Setting

Mrs S Kaminski-Gaze The Headteacher All Saints C of E Primary School and Nursery, Nuneaton Knebley Crescent Nuneaton Warwickshire CV10 7AT

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PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY, NUNEATON

Following my visit with Fran Ashworth to your school on 10 and 11 June 2008, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to confirm the inspection findings.

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PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY, NUNEATON

The visit was the third monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures in April 2007. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below.

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PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY, NUNEATON

Progress since being subject to special measures – satisfactory.

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PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY, NUNEATON

Progress since previous monitoring inspection – satisfactory.

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PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY, NUNEATON

Newly qualified teachers may be appointed.

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PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY, NUNEATON

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be posted on the Ofsted website. Please inform the Regional Inspection Service Provider of any factual inaccuracies within 24 hours of the receipt of this letter.

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PRIMARY SCHOOL AND NURSERY, NUNEATON

I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the chair of governors, the Director of Education for the Diocese of Coventry and the Director for Children, Young People and Families for Warwickshire.

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Additional Inspector

Tribal Group 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0845 123 6001 F 0845 123 6002 T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the school’s work, including observing lessons and a school assembly, scrutinised documents and data, evaluated pupils’ work and met with the headteacher, senior leaders, groups of pupils and the local authority school intervention inspector.

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Context

Two classes were being taken by temporary and supply teachers as a result of staff absence.

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Achievement and standards

Lesson observations, scrutiny of work and analysis of school tracking data indicate that the school has continued to improve pupils’ achievement and standards since the last monitoring visit. There is still some way to go, but the school is moving in the right direction. Results from the recent teacher assessments and tests in Year 2 for reading, writing and mathematics show that standards have improved on 2007, although they remain well below average. School data indicates that, if the current momentum is maintained, standards in 2009 at the end of Key Stage 1 will be much closer to the national averages. The school is successfully starting to build on the good start that children get in the Foundation Stage.

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Achievement and standards

Although current standards in Year 6 are still well below the national average, standards are higher than in 2007. Standards in English have improved significantly on last year. Building on this improvement in the academic year of 2008/09 will be a challenge to the school because the current Year 5 has a well above average number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, the school is now in a better position than it was to rise to this challenge. Since the last monitoring visit the school has successfully focused on ensuring that higher attaining pupils are challenged sufficiently. In a majority of classes this has been successful, resulting in many of these pupils starting to make good progress.

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Achievement and standards

Using effective and more rigorous systems for monitoring pupils’ progress, the school is in a better position to have a much clearer view of the progress of individuals and different groups of pupils. This enables senior managers to respond more quickly to pupils who might not be making the progress they should be and also evaluate the effectiveness of teaching. School data shows that in classes where teaching is consistently effective, pupils are often making better than satisfactory progress. There are one or two classes, particularly in lower Key Stage 2, where progress is not so rapid and, at times, still inadequate. This is a significant challenge for the school which has not been helped by continued staff absence. The school has worked hard since the last visit to improve this situation but it is too early to see the full impact. Pupils’ progress in lower Key Stage 2 requires further acceleration and

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Achievement and standards

the school needs to ensure that the effective work that is now being undertaken in Key Stage 1 is carried into Key Stage 2.

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Achievement and standards

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in April 2007:  improve progress and the standards attained by pupils throughout Years 1 to 6 – satisfactory.

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Personal development and well-being

The incentives put in place since the last inspection to improve punctuality have proved to be very effective. The learning mentor has worked hard with families to improve attendance and has had some success. Attendance remains below average as a result of issues beyond the school’s control such as illness and the insistence of some parents to take holidays in school time. The school is now doing as much as can be expected to promote and encourage good attendance.

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Personal development and well-being

Behaviour has improved considerably and is now often good. The assertive discipline system is understood by everyone and pupils value the green cards, stickers and certificates. The number of yellow or red cards given out has fallen and more pupils are earning the half termly reward as a result of being ‘Good to be Green’. Consequently, the atmosphere around the school is calmer and more purposeful and the number of exclusions has dropped dramatically. Pupils concentrate better in lessons and as the quality of teaching has improved so has the enthusiasm shown by pupils. They are keen to take part in lessons and show far more enjoyment for school. This was exemplified in Year 5 when the pupils undertook mature and sensible discussions about the poem ‘The Highwayman’.

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Personal development and well-being

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in April 2007:  work closely with parents to improve pupils’ attendance – good.

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Quality of provision

The quality of teaching has continued to improve, particularly the proportion of good teaching that can now be found at the school. Plans for September indicate that the staffing is likely to be more stable. Evidence from lesson observations and analysis of school monitoring show that there are strengths in teaching, particularly in the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and upper Key Stage 2. Planning for English and mathematics for example is good. Classroom relationships are strong. Greater emphasis is now being placed on the needs of different pupils, which is better than it was earlier in the academic year, particularly for higher attainers. The weakest teaching is still in lower Key Stage 2, although it was adequate during the visit. The headteacher and senior leadership team have taken appropriate action to improve the quality of teaching through rigorous monitoring and focused training and support

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Quality of provision

for teachers. Pupils have become more enthusiastic about their learning even in less effective lessons. There is much less off task inattentive behaviour and pupils themselves recognise this improvement in their learning. Curriculum development is a school priority for the autumn term. Literacy and numeracy continue as the main priorities for improvement and there is evidence that literacy and numeracy skills are better promoted across other subjects. However, there is scope to use information and communication technology skills more effectively across the wider curriculum. The improved range of trips and visits has enlivened the curriculum for pupils. For example, pupils wanted to share their writing about the Tudor experience rather than any other piece of writing. The number of clubs after school has increased and these contribute well to the pupils’ personal development by adding extra experiences and responsibilities, such as introducing

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Quality of provision

new sporting activities or helping to produce the school newspaper.

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Quality of provision

The school follows strict procedures for ensuring pupils’ safety, health and protection.

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Quality of provision

Teachers have begun using assessment information more effectively when producing their planning. Challenging work for higher ability pupils is now usually included. All pupils have targets for literacy and numeracy and work on them daily. The quality of feedback in pupils’ books has improved, often including ideas for them to make their work even better. Pupils are not always given the time they need to read and act on these good suggestions. As at the time of the last visit, younger pupils cannot always read or understand teachers’ comments. This means they are unable to benefit from useful guidance on how to improve their work.

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Quality of provision

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in April 2007:  ensure that teaching and the curriculum are closely matched to the needs of all pupils so that they do as well as they should – satisfactory  make sure that pupils are given clear information on how well they are doing and about what they need to do next to improve their performance – satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

The most significant improvement since the last monitoring visit has been in the leadership and management of the school. Many practices and strategies have become more embedded and the impact of these on improvement is much clearer. The headteacher and senior leaders are developing a clear understanding of the school’s performance and the quality of provision that is based on rigorous monitoring and evaluation. Some of the monitoring that had been undertaken with regards teachers’ planning and lesson observations has been impressive and has had a positive impact on improving pupils’ progress and aspects of teaching and learning. School development has been consolidated and targets for improvement are now being met far more consistently than at the beginning of the school year. Self- evaluation has become more accurate and based on a more realistic understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Less experienced senior staff have

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Leadership and management

developed their roles well and are contributing far more to the leadership and management of the school. Governors continue to be better informed about school performance and are now far more confident that the school is moving in the right direction. With the improvements in leadership and management, the capacity of the leadership team is more secure. Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in April 2007:  rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of provision in each class and take swift action to rectify weaknesses – good.

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External support

The quality and impact of the external support provided for the school by the local authority has continued to be good and evidenced in the satisfactory, and sometimes good, progress made since the last monitoring visit. Rigorous evaluations of the school’s progress against improvement issues, particularly by the school intervention inspector, have contributed much to the development of the school.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Accelerate the progress of pupils currently in Years 3 and 4.

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