Beeston Rylands Junior School

Beeston Rylands Junior School Inspection report

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122540 Unique Reference Number Nottinghamshire Local Authority 314321 Inspection number 16 °17 June 2008 Inspection dates Colin Henderson 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 177 School The local authority Appropriate authority Mr Kevin Briffett Headteacher 25 November 2003 Date of previous school inspection Trent Road School address Beeston Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG9 1LJ 0115 9178355 Telephone number 0115 9178170 Fax number

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7-11 Age group 16 °17 June 2008 Inspection dates 314321 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

This is an average sized junior school. Most pupils come from the local area and transfer from the nearby Infant School. They start in Year 3 with broadly average attainment for their age, although it varies considerably from year to year. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average and 6% speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils who find learning more difficult is average for a school of this size.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 2008

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Grade: 2

'Beeston Rylands is A1 in my book'. This positive comment reflects the views of many parents and pupils who value highly the caring, supportive learning environment provided by this good school. Pupils now enjoy the much broader range of activities that are available to them. This breadth of opportunity is a significant improvement since the last inspection. The headteacher provides good and purposeful leadership. He has established an effective team of staff and governors and the leadership and management are effective. The new senior management team has an accurate understanding of how well the school is doing and get high-quality support from key subject leaders. The team uses clear action plans to provide good direction to raising standards and works successfully with staff to help pupils achieve well. The school has a vibrant, happy learning atmosphere and good support, care and guidance. Consequently, pupils enjoy school, attend regularly and work hard to succeed. Their achievement

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Grade: 2

is good, helped by the good teaching and their enthusiastic approach to work. The headteacher and his deputy have developed a comprehensive system to track pupils' achievement. Standards are improving as this tracking is used well to set challenging targets for pupils and teachers that they strive very hard to achieve. Assessments are used well to identify groups of pupils who need extra support or extension work. Teachers work successfully with teaching assistants to provide high quality support to those pupils who find learning difficult. Excellent links with other educational institutions, such as a local university, provide further challenges for the most able pupils. As a result, they achieve well and more now attain above average standards. Attainment is average overall by the end of Year 6. It is improving, especially in English, although some average ability pupils do not always achieve the level expected of them, particularly in

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Grade: 2

mathematics. A strong focus on improving boys' writing is beginning to raise standards as teachers use a broader range of resources and teaching methods. Teachers have increasing success at capturing boys' interest, especially that of the more able. They have met with less success in improving the writing of the average ability pupils. Consistent monitoring and sharing of good ideas within the strong staff team have improved teaching and as a result, pupils are achieving better standards. Teachers make good use of resources to make lessons interesting. They make effective use of targets to help individual pupils know how to improve their work. Pupils sustain their attention even when, for some average attaining pupils, the learning activity is not sufficiently challenging, especially in mathematics. Pupils' enthusiasm for school is reflected in their eager participation in the good curriculum and excellent extra-curricular programme.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' good personal development is a key factor in supporting their good achievements. They speak enthusiastically about their school and behave well in lessons and around school. They understand how to adopt healthy and safe lifestyles. School councillors talk proudly about their work and make an outstanding contribution to improving their school. Recent improvements in the resources for information and communication technology (ICT) are beginning to improve pupils' skills and knowledge, for example, of the world of work, although these are not yet consistently developed throughout the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that average ability pupils make good progress especially in mathematics and writing. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 2008 ■ Increase the opportunities for pupils to improve and use their ICT skills to support their learning and prepare them for the world of work.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress throughout the school because regular assessments are used to check how well they are doing. Support is then given to those who need further help or challenge. This has been particularly effective in extending the most able mathematicians. Assessment data shows that pupils' achievements are good and standards of attainment are rising. Standards are broadly average overall. The effective partnership between teachers and a team of teaching assistants helps pupils who find learning difficult make good progress towards their learning targets. The excellent links with the university contribute to the good progress made by pupils who speak English as an additional language. For example, Thai students have supported Thai pupils with their English language skills.

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Grade: 2

Pupils all say how much they enjoy school. This is reflected in their good attendance and positive attitudes to learning. Good opportunities for pupils' spiritual, moral and social development result in good behaviour. This encourages them to consider their own and others' safety very effectively. The Playground Peacemakers encourage everyone to get along together. All staff consistently follow the school's effective procedures to improve the behaviour of the small number of pupils who still find it hard to behave well when playing outside. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to eat healthily, take part in sport and physical education activities. In addition, a comprehensive program to consider personal issues result in the pupils' exceptional capacity to make healthy life choices. Students make an outstanding contribution to the school and local communities. All pupils play an active role in school life through the work of the class and school councils. This includes

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Grade: 2

leading anti-bullying workshops and an eco-committee. Pupils' cultural development is excellent due to the specific enrichment work with university personnel. Pupils develop their key literacy and numeracy skills satisfactorily for the world of work, although new resources are not yet used well enough to extend their ICT skills.

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Grade: 2

Teachers plan interesting lessons and use interactive whiteboards effectively to capture pupils' interest, for example when encouraging boys to write. They manage their classes well to ensure pupils stay focused on their learning. Many activities are planned carefully to match pupils' learning needs, for example, when challenging more able mathematicians to solve problems. The needs of average ability pupils are not consistently targeted, particularly in mathematics and writing sessions. Some teachers use questions well to encourage pupils to share their ideas in partner and class activities, although this is not consistently effective in each class. Good teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants ensure that differing needs of their pupils are well supported. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 2008

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Grade: 2

The effective organisation of the curriculum on a two-year planning cycle and an excellent range of visits, special events and extra-curricular opportunities ensure pupils receive rich and varied learning experiences. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to practise skills, apply new learning and solve problems through practical cross-curricular activities. The reorganisation of literacy units into three-week blocks gives pupils more time to write. This is resulting in higher levels of achievement this year. Personal, social and health education lessons very effectively build pupils' self-awareness and emotional well-being. There are still not enough planned opportunities for pupils to develop their discrete ICT skills. Targeted small-group interventions for pupils who benefit from extra learning support effectively accelerate their progress.

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Grade: 2

Teachers use the information from a varied range of assessments to monitor closely each pupil's learning and progress and to agree with them next-step learning targets in writing, mathematics and science. Written and verbal feedback gives pupils good guidance about their achievements and about how to improve. Until recently, the school has not monitored the progress of middle-attaining pupils in the same rigorous way. Targets in individual education plans, for pupils who need extra help to learn and behave well, detail the precise support and guidance required to sustain their good progress. The school works hard to ensure pupils' safety and well-being. All staff follow the school's comprehensive policies and procedures conscientiously to ensure government requirements are fully met, for example, to ensure that learners are safeguarded carefully.

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Grade: 2

The school has made good improvement since the last inspection mainly because of the strong and influential leadership of the headteacher. He has given a clear direction to its work and his contribution is valued highly by pupils and their parents. One parent commented, 'Since Mr. Briffett came, my children have lots more to do and many more opportunities to learn!' He has developed a successful leadership team who work well with an increasingly effective governing body to check carefully on how well the school is doing and to target areas for improvement. Governors make good use of a comprehensive school improvement plan that clearly outlines priorities and they evaluate regularly the progress towards achieving them. They have used funds well to provide a safe and pleasant learning environment. The leadership team, with the good support of literacy and numeracy subject leaders, has focused successfully on improving

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Grade: 2

boys' writing and extending more able mathematicians. They are well prepared to improve the school further. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

18 June 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Beeston Rylands Junior School, Nottingham NG9 1LJ Thank you for being so friendly and making us feel welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and watching you learn. You clearly enjoy school and, together with your parents, you think that it is a friendly and good school - and we agree. We were pleased to see how well you get on together. Your behaviour is good and this means that teachers can get on with the job of helping you learn. It was interesting to talk to school councillors about how they are helping to improve the school. They have some good ideas, particularly their plans for the new sensory garden, and clearly enjoy being responsible. You told us that you learn a lot in school and really enjoy your work, especially the many interesting clubs and activities and the different visits and visitors, such as those from the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

university. We think that your learning is good. Your teachers make your lessons interesting and you try hard to do what your teachers ask. Many of you have a good understanding of how to improve your work and work hard to achieve your learning targets. You receive good support from teachers and teaching assistants, especially those of you who find some of the work difficult. We have asked Mr Briffett and his staff to try to ensure that all of you achieve as well as you can, especially in mathematics and writing. You clearly enjoy using the new computers and your skills are improving. We have asked the school to provide more opportunities for you to use ICT to help your learning. Mr Briffett, the staff and governors are working hard to make your school even better. Thank you again for helping us to find out about your school and we hope that you will continue to be happy and to work hard. Yours sincerely

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Colin Henderson Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Beeston Rylands Junior School, 16 °17 June 2008

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