Allesley Primary School

Allesley Primary School Inspection report

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103662 Unique Reference Number Coventry Local Authority 323875 Inspection number 26 March 2009 Inspection date Doris Bell Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 348 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Diane White Chair Matthew Potts Headteacher 24 January 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Antrim Close School address Allesley Coventry CV5 9FY 02476 402611 Telephone number 02476 407964 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 26 March 2009 Inspection date 323875 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. 2 of 10 Inspection Report: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ the progress of pupils currently in the school, and whether what the school is doing to improve that progress is working ■ how far the school has got with establishing systems for assessing and tracking pupils' progress, including through teachers' marking and how well the systems are used to improve pupils' learning ■ what impact the checks managers make on the school's work are having on teaching and learning, and how well the school promotes community cohesion. Evidence was gathered from visits to lessons, sampling pupils' work, observing pupils at work and at play, discussions with pupils, staff and governors, analyses of the school's documentation and assessment information, and responses to the parent questionnaires. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspection found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these

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Introduction

have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a popular, large primary school with Early Years Foundation Stage provision catering for children in Nursery and Reception. The school also has before- and after- school clubs. All pupils are taught in mixed-age classes. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. The proportion known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and the proportion for whom English is an additional language is broadly average. There have been two changes of headship since the previous inspection. The current headteacher took up post in January 2009.

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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: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It is well led and managed and staff and governors are fully behind the headteacher in his drive to make it outstanding. In the 11 weeks he has been in post, the headteacher has gained an accurate view of teaching and learning, and of what the school needs to do to improve further. The school's own evaluation of its work is highly accurate. It is linked to the school improvement plan and has a clear focus on helping all pupils to do as well as they possibly can. The strong teamwork between the headteacher, staff and governors reflects their understanding and gives the school good capacity for further improvement. The roles of the relatively new senior management team and middle managers are as yet underdeveloped. However, the school is tackling this aspect well with focused professional development that is helping leaders and managers to become more effective. High levels of care and a warm, calm and friendly atmosphere pervade the school, successfully

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Grade: 2

fostering excellent behaviour in the pupils and providing a safe, secure environment in which they can learn and play. Parents, too, recognise this, describing the school as 'friendly and approachable', with staff that are prepared to 'go the extra mile' for the pupils. Pupils have an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy living. The high rates of participation in sporting activities bear testimony to this, as does the school's Activemark gold award. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and attendance is good. They are also cared for well and have a good range of exciting activities that take place in and out of doors in the before- and after-school clubs. The headteacher meets with pupils regularly to discuss how well they are doing and what they feel about the school. From these discussions and meetings with the school council ensure that pupils' views are heard, and pupils know these views are valued. A small number of parents

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Grade: 2

voiced some concerns about bullying. Inspectors found that not all pupils fully understand what bullying means. However, they are all confident that any form of harassment is dealt with quickly and effectively. Current safeguarding requirements are met, pupils feel safe in school and they know how to keep themselves safe. They state confidently that staff will always support them if they need help. They make a good contribution to the school and local community, and the local community is involved with and supports the school well. The school's excellent links with external agencies and with parents contribute greatly to the pupils' learning and personal development. Achievement is good overall and standards are above average in Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. The national test results for pupils in Year 6 in 2008 were significantly above average, continuing the upward trend of the past three years. Children start Nursery with skills

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Grade: 2

that are well below the levels expected for their age. Their good progress in Nursery and Reception ensures they start Year 1 with broadly average standards. Progress is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 and good in Years 3 to 6. The national test results were average for Year 2 pupils in 2008, continuing the decline of the past three years. Changes in the make-up of the year groups and the teachers' cautious approach to awarding higher Level 3 assessments are partly responsible for this but some variations in the quality of teaching, particularly in the pace at which lessons proceed, also contribute to it. The quality of teaching is good overall. Planning matches the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes, teachers manage pupils well and relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Teachers' marking varies considerably across the school. The best examples give pupils clear guidance on how to take their learning further, but in some

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Grade: 2

instances, marking consists only of ticks or supportive comments, with little guidance towards 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009 targets. The headteacher, having analysed pupils' performance to date, has rightly raised the school's overall targets for Year 2 and Year 6 this year. However, when the targets are brought down to classroom level, they are not always specific enough to help individual pupils make good progress. They do this best in Years 5 and 6, and pupils in this age group have a good understanding of their targets. Pupils in other year groups and especially in Years 1 and 2 are less clear about how to improve their work to meet their targets. The school's procedures for assessing and tracking pupils' progress give good information about pupils who need support because they are falling behind, or who would benefit from more challenge because they are more able. They show the levels individual pupils are at, at a given

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Grade: 2

point in time. What they lack is a summary at-a-glance overview of each pupil's progress across a year and from year to year. This means that the school does not necessarily pick up pupils on the borderline between, for example, Level 2 and Level 3 or Level 4 and Level 5 who, with a little push, might reach the relevant higher level. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. Support staff contribute to this well when working with groups of pupils in and out of class. However, teachers do not always make best use of the support staff during whole-class sessions. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures as part of their work in the well-planned curriculum. The curriculum supports pupils' personal development and well-being effectively and includes focused weeks when they study different themes in more depth. Each year, one of these weeks is focused specifically on multicultural learning. It includes visitors from different

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Grade: 2

cultural backgrounds and is supplemented by other visits throughout the year, including those to different places of worship. The school also makes good use of the pupils' own different cultural backgrounds to raise all pupils' awareness of cultural diversity. Overall, it promotes community cohesion well and governors have a robust action plan for doing this. They also have a robust action plan for developing further their role as a critical friend. They fulfil their duties, including those for promoting equal opportunities, well.

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Grade: 2

Children settle into school quickly because of the high level of care provided for them and the excellent attention paid to their welfare and well-being, including in the before- and after-school clubs and at lunchtimes. They and their parents have good opportunities to learn about the expectations of school life prior to starting and parents receive good information about how well their children are doing. Children make good progress in Nursery and Reception because the quality of teaching is good and provision in this age group is well led and managed. Effective planning ensures that teacher-directed activities are closely linked to those available for the children to select for themselves, and there is a good balance between the two. Initiatives such as the daily short sessions on linking sounds and letters are helping children to make faster progress in communication, language and literacy, the weakest element when they start school.

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Grade: 2

However, staff sometimes miss opportunities to develop children's language skills during child-selected activities, and teaching assistants do not always support children's learning well enough during whole-class sessions. Children feel safe and well cared for. They explain what they are learning and they work and play happily together and on their own, choosing independent activities well. Their behaviour is excellent and they greatly enjoy the huge variety of exciting activities planned for them indoors and out. They also know how to keep healthy, for example, washing their hands before 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009 eating and after practical activities, and joining wholeheartedly in all physical activities. All of this is replicated in the well-organised before- and after-school clubs.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Sharpen assessment procedures to give a secure overview of the progress of each pupil over time, and use the information to make all teachers more accountable for the progress their pupils make, especially in Years 1 and 2. ■ Ensure teachers mark pupils' work, especially their writing, consistently well at all times, making sure pupils know their targets and how to achieve them. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009

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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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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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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009

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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 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 March 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Allesley Primary School, Allesley, Coventry, CV5 9FY Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We were particularly impressed with your excellent behaviour and the cheerful way in which, for example, you opened doors or held them open for us and for other pupils and staff. You clearly enjoy school very much and try hard to do your best. You go to a good school that makes sure you are safe and very well cared for as you learn and play. This includes in the before- and after-school clubs which many of you attend. You told us that you feel safe in school and that staff deal very quickly with anything that is likely to threaten this. However, despite the work the school has done with you on bullying, not all of you fully understand what bullying is. Some of your parents are clearly concerned about this, although overall, they too feel you go to a good school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your headteacher and the governors lead and manage the school well. They keep a close eye on how well you are taught and what effect this has on your learning. You make good progress in most classes and reach standards that are higher than those found in most other schools. You understand very well the importance of eating healthily and taking regular exercise. You know what it means to be part of the school and local community and you are developing a good understanding of different cultures in Britain and abroad. This is helping you to understand where you fit into the world and the importance of working together to make it a better place. The school keeps good records of how well each one of you is doing and it uses this information to give you extra support should you need it. However, it does not have a clear enough view of your rate of progress over time. We have asked the school to compile this information and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

use it to ensure all of you make the best possible progress at all times. We noted too that when teachers mark your work, they do not always give you enough guidance on how to improve it, and that not all of you understand what your targets really mean. We have therefore asked the school to sort these things out as well. You can help in all of this by heeding what your teachers say and using it to work hard and improve your own learning. We hope you will continue to enjoy learning for the rest of your lives as much as you do now. Yours sincerely Doris Bell Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Allesley Primary School, 26 March 2009

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