Stanhope Primary and Nursery School

Stanhope Primary and Nursery School Inspection report

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122715 Unique Reference Number Nottinghamshire Local Authority 314372 Inspection number 13 °14 May 2008 Inspection dates Roy Bowers 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 255 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Ann Sturgess Chair Mr Andrew Marriott Headteacher 23 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Keyworth Road School address Gedling Nottingham NG4 4JD 0115 955 3440 Telephone number 0115 952 0400 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 13 °14 May 2008 Inspection dates 314372 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is slightly larger than average and serves pupils from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. Children enter the nursery with skills which are broadly in line with those normally expected for children of this age. Approximately nine out of ten pupils are of White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD) is below average. All of these have moderate learning difficulties mostly related to speech, language and communication. The school has recently been awarded the 'Active Mark' and has held the 'Schools FA Charter Mark' since 2005.

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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: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 2008

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory standard of education and a good level of pastoral care and support. High priority is given to pupils' social and emotional development. Consequently, pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils feel safe and secure, and are polite and well mannered. They show care and consideration towards each other and are kind and tolerant. They say that incidents of bullying or inappropriate behaviour are rare and are dealt with effectively when they occur. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. Adults and pupils get on very well together and relationships are very good. Parents say their children enjoy school, and this is reflected in their above average attendance. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school, and are eager to learn. There are some instances of good teaching where work is well matched to the needs of all pupils. However, there is a

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Grade: 3

significant amount which is only satisfactory because it does not provide sufficient challenge for all pupils, especially the more able. Consequently, teaching is satisfactory overall and standards are average. Most pupils make satisfactory progress but a small number of the most able pupils do not achieve as well as they could, especially in writing. Pupils readily take on the responsibilities offered to them. The older pupils, acting as 'buddies', engage the younger pupils well in a variety of playground games. The school council members say that teachers listen to their views and they are proud of their contribution to improving the play equipment for outdoor use. Through strong links with the church, pupils support the harvest gift collections. The positive attitudes shown by the pupils in response to the many charitable and community activities, together with their achievement in lessons, give pupils a

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Grade: 3

satisfactory grounding for their future learning. The curriculum is satisfactory and pupils enjoy taking part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. The structured curriculum for personal, social, health and citizenship contributes well to pupils' understanding of themselves and their place in society. Pupils know how to keep themselves in good health through correct eating habits and exercise. Sport is a strong feature and is enjoyed by pupils of all ages. Although pupils say that they enjoy the curriculum activities, these are not always matched to their needs, especially the most able. The headteacher has established a clear sense of purpose centred on good pastoral care for all pupils. Consequently, pupils feel valued and respected. Although senior leaders and curriculum coordinators undertake some monitoring of pupils' progress and teaching and learning, it is not carried out in a regular or systematic manner and is not focused on raising standards and

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Grade: 3

achievement. Consequently, the impact is restricted. The school has implemented a comprehensive system for tracking pupils' progress which enables underachieving pupils to be identified. However, the information is not used well enough to analyse the progress made by all classes and groups of pupils. Governors are committed to the school and have a sound overview of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. The school has satisfactory capacity to improve and provides satisfactory value for money.

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Grade: 3

Children's achievement in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. By the time they leave Reception, their attainment is in line with that expected for children of a similar age. There are some aspects of teaching which are good, such as the wide range of activities provided. However, 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 2008 teaching overall is satisfactory. This is because too often the tasks are similar for all children and some, particularly the more able, are insufficiently challenged. Although there are some opportunities for child-initiated activities, there are too few opportunities for children to explore ideas and make decisions. Children feel safe and secure. They make good progress in developing social skills and play well together.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise pupils' achievement, especially that of the more able in writing.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide greater challenge by ensuring that teaching is focused more precisely on pupils' next steps in learning and these are carefully matched to their needs. ■ Ensure that the roles of all those with a leadership responsibility are focused on raising standards and achievement, and that monitoring is carried out regularly and systematically. ■ Analyse and evaluate the information on pupils' progress more carefully to monitor the achievement of classes and groups of pupils as they move through the school. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged 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

Standards are in line with the national average and most pupils, including those with LDD, make satisfactory progress in all year groups. By the end of Key Stage 1, standards are higher in reading and mathematics than in writing. This is because there is a lower proportion of pupils who reach the higher levels in writing. In Key Stage 2, the 2006 and 2007 test results showed that the proportion of more able pupils who reached the highest level, especially in English, was lower than average. This was because a small number of more able pupils did not achieve as well as they could in writing. Although the school has implemented initiatives to raise standards in writing, the impact of this is not yet apparent in the school data.

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Grade: 2

Through assemblies, religious education and personal and social education, the school makes a good contribution to pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. However, aspects of pupils' spiritual and cultural development, including an understanding of life in a multicultural society are not quite as strong as other areas. Pupils have a good understanding of living in a community through their work on the school council and carrying out a range of responsibilities in school. Opportunities to visit local churches and charity work, including supporting a child in India, extend pupils' understanding of their responsibility towards the wider community.

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Grade: 3

Throughout the school, the very good relationships between teachers and pupils and consistent good management of behaviour are reflected in pupils' positive attitudes to learning. Pupils say that they like their teachers and enjoy the work given. They have a good level of independence and many willingly take responsibility for their own learning. Many of the 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 2008 activities, especially those of a practical nature, motivate pupils well. Although lesson planning is detailed, teachers are often not clear enough about what they want pupils of all abilities to learn. Consequently, there is sometimes a lack of challenge.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum covers all the required areas and is enhanced well through a range of extra activities which make a strong contribution to pupils' learning and enjoyment. Appropriate emphasis is placed on English and mathematics and there is a wide range of programmes to support those pupils who need additional help. The school has recognised that the curriculum does not always closely match the needs of its pupils and is currently modifying this to provide clearer identification of skills and links between subjects. The curriculum is enriched well with a wide-ranging programme of visits and visitors to school. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities, particularly in sport, which attract many pupils and make a strong contribution to pupils' learning and enjoyment.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Procedures for health and safety, risk assessments and child protection are secure. The needs of pupils who find learning difficult are identified early and effective action is taken to help. There are good links with outside agencies that provide additional support where necessary. The school has developed clear procedures to assess and monitor pupils' academic progress. These are used to identify pupils with LDD as early as possible and to set group and individual targets. However, tracking does not sufficiently focus on determining whether all pupils are achieving as well as they could. Although some pupils are clear about their individual targets, this is inconsistent. The majority of pupils do not understand how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve. The quality of marking is inconsistent. In too many classes pupils are not provided with clear enough

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has an accurate overview of the school's strengths and weaknesses and knows what to do to improve. Satisfactory progress has been made since the last inspection because of sound leadership and management. The senior management team and subject coordinators are enthusiastic to improve standards and achievement. However, their roles are not sufficiently focused on pupils' progress and too much of their time is taken with day-to-day administration. The recently introduced system for tracking pupils' progress has enabled teachers and leaders to become more aware of the progress made by individual pupils. This information is usefully shared with parents. However, leaders are unaware of the progress made by groups of pupils as they move through the school because the data is not carefully analysed. Consequently, teachers are not held to account well enough for the progress made by all groups of pupils in

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Grade: 3

their care. The governors are aware of their duties and carry them out in a satisfactory manner. However, without the analysis of progress data, the degree to which the governors can hold the school to account is restricted. The school development plan outlines a wide range of tasks 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 2008 for many areas, but does not include measurable targets related to improving standards and achievement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 2008 .

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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: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 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? 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? 3 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 2 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?

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: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 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 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: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

15 May 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Stanhope Nursery and Primary School, Gedling, NG4 4JD Thank you for making our recent visit to your school such a pleasant experience. We enjoyed visiting your lessons, looking at your books, and talking with you and some of your parents. We were very impressed with your behaviour and attitudes. You are polite, well mannered and get on well together. The teachers and other adults look after you well. They are very kind and helpful, and want you all to do your best. You are making satisfactory progress, but some of you could achieve more, especially with your writing. I have asked the headteacher to ensure that the teachers give you even more challenge by matching the work you are given very carefully to your abilities in all lessons. The school keeps very detailed information about the progress you are making. However, the senior teachers could use the information even better to find out how well you are all doing in each class.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

All the adults work hard for you, and some teachers have taken on extra responsibilities. I have asked them to check on your progress more often and use the information they have to make sure that you all do as well as you can. You can help by continuing to work hard and making a very big effort to improve your writing. We shall take away many good memories of your happy school and have very much enjoyed the time we have spent with you. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly. Yours sincerely Roy Bowers Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Stanhope Primary and Nursery School, 13 °14 May 2008

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