Deepdale Community Primary School

Deepdale Infants' School Inspection report

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119228 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 326976 Inspection number 19–20 March 2009 Inspection dates David Edwards 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 301 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 Miss Sheila Heys Chair Miss Nawal Mirza Headteacher 6 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection St Stephen's Road School address Deepdale Preston Lancashire PR1 6TD 01772 795586 Telephone number 01772 795586 Fax number

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3–7 Age group 19–20 March 2009 Inspection dates 326976 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 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average infant school situated in an area with significant social disadvantage. The percentage of children entitled to free school meals is above average. The percentage of children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than the national average. Likewise, there are fewer children than the national average percentage with a statement of special educational needs. An extremely high number of children are from minority ethnic groups, most of whom speak English as an additional language. The school has been awarded various quality marks including; Basic Skills Agency Quality mark; Investors in People; National Healthy Schools Standard; ECO Green Flag award; and Activemark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that lives up to its motto of ‘Harmony in diversity’. It provides good value for money. The headteacher provides visionary and effective leadership and is ably supported by her deputy and all other members of staff. She has high aspirations for this multi-cultural school, with good results. One parent represented many when they wrote, ‘This is an excellent school. The staff are all very friendly. My child enjoys coming to this school and is making good progress’. When children start school their levels of development are lower than those typical of their age. They make very good progress all the way through Nursery to Year 2 and by the end of Key Stage 1 most have reached at least average levels of attainment. All children settle in quickly and work well across the areas of learning. This is due to the close contact with adults which helps them make great steps in their personal development and language and

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Grade: 2

communication skills. Children who are at the early stages of learning to speak English benefit from very good support, which helps them to make good progress. So do children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. This successful achievement is due to the good teaching and learning and the exceptional care, guidance and support provided by all the adults. Activities are planned to provide exciting and stimulating experiences which help children develop their independence in learning. Tasks are well matched to meet the varying needs and abilities of all children. As a result, children are extremely positive about learning. However, not all teachers consistently ask questions that challenge children’s thinking. This means that opportunities are missed to develop the children’s thought processes and further accelerate their progress. The very high standard of care and guidance greatly supports the successes of the children and

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Grade: 2

consequently their personal development is outstanding. Children behave extremely well and are very proud of their school. They thoroughly enjoy their time at school and develop into positive and friendly individuals. They understand their targets well and what teachers are doing to help them to achieve these. They are clear about what they need to do to make even further progress. Leadership and management are good at all levels. The school’s own self evaluation of its strengths and areas for development is accurate and this leads to effective ongoing development. The numerous quality standards achieved successfully by the school have also provided effective frameworks for improvement, for example the Healthy Schools award has clearly had an impact on children’s awareness of healthy practices. There is good capacity to secure further improvement. The headteacher has emphasised the need to ensure that all children make

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Grade: 2

continuous progress throughout the school. The deputy headteacher has revised and strengthened assessment procedures and these are used to see how well the school is doing over time. Subject leaders have a good understanding of the standards within their subjects and the rates of progress that children are making. However, they are not fully involved in monitoring the quality of lessons within their subject area to allow them to have a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses in different classes. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties despite the fact that there are vacancies. The school has an action plan in place to resolve this and is beginning to have an impact. 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good with outstanding features. Leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding because those in charge build well on the successes and focus systematically and effectively on identified areas for improvement. As a result children thrive in a stimulating, happy and caring environment. They enter the Nursery at levels well below those expected for their age and make good progress although they are still below average at the start of Year 1. There is a good balance between adult-led activities and those chosen by the children. Staff use assessment information well to set targets and there is an effective, ongoing monitoring system which encourages children to make good progress in their work. Children are consistently encouraged to become independent learners. The welfare of children is promoted well, there are very good relationships between

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Grade: 2

adults and amongst the children. Very good procedures enable children to settle quickly and happily into the Nursery, understanding the routines and what is expected. Parents and carers are very positive about the procedures and about the quality of information they receive about their children’s progress. Teaching is good because effective planning provides assessment opportunities and activities are lively, interesting and related to children’s interests and needs. Children develop confidence and independence. They are stimulated by the learning environment and activities are suitably challenging. There is good use of stimulating outdoor areas which enhances learning throughout the year.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Enable all subject leaders to monitor the quality of teaching and learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop the questioning skills of all teachers in whole class sessions so that they can challenge children to further accelerate their progress.

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Grade: 2

Children achieve well from starting points that are well below those typically expected on entry to Nursery. Despite good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, standards remain below average by the time children leave Reception. By the end of Year 2 standards are broadly average. Pupils make very good progress due to the strong support of teachers and teaching assistants. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language make good progress. Their needs are identified early and appropriate support strategies are in place to help them to succeed. The use of good assessment and tracking procedures and the way that teachers rigorously assess progress, helps them to know the children’s needs and accelerate their progress. The school has consistently maintained these standards over past years. It has also raised standards in writing and the Basic Skills award has

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Grade: 2

endorsed the school’s success in this aspect of its work. The inspection evidence demonstrates that currently children in Year 2 are making good progress against challenging targets set by the school leadership team.

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Grade: 1

Children’s personal development and well-being are outstanding. This is demonstrated in their high levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They greatly enjoy all aspects 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009 of their learning and are very enthusiastic! They show good levels of confidence, for example when explaining what they like about school. Children’s positive approaches contribute to a strong sense of school community; all children clearly respect others. Children appreciate cultural diversity, and have a very good understanding of different beliefs and backgrounds in the local and wider communities. They know how to lead a healthy lifestyle by taking regular exercise and eating sensibly. Children say they feel safe in school and recognise that at times children ‘fall out’ but quickly make friends again. They feel that there is little bullying and they are confident that teachers can sort out any

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Grade: 1

concerns. Behaviour is extremely good and this contributes to the harmonious atmosphere in the school. Children concentrate well in lessons although when the pace of lessons slows a small number can become restless or talkative. Children willingly take responsibilities and enjoy helping and making a difference. For example, the school council are proud of their role in improving playtime activities. These rapid gains in maturity, and outstanding examples of social behaviour are due to the high quality support and guidance that they receive. By the time they leave the school children are very well prepared in their academic and personal development for the next stages of their learning.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and leads to effective learning. Teachers have very good relationships with their children. This helps to build their confidence and add to the enjoyment of learning. Despite these very positive attitudes, attendance across the school remains below average because many children need to take extended leave. The school has taken effective action to ensure a consistent approach to teaching throughout the school. Planning is detailed, with appropriate references to how work will be adapted to the needs of children of different abilities. Teachers identify what needs to be learned in the lesson and share this with children so they can begin to evaluate how well they are learning. Planning is used constructively to evaluate the successes of lessons and what the next steps in learning should be. There is good feedback to children during lessons and marking is effectively used to explain what has been done well and what

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Grade: 2

can be improved. However, in some lessons, particularly in presentations and discussions with the whole class, teachers miss opportunities to engage all the children. This is because questioning sometimes does not target everyone or challenge them at the right level. At such times, some children can become more restless or begin to chatter so the pace of their learning slows down.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is of good quality. It targets the basic skills of different groups of children and motivates everyone. Teachers are increasing the opportunities for creativity and enjoyment by making links between subjects to raise standards further. A wider range of activities has been provided to stimulate interest. New planning draws constructively on national and local guidance to ensure full coverage of the curriculum and consistency through the school. Secure systems have been established to undertake the necessary review and improvement over time. There are clearly many successful outcomes; children speak with great excitement about their enjoyment and understanding of their learning. ‘You get to learn a lot of different things about 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009 something before you go on to something else’ explained one child. The school rightly places

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Grade: 2

an emphasis on developing basic skills in literacy and numeracy and this has led to improvements, particularly in writing. These developments have also been linked to a greater emphasis on developing children’s creativity. This has widened their experience and contributed significantly to their personal development. A good range of visits and visitors to the school widens their experience and extends their understanding. Many clubs are held at lunchtime and after school. They are well supported and contribute to the development of children’s talents and their social skills.

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Grade: 1

This aspect of the school’s work is outstanding because the exceptionally high quality of care and support each child receives has a very positive impact, helping all children to make good progress. Members of staff are committed to children’s welfare and to ensuring they thrive. The emotional, social and learning needs of every child are understood by all who work in the school and those needs are very well met. Procedures for safeguarding children, including child protection measures and risk assessments, are well established and undertaken rigorously. All statutory requirements are met. Academic and personal development is monitored routinely and effective action taken when weaknesses are uncovered. The approach to academic guidance involves the children fully in the learning process. Children know their targets for improvement. Teachers’ marking celebrates their successes and informs children about what they need to do

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Grade: 1

to improve even further. As a result children make good progress. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because of the early identification of their needs and the timely support they receive from skilled, caring and sensitive support from teachers and teaching assistants. The school has taken positive action to encourage parents to ensure children attend consistently and on time. There are signs of some improvements, particularly in punctuality. Parents are very supportive of the school and are keen to help their children’s learning at home.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides very good leadership for the school. Both she and her deputy headteacher are perceptive and influential in helping the staff team to provide high quality care and a good education. This effective approach leads to improved outcomes for all children. The inclusion of every individual is central to the leadership vision and it is effective in dismantling barriers to achievement. The use of bilingual assistants to support children in learning English and the good improvement in the quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage environment and learning resources are good examples of this. The school has robust safeguarding procedures in place. Self-evaluation is accurate. Subject leaders set clear priorities for improvement. The leaders of subjects other than English, mathematics and science are not sufficiently involved in monitoring the standards of teaching and learning, and opportunities

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Grade: 2

are missed to share and celebrate good practice to further strengthen teaching in all subject areas. The school is good at promoting community cohesion which leads to racial harmony and children developing an understanding and respect of each others’ culture. The school has good local and national links but children’s global awareness is less well-developed. There is a good core group of governors who work well to support and challenge the school despite several 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009 vacancies. The school has a comprehensive action plan to develop their role further and is working hard to fill the vacancies and this is helping to fill the vacancies. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 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. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 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? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 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 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 March 2009 Dear Children Inspection of Deepdale Infants’ School, Lancashire, Preston, PR1 6TD Mr Painter and I really enjoyed our recent visit. We would like to thank your parents for filling in the form to let us know about their views of the school. They believe that it is a good school and one that you enjoy attending. We agree with them that Deepdale Infants is a good school. We were impressed by the pride you have in your school and how much you enjoy learning. You are all so polite and helpful and you made us feel very welcome. You are friendly and show respect to each other. You behave well, work hard and try your best in lessons. Your headteacher and all the staff are very caring and help you a great deal if you have a problem or personal issue. All of the jobs that you do in school and the way that many of you help others, for example at lunchtimes, are certainly helping you to become good citizens of the future. It is

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

good to see that many of you know what you need to be safe and healthy and fit. The younger children in Nursery and Reception settle very well into school life and are improving their education and enjoyment of school life because of the good help and exciting activities. The good teaching in your school means that you all make good progress. We have asked your school to try and make some more improvements to help you to make even better progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ We want teachers to improve the way they question you in whole class sessions to help you think learn even more. ■ We also want the teachers to share their good ideas about different types of lessons that work well. We hope that you continue to enjoy school and wish you the very best for your future. Yours sincerely David Edwards Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Deepdale Infants' School, 19–20 March 2009

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