Howes Community Primary School

Howes Community Primary School Inspection report

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134426 Unique Reference Number Coventry Local Authority 316261 Inspection number 30 June °1 July 2008 Inspection dates David Driscoll 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 248 School The governing body Appropriate authority Jeff Rowe Chair Carol Brammer Headteacher 6 June 2005 Date of previous school inspection Palmero Avenue School address Cheylesmore Coventry CV3 5EH 02476 411711 Telephone number 02476 693392 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 30 June °1 July 2008 Inspection dates 316261 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 average sized primary school serves an area on the fringe of Coventry. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is average. The proportion of pupils from a minority ethnic background is well above average, as is the proportion speaking English as an additional language, although the great majority of these pupils are fluent English speakers. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion with a statement of special educational need is well above average because the school houses a special unit for pupils with hearing impairment. The headteacher had only been in post for ten weeks at the time of the inspection.

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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: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 2008

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Grade: 3

Howes provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. They enjoy school and their personal development is good. A friendly, caring environment helps them to feel happy and secure at school, form good relationships and trust the adults who work with them. Achievement for most pupils is satisfactory and they leave with average standards, because teaching, the curriculum and the quality of care, guidance and support they receive are satisfactory. Provision for children in the Foundation Stage and for pupils who attend the hearing impaired unit (HIU) is good, so they make better progress than others. Throughout the school, teachers and pupils get on well with each other. Pupils feel confident in raising any concerns they have, knowing that they will be taken seriously. They mostly enjoy lessons but become bored when the pace of lessons slows because they spend too long on tasks that require them to simply listen to the

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Grade: 3

teacher. This rarely occurs in the Foundation Stage or in the HIU, partly because there are more adults available in these classes so they are able to respond to pupils' individual needs more quickly. In other classes, there is no clear pattern of strengths and weaknesses in teaching. Expectations will be high in one lesson, for example, but low in the next. The checks that the school's leaders carry out on the quality of teaching clearly identify such strengths and areas for improvement in individual lessons. Leadership and management are only satisfactory, however, because the findings are not analysed to provide an accurate picture of the effectiveness of teaching across the school, in terms of its impact on the progress made by pupils. This leads to the school's managers evaluating teaching and the school's overall effectiveness as good, when pupils only make satisfactory progress. Nevertheless, the school's

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Grade: 3

leaders, including governors, have demonstrated the skills necessary to take the school forward. For example, in the way they have tackled the underachievement identified in mathematics in 2007 and in current developments to develop more robust procedures for analysing data. There is a clear vision for the school's future and all staff are keen to improve the quality of education provided. The school's strength lies in the culture of respect for others, which is evident throughout the school and which plays a strong part in promoting pupils' good personal development. Cultural differences are celebrated and pupils with hearing impairment are exceptionally well integrated into the life of the school. Most pupils behave well, and their attendance is satisfactory. The curriculum provides an excellent education in health and safety, so these aspects of personal development, along with the part that pupils play in the community, are outstanding. More

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Grade: 3

academic aspects of the curriculum, such as the provision for literacy and numeracy, are satisfactory, but the school is already working to improve them. Pastoral care is strong and the school has particularly good links with outside agencies and parents of children in the Foundation Stage and HIU. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Pupils all have targets, but they do not always understand what they mean or receive enough guidance on how to reach them.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage is well led and managed. Induction procedures are of high quality and ensure that both children and their parents know exactly what to expect when they arrive at school. Attainment on entry to the Nursery is below the level expected of three-year-olds. As they progress through the Foundation Stage the good quality teaching and regular assessments of work ensure that children make good progress, so they start Year 1 with standards that are 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 2008 average for their age. Adults provide a stimulating environment both within the classroom and in the outdoor play area, although they do not always make the most of opportunities to develop language and mathematical skills in the sand and water areas. Good quality care and support ensure that social skills are developed well. Children learn routines quickly. Relationships with

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Grade: 2

children are good and adults provide good role models. Children make particularly good progress when working in small groups with adults, where resources are used very effectively to develop children's understanding. Reception children used jigsaws and models to explain the life cycle of a frog, for example.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Analyse more thoroughly the results of monitoring, taking account of the impact of teaching on pupils' progress, in order to identify and implement actions that will reduce inconsistencies in teaching. ■ Ensure pupils spend less time on activities that do not require them to be active, in order to improve the progress they make in lessons. ■ Ensure pupils know what their targets mean and what they need to do to reach them.

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What the school should do to improve further

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

Most pupils make satisfactory progress in the school. They start Year 1 with standards that are average, and leave with average standards. There was some underachievement in mathematics last year, but managers have moved quickly to ensure pupils who are falling behind are identified sooner and helped to catch up. Progress in writing is a little slower than in reading, but this too is being tackled by, for example, giving pupils more opportunities to write at length. Pupils with hearing impairment make good progress. They develop their literacy and numeracy skills well in the HIU, and are given all the support they need to develop such skills in other subjects when they join mainstream classes each afternoon. Other pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress, in line with that of other pupils in the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They talk with great enthusiasm about the physical activities and the many clubs run for them. A strong emphasis on developing personal and social skills has a positive effect on behaviour. Most show high standards of behaviour in the classroom and when moving about school. A small minority of pupils become restless and go off task when they are inactive in lessons. Pupils possess an outstanding knowledge of healthy living and keeping safe both in and out of school. Even at a young age they show a remarkable awareness of how to use equipment without endangering themselves or others, for example. Pupils have a good understanding of the world's major religions and respect those who are different from themselves. At break times, other pupils relate very well to those attending the HIU. All pupils can use some sign language

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Grade: 2

and are keen to learn more. Pupils are developing satisfactorily the skills which they will need in the next stage of their education and later life. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 2008 Pupils make an outstanding contribution to the school and wider community. One pupil commented, 'I am proud to be a member of the school council.' The school council interview applicants for jobs, including the new headteacher. They talk with pride about their contribution to the design of the trim trail. Pupils are concerned about global issues such as eco-matters and recycling. They raise money for charities, including the China earthquake appeal. Pupils in the HIU are fully involved in the school and wider community. They take the lead in assemblies, for example. A pupil in the unit is featured signing in a modern foreign language video that is being circulated to all local schools.

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Grade: 3

One reason for pupils' good enjoyment of school is the relationship they have with their teachers. They are encouraged to work hard and so try their best. They make the best gains in understanding when they are 'doing' rather than just listening, and in some lessons the pace is slowed when they spend too long on the carpet or listening to the teacher read. Teaching across the school has a variety of both strengths and weaknesses, but these differ from class to class. In one lesson, for example, the teacher will show they have a deep understanding of the subject by answering questions 'off the top of their head'. In other lessons, knowledge is less secure, so mistakes are made when teaching theory. The school is currently working to ensure greater consistency.

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Grade: 3

Provision for literacy and numeracy is satisfactory, but progress in writing is slower than in reading because there are few opportunities for pupils to write at length in subjects other than English. The curriculum for mathematics includes some opportunities to carry out investigations. When these are used, such as in measuring areas or using computers for modelling, pupils make good gains in understanding. However, there are relatively few such opportunities at present. In Years 1 to 6 themes are being planned to help pupils build successfully on previous work, but this development is at an early stage. Pupils in the HIU have access to a good quality curriculum which is very well matched to their individual needs. Provision for health and social development is good. There is a very strong emphasis on physical education and the school is proud of its National Activemark and Healthy School Award. The curriculum is enhanced well

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Grade: 3

by a good range of lunchtime and after-school clubs. Pupils talk about these activities with real enthusiasm.

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Grade: 3

The school provides strong pastoral and emotional care and support for its pupils. Adults and pupils develop strong relationships and pupils comment that they have someone to talk to if they have a problem. Pupils in the HIU receive outstanding support. They settle in very quickly and are very happy at school. Equipment, which is often new to them, is introduced with great care and never used until the pupil is entirely happy. The school makes good use of visiting specialists to support its work in the HIU, while other adults ensure that hearing impaired pupils can play a full part in mainstream lessons. Good links with outside agencies ensure that 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 2008 vulnerable pupils are well looked after and can make as much progress as others. Child protection and health and safety procedures meet all requirements. The school has identified pupils whose

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Grade: 3

attendance is unsatisfactory and is working with the local authority to improve the situation. However, not enough is done to celebrate and encourage good attendance in school by, for example, using rewards or praising those who are never absent. Pupils have targets in literacy and numeracy. Discussion with younger pupils show that some are not always clear about their targets and marking does not consistently provide the guidance they need to move to the next stage of learning.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has a clear vision and a determination to improve provision in the school. The school's senior managers, including governors, have an accurate view of how well pupils achieve because they make good use of the data on pupils' progress to spot those who may be falling behind. Frequent checks are carried out on teaching, identifying what works well and what could be improved. However, these two aspects of monitoring are not then compared to provide managers with a clear picture of why pupils do better in one class than another. This means that managers are not able to identify patterns in strengths and weaknesses in teaching across the school and so cannot prioritise the most important areas for improvement. Middle managers have not played a significant part in driving the school forward in the recent past. However, the appointment of two phase leaders with additional responsibility for literacy and numeracy

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Grade: 3

has led to a surge of improvement, with changes to the curriculum already helping pupils to make better progress. This typifies the approach of staff, who are very supportive of the senior managers' drive to improve standards. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 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: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 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 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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 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?

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: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 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: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

2 July 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Howes Primary School, Coventry CV3 5EH Thank you for making us so welcome we visited your school. We found talking to you very helpful and were impressed by your good manners. You clearly care about other people, both in the school and across the world. We think the way you help to run the school, look out for one another and respect each other is brilliant. You also take good care of yourselves and have an excellent knowledge of how to stay fit, safe and healthy. It was great to see so much fruit being eaten at break, and not an unhealthy snack anywhere. Well done to you all. Overall, we found that you are getting a satisfactory education. You make as much progress as we would expect in lessons, although those of you with hearing difficulties and the children in the Nursery and Reception classes do well. You told us that you learn best when you are doing things, rather than just listening. We saw this was true in lessons, when some of you got

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

bored and started daydreaming. So we have asked your teachers to get you onto tasks where you are active as soon as possible. However, sometimes they have to talk to you all together, so you must do your bit by concentrating as hard as you can on what is being said. You told us how much you enjoy school, because you get on well with all the grown-ups. You also like all the extra clubs and activities. All the grown-ups help you when you are unhappy or have any problems. They are particularly good at making sure that children new to the school settle in as quickly as possible. One area that could be a bit better is the way you are helped to reach your targets. So we have asked the teachers to make sure you know what your targets mean and what you have to do to reach them. The people who run the school all want the best for you and are making the school better. We have suggested that they could do this even more quickly if they listed all the best bits of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

teaching and made sure all the other teachers knew about them. With all best wishes for your futures David Driscoll Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Howes Community Primary School, 30 June °1 July 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of Howes Primary School, Coventry CV3 5EH

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Annex B

Thank you for making us so welcome we visited your school. We found talking to you very helpful and were impressed by your good manners. You clearly care about other people, both in the school and across the world. We think the way you help to run the school, look out for one another and respect each other is brilliant. You also take good care of yourselves and have an excellent knowledge of how to stay fit, safe and healthy. It was great to see so much fruit being eaten at break, and not an unhealthy snack anywhere. Well done to you all.

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Annex B

Overall, we found that you are getting a satisfactory education. You make as much progress as we would expect in lessons, although those of you with hearing difficulties and the children in the Nursery and Reception classes do well. You told us that you learn best when you are doing things, rather than just listening. We saw this was true in lessons, when some of you got bored and started daydreaming. So we have asked your teachers to get you onto tasks where you are active as soon as possible. However, sometimes they have to talk to you all together, so you must do your bit by concentrating as hard as you can on what is being said. You told us how much you enjoy school, because you get on well with all the grown-ups. You also like all the extra clubs and activities. All the grown-ups help you when you are unhappy or have any problems. They are particularly good at making sure that children new to the school settle in as quickly as possible. One area that could be a bit better is

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Annex B

the way you are helped to reach your targets. So we have asked the teachers to make sure you know what your targets mean and what you have to do to reach them.

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Annex B

The people who run the school all want the best for you and are making the school better. We have suggested that they could do this even more quickly if they listed all the best bits of teaching and made sure all the other teachers knew about them.

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