Foundry Lane Primary School

Foundry Lane Primary School Inspection report

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116261 Unique Reference Number Southampton Local Authority 326352 Inspection number 26–27 January 2009 Inspection dates Carol Worthington 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 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 412 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 Mr Robert Parfett Chair Mr Andrew Withers Headteacher 22 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Foundry Lane School address Shirley Southampton SO15 3JT 02380 774814 Telephone number 02380 702549 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 26–27 January 2009 Inspection dates 326352 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 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This larger than average school serves pupils from Shirley, an urban area of Southampton. The majority of pupils are of White British origin, but there are a small number of minority ethnic groups and, in recent years, an increasing number of Eastern European pupils who speak little English have joined the school in all years from Reception to Year 6. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, particularly those who struggle with reading and writing, is above that found nationally. There are 60 children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Reception classes. The school provides childcare in breakfast and after school clubs.

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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: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009

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Grade: 2

Foundry Lane is a good school. The headteacher and deputy headteacher make a highly effective team, focusing on raising academic achievement while instilling in the pupils values such as respect, responsibility and a strong moral sense. Many parents acknowledged this in their response. As one put it so aptly, 'It's very refreshing to see a school with a modern progressive outlook, but still grounded in traditional values such as hard work and respect.' Pupils' strong personal qualities reflect these values. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are outstanding. They are developing an excellent understanding of the multicultural aspects of the local, British and worldwide communities. They respect and value their school's diverse society. They behave well and make an excellent contribution to their school community. Pupils enter the Reception classes with skills close to those expected for their age, except in

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Grade: 2

language and communication, and some aspects of numeracy, which are much lower. They make good progress from these starting points and achieve well, attaining close to average standards by the end of Year 2. By the end of Year 6, standards are in line with the national average in English, mathematics and science. Standards are improving, however, as shown by the pupils' improved attainment in the 2008 national tests and in the assessments of pupils currently in Year 6. Despite these improvements, however, they do less well in writing as standards remain below average. The school is working hard to raise levels of attainment and a good start has been made in addressing this with improved performance in key parts of the school as a result. Pupils are well prepared for secondary school and this is reflected in their mature and confident attitudes and their good understanding of how to keep healthy and safe.

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Grade: 2

The school has been particularly thorough in providing information on the safe use of the internet as part of a focus on dealing with bullying. Teaching is good and pupils make good progress. Inconsistencies in the quality and range of teaching and learning identified at the time of the last inspection have been successfully tackled. Pupils enjoy their lessons because they are interesting, particularly when they make effective use of information and communication technology (ICT). Teachers manage behaviour effectively and plan to meet the needs of all pupils, including those who struggle with reading and writing. Teaching assistants make an effective contribution, but are not always deployed to the best effect to maximise learning opportunities for all pupils. In some lessons teachers sometimes allow their introductions to go on too long, so that pupils get fidgety and lose concentration. The curriculum provides excellent opportunities for learning. Planning ensures that there is a

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Grade: 2

good progression of skills and understanding from Reception through to Year 6. The outstanding provision for personal, social and health education (PSHE) and the excellent and popular range of extra-curricular clubs and activities have a major impact on pupils' academic and personal development. Leadership and management are good. Leaders at all levels have high expectations and all staff share this common sense of purpose. Governors are a real asset and are highly skilled and committed. They give freely of their time and expertise to support the school well. The partnership with parents is very strong. The extended services are particularly appreciated by parents and are popular with pupils. One wrote, 'after school clubs are well organised and add to their development'. Excellent links with business, outside agencies and other education establishments support the school's work. The school is popular and has a good reputation

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Grade: 2

locally. It has made good improvement since its last inspection and the excellent phonics 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009 programme, which has improved reading, is evidence that the school is well placed to improve further. It is making good use of projects such as 'Charlie and Lola' to widen pupils' vocabulary and enable them to write at length on a wide range of topics. It is, however, too soon to see the impact of this on writing standards.

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Grade: 2

Children benefit from a good overall experience in Reception. The exceptional quality of provision for welfare and the rich curriculum promote the children's excellent personal development and well-being. On entry, many children start with literacy and numeracy skills and abilities that are well below those expected for their age. They progress and achieve well because of the exciting and colourful learning environment that staff provide for them. They enjoy role-play and activities such as dancing to Chinese music that link well with the school's focus on celebrating the Chinese New Year. Children really enjoy the well-planned group activities such as 'wake and shake' and the end of day story. They are making very good progress in social development. Their growing independence is shown by their confident choice of activities during free play sessions. They are very proud of their rapidly developing ICT skills, though there is scope for even greater

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Grade: 2

focus on progress in early writing and number work. The Reception classes are well led and managed with a real emphasis on teamwork. Assessment of progress is thorough and undertaken regularly. This is shared with teachers in Year 1 so that they in turn can plan to meet the needs of individual children in a way that helps them to progress well. There is a clear focus on reviewing and developing routines and resources for the benefit of all children and on sharing information with parents and carers thus ensuring that these links are particularly strong.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of writing throughout the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the consistency of teaching and learning by planning for the effective use of teaching assistants and by making more efficient use of time during lesson introductions.

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Grade: 2

Although standards are average by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve well in relation to their starting points. Pupils make good progress through Reception and Key Stage 1. Their attainment in reading and mathematics is average by Year 2, but in writing it is slightly lower, though improving. National test results show that, over the past few years, pupils' progress in Key Stage 2 has been uneven, although results have been affected by higher numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and an increase in those joining the school in Years 3 to 6 who speak little English. The 2008 results show significant improvements in mathematics, and particularly science, where challenging targets were met. In English the school fell short of its targets in writing but met reading targets at the expected level. Pupils achieved well from their starting points. In the current Year 6, pupils achieve well and standards are at least in line with last year's

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Grade: 2

national average. In English standards in reading are improving well, owing to the school's excellent phonics programme and use of guided reading, but pupils make less progress in writing and standards are lower. This is because many have narrow vocabularies and find it hard to 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009 develop their writing in interesting ways, or write at length. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve and make progress at the same good rate as others.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal qualities reflect the values central to the school; these include respect, responsibility and community involvement. They enjoy learning and playing. Attendance rates are good and improving and their behaviour is good. Pupils are confident and mature learners and take an increasing pride in their achievements as shown, for example, by the quality of presentation of work seen in Year 6. Pupils demonstrate very safe practices around the school. They do not see bullying as an issue as they know what to do about it. Pupils show a good awareness of healthy lifestyles. They talk keenly about their fruit stall at break time and understand the value of physical activities. Pupils are developing an excellent awareness of being good citizens. They contribute to community life through an impressive range of responsibilities. They are proud to be members of the very active school council. The organisation

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Grade: 2

of house captains and monitors is having a marked impact on relationships throughout the school. Pupils leave the school with at least adequate and improving standards of basic skills in numeracy, literacy and ICT. Together with their very well-developed personal skills, they are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and helps pupils to learn and achieve well. Teachers make lessons interesting, so pupils enjoy them and develop enthusiasm for their learning. Interactive whiteboards are used particularly well in some lessons, for example, to study microbes in science, but they are not always used as imaginatively when illustrating key teaching points. Teachers manage pupils' behaviour well in most lessons and relationships are good. Sometimes lesson introductions go on too long and the pace of learning slows. Teachers are able to set appropriate challenges in a good range of activities that extend the learning of all pupils in their classes because of their good use of accurate assessment. Marking is good and helps pupils to improve their work, meet their targets and move on. Teachers and teaching assistants give good support and guidance to pupils with learning difficulties and those who speak little English, so they make good

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Grade: 2

progress. However, there are missed opportunities to optimise the use of teaching assistants by enabling them to be more actively involved with pupils at key times, particularly during lesson introductions. Teachers' skills in teaching phonics are having a very good impact on reading standards throughout the school. The excellent use of classroom displays not only helps pupils celebrate their good work but also provides helpful guidance, as in a Year 6 mathematics lesson when the 'learning wall' helped pupils to plot a parallelogram.

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Grade: 1

The school has developed the curriculum most successfully to provide pupils with excellent and interesting opportunities to become independent life-long learners. Excellent planning provides pupils of all capabilities with a progression of learning skills from Reception and right through the school. Projects such as 'Charlie and Lola' in Year 1 provide excellent links across subjects 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009 and allow areas for development, currently writing, to be given focus. Music performance and creative skills are very well developed. The excellent and very popular range of extra-curricular activities, such as clubs, visitors and visits, opens up great opportunities for pupils of all ages to discover and develop skills, aptitudes and interests as well as confidence and self-esteem. The very clear emphasis on developing literacy skills in science in particular resulted in a marked

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Grade: 1

improvement in the end of Key Stage 2 science tests in 2008.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are well cared for and the school ethos provides a clear focus on ensuring their enjoyment and well-being, while also developing their responsibility to their community. Pupils contribute to making rules; for example, so that all pupils feel safe, ball games are not allowed in all playground areas. The school council is given a budget and has played a key role in providing outdoor play equipment. All safeguarding procedures are fully in place, including those regarding use of the internet. Behaviour and attendance are thoroughly monitored. Teachers know pupils well and try to work closely with parents. Links with other schools and outside agencies are used well in ensuring the well-being of all pupils. Rigorous attention to target-setting and guidance helps to promote good achievement and progress. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak little English are supported well, although in-class support is not always

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Grade: 2

used to full effect to guide their learning.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has effectively distributed leadership by developing the skills of phase and subject leaders. The leadership team strives for high standards. An example of their success since the last inspection is the development of an outstanding curriculum, which is constantly being reviewed to make sure it is matched to the learning needs of all pupils. There is a common sense of purpose among staff. They use a well-devised tracking system to guide pupils towards higher standards by identifying and setting more challenging targets. Self-evaluation is rigorous and takes account of the views of staff, parents, governors and pupils. Leaders and governors know the school's strengths and weaknesses. The school is highly inclusive and works hard to make sure that all pupils are included in all activities. Its contribution to community cohesion is outstanding at all levels because of the excellent racial harmony which many parents recognise.

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Grade: 2

Links with parents are very strong. Those with local religious groups demonstrate tolerance and understanding; festivals from all religions are celebrated. The school has global links extending to all continents. Most resources are effectively used, though teaching assistants are not always matched effectively to pupils' needs in classes. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 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? 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/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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009

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learners?

1 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 The extent to which 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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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 1 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

09 February 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Foundry Lane Primary School,Southampton,SO15 3JT Thank you for being so friendly and helpful when we visited your school. We found your comments very useful. I am writing now to tell you what we found. Yours is a good school. Your headteacher leads the school well. All leaders make sure you develop good academic and personal skills. All staff take good care of you. Teachers make sure your lessons are interesting and we saw you enjoying your learning. They mark your work carefully and this helps you to make progress and meet your targets. Your curriculum is outstanding. You are very lucky to have so many interesting activities both in and out of class. Several of you said you liked the clubs and visits in particular. We were very impressed by your strong community spirit, the way you respect and value each other, and your willingness to take responsibility. We were pleased to see you doing well in

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your studies, particularly in English, mathematics, science and ICT, and think you will be well prepared when you go on to secondary school. There are just two things that we have asked your school to do to make things even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ look more closely at the way teaching assistants are used and make sure you do not spend too much time on the carpet during lesson introductions. You can help teachers a lot by continuing to behave well and work hard. I wish you all the best for the future. Yours faithfully Carol Worthington Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Foundry Lane Primary School, 26–27 January 2009

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