselves. Regular reference to improvement targets keeps learning moving at a brisk pace and contributes to well above average standards by the end of Year 2.

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Grade: 3

Since the last inspection, opportunities to develop key skills across the curriculum have improved, particularly in mathematics and information and communication technology. Infrequent opportunities for pupils to write, for example, extended reports and stories, reduces the possible further development of key skills in English. In addition, pupils say that writing opportunities are not always sufficiently varied or motivating. The good variety of activities outside normal lessons, including sports clubs and residential events, helps pupils to work as part of a team, to negotiate and to learn how to get on well with each other. Recent initiatives have strengthened curriculum planning. These work well in Years 1 and 2, where there is a good match of tasks to pupils' abilities. Elsewhere, these initiatives are yet to become embedded into routine practice to ensure good progress, especially for the more able.

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Grade: 3

Procedures for safeguarding pupils are satisfactory. Relationships are generally positive and pupils feel they have someone to turn to should they have any worries. For the most part, pupils are happy with the way adults treat them, although some have concerns with the way lunchtime staff handle incidents. Careful tracking of pupils' progress enables early identification of those at risk of falling behind in their work. This in turn leads to appropriate help for those who struggle with their work, including the use of outside support agencies. Pupils have targets to help them improve their work but some teachers do not use them consistently to guide pupils in their learning. As a result, in some classes, targets are not fully effective in promoting pupils' good progress. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 2007

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Grade: 3

School self-evaluation procedures are satisfactory. Recent improvements in tracking pupils' progress now place senior leaders and governors in a stronger position to raise questions about the effectiveness of teaching and the curriculum. The school uses this information satisfactorily to focus individual support and, with data from test results, to set challenging targets for the end of Year 6 tests. These targets, however, are not always reached at the higher levels in English and mathematics, often owing to inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning. Some teachers are not implementing successfully the plans to deal with weaknesses in pupils' writing and to raise the achievement of more able pupils. This hinders pupils' progress. In addition, leaders do not check frequently or carefully enough on the effectiveness of these plans and subsequent actions, and this allows weaknesses to continue in pupils' learning.

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Grade: 3

7 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 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: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 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? 2 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?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 How well learners enjoy their education 2 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: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 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: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

7 December 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Manorfield Church of England (VA) Primary School, Stoney Stanton, Leicestershire LE9 4LU. Thank you for the warm welcome you gave the team when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking with you, visiting your lessons and seeing all the different things you do. The people in charge of your school and your teachers do a satisfactory job. This helps you to reach above average standards by Year 6 and make satisfactory progress in your work. Here are some of the things we thought were good about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Pupils in Years 1 and 2 do well because their teachers challenge them to do their best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are good at keeping yourselves safe and you are kind and considerate to others.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You attend school regularly because you think your school is a friendly place.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good use of the wide range of activities outside normal lessons. Some of these activities are helping you to become strong and fit. ■ You feel your teachers treat you kindly and you say this makes you work hard.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked the people in charge and your teachers to work together on four things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To give you more say in what you learn and improve the opportunities for you to write about your own ideas and opinions. ■ To make sure your teachers give you work that challenges you all to do your very best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To check carefully that teachers are carrying out the school's plans intended to help you improve and that these plans are working successfully. ■ To help you gain a better awareness and understanding of beliefs, customs and traditions different from your own. Yours faithfully Fran Gillam Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 December 2007

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