Florendine Primary School

Florendine Primary School Inspection report

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124155 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire Local Authority 328067 Inspection number 23–24 October 2008 Inspection dates Nick Capron 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 264 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 Bert Atkins Chair Tom Lloyd Headteacher 5 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Florendine Street School address Amington Tamworth B77 3DD 01827 475778 Telephone number 01827 475782 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 23–24 October 2008 Inspection dates 328067 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: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

In this larger than average school, the large majority of pupils are from White Western European backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. Children in the Early Years in the Foundation Stage (EYFS) are catered for in a single-age Reception class and a mixed Reception/Year 1 class.

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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: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Children start school with standards below those expected but the interesting work provided for them in the Reception and mixed Reception/Year 1 classes ensure that they enter Key Stage 1 with standards in line with national averages. By the end of Year 6, the good teaching and curriculum enable pupils to achieve well and reach above average standards. The school has successfully addressed the issues identified in the last inspection report and this shows its good capacity to continue to improve. The children in the EYFS now routinely access an outdoor learning area as part of their educational provision. Staff have a much more detailed knowledge of how well pupils are doing in their education but this is not used as well as it could be to help pupils to move their learning on. Parents are proud and supportive of the school. As two of them typically commented, 'Florendine has brought the best out of my children' and 'I am delighted with my children's progress and

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Grade: 2

development at Florendine Primary School.' Pupils are very positive about how they are taught and enjoy their lessons. Their behaviour is excellent and they greatly enjoy coming to school. As a result, attendance is good. The carefully planned and interesting lessons help pupils to learn well. Pupils work well together and help each other, although in EYFS they could be given more opportunities for independent work. Staff know the pupils well and this ensures that they are well supported and cared for and know whom to turn to if they have a problem. The recently introduced pupil tracking system ensures that staff know where pupils are in their education, but this information is not always used as well as it could be to ensure the more able pupils do as well as they should. Marking does not always help pupils to improve their work. The school actively encourages its pupils to be active members of society and to recognise their

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Grade: 2

place in the wider world. They are proud to be part of the Florendine community and help and support each other well. They are aware of the need to eat healthy food and take regular exercise. The development of mathematics and English skills prepare the pupils well for the next stage of their education. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is well developed and this helps pupils make good progress as they apply the skills they have learnt in a variety of subjects. The good and sometimes outstanding teaching that the pupils receive enables them to make good progress through the school. However, more able pupils are not always given work that stretches their abilities. The leadership team know what they need to do to raise standards even further and subject leaders are involved in planning improvements in their subjects well. Governors are supportive of the school. Along with school leaders, they have an accurate picture of the school's strengths

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Grade: 2

and weaknesses. Governors provide effective support and rigorously challenge leaders to help drive further improvement.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a good start in EYFS because the staff set clear expectations that give them confidence. An attractive and well-resourced learning environment encourages the children's personal development and desire to join in and come to school. Children clearly enjoy school 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008 and arrive looking forward to the day ahead. They form warm, supportive relationships with adults and each other. Their behaviour is very good. Children make good progress in Reception and standards are average by the time they move into Year 1. Learning is very well planned to offer a variety of stimulating activities and children are enthusiastic. One girl, when asked why she liked school, replied, 'Because we have to work hard.' When children have chosen their own activities they work well, stay on task and work and play well together, but there are not enough opportunities for this. Staff are skilled at

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Grade: 2

extending children's communication skills by offering many opportunities for them to talk with each other and with adults. Questioning is good because it probes children's responses and challenges the more able. Leadership and management are good. There are clear routines and strategies that enhance children's development and learning. Assessment is good because it takes full advantage of every opportunity to observe and record children's progress and identify the next steps in their learning. The staff build up a comprehensive picture of each child's capabilities and areas for development. The relatively new outdoor area, although small, is used well because of the careful planning for this. The clear links between activities children undertake outdoors and in the classroom setting ensure good progress.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide more opportunities for children in Reception to plan their own activities and help them to develop as independent learners. ■ Improve the quality of target setting and marking so that pupils know their next steps in learning. ■ Ensure that the more able are consistently provided with more challenge so that they are able to make faster progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well during their time in school. They make good progress in the EYFS and continue to make good progress through their time in Years 1 to 6. In 2007 (the most recent year for which national comparisons are available), standards by the end of Year 6 were significantly above average in English and science and average in mathematics. Provisional test results in 2008 were broadly similar to those in 2007. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. At the end of Year 2, results in reading, writing and mathematics are above those expected but too few pupils are achieving the higher Level 3. Girls do better than boys in reading and writing. The school has worked hard to reduce the gap between the pupils' abilities in reading and writing, and results from 2008 show that this gap has been considerably narrowed by the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' behaviour is impeccable. Part of the reason for this is that teachers organise interesting activities and pupils thoroughly enjoy all aspects of school. As one said, 'Different topics are really fun.' Adults act as very good role models and the school's community code applies to adults as well as children, developing a real sense of belonging. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008 Pupils know how to stay healthy and safe. They put this knowledge into practice well. For instance, most make healthy choices at lunchtime and the variety of sporting after-school clubs are very well attended. Pupils know how to stay safe, both in and out of school, and are well aware of the dangers they might encounter when using the internet. Pupils make a very significant contribution to the life of the school and the local community, however they do not have such a detailed knowledge about how they can contribute to wider

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Grade: 2

British society. Older pupils help very responsibly with playground duty and man the office during the lunch hour. They are also very involved in the local community, with the choir singing locally, and in the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. The school council is active, having been responsible for planning and raising money for a quiet garden. This also helped them appreciate how the real financial world operates and this, along with their good achievement, helps prepare pupils well for their future.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the questions asked by the teachers helps to develop the pupils' understanding of what they are learning. Teachers mark pupils' work regularly but too few opportunities are taken when marking to show pupils what they need to do better next time. Teachers plan well together in year groups. This ensures that there is a consistent quality of teaching and a series of engaging activities are provided for the pupils. Teachers use technology well to enhance the quality of learning. This captures the pupils' attention, and is particularly effective at focusing the boys' attention on ways to improve their reading and writing skills. Teachers show pupils how to carry out tasks clearly, for example when they show how to produce a playscript based on Cinderella and how to carefully use a ruler when planning how far they have walked on a school trip. Teachers have very good relationships with the pupils in their classes. This helps

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Grade: 2

them to support and guide them in their learning to ensure that they make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher's philosophy that 'engaging pupils is fundamental to their learning' is central to the way work is organised. ICT is used extremely well to enhance learning. In an English lesson, many pupils were using computers to edit a play into narrative text and they were absolutely engrossed in this task. Good plans are made for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities; they are supported well, so they make good progress. However, planning for the more able is not as good and, as a result, they do not progress as rapidly as they could. The development of pupils' personal, social and health education is carefully planned and this makes a considerable contribution to their personal development. A wide range of visits makes the curriculum more relevant and contributes well to learning. Music is a strength, with all pupils performing in a production at least once a year. There is a wide variety of after-school

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Grade: 2

clubs, including a number of different sporting opportunities. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008

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Grade: 3

Pastoral care provided for pupils is good. All adults know the pupils and their needs well and pupils feel confident about approaching adults if they have a problem. The atmosphere this has created leads to the excellent behaviour evident throughout the school. Safeguarding and health and safety arrangements are secure, and pupils confirm that they feel safe. The school works particularly closely with parents and involves outside agencies well to support pupils' learning needs. Good tracking systems have been established and these are being used well to keep a check on the progress of each pupil and to identify any who might need extra support. However, they are not being used effectively to plan for the next steps in learning for pupils. Not all pupils are therefore clear about how they can improve their work or how much progress they are making.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher sets a clear direction for school improvement. He is well supported by a skilled and experienced senior leadership team. Subject leaders are knowledgeable about their subject areas and have put in place actions that have improved standards. They have a well developed system of 'bidding' for resources, supported in these bids by accurate subject self-evaluation. This ensures resources are well targeted to raise standards. A system for tracking pupils' progress has been developed and this is now beginning to be used by staff to plot progress and plan future learning. However, it is not being sufficiently used by teachers to ensure that pupils, particularly the more able, are all making the progress of which they are capable. Leaders ensure that systems are in place to make sure that pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are helped to make good progress. Governors are supportive and know the school well. They

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Grade: 2

have close links with subject leaders and are not afraid to ask challenging questions of the headteacher and staff. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008 .

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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: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 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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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? 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008

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learners?

2 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 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? 3 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Florendine Primary School, Tamworth, B77 3DD Thank you very much for making us so welcome when we visited your school last week. We really enjoyed our time in your school because the way you spoke to us showed just how proud you are of Florendine School. Your teachers plan interesting things for you to do and the way you use computers to help you learn is very good. I really enjoyed watching your entry for the animation competition that you won last year with your version of Romeo and Juliet. Florendine is a good school. I am pleased to tell you that you make good progress in all the classes in your school. In the Reception Year 1, the way you use the outdoor area to help you learn is an improvement on how things were last time your school was inspected. Your teachers, whether you are in the Reception class or the mixed Year 1/Reception class, help you to get ready to move into Key Stage 1 very well, although they could give you more opportunities to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

plan your own learning. By the time you leave Year 6, you are well prepared for the next stage of your education. We were impressed with the way you spoke about the school and how your school council represents you and tries to make things better at school. All the staff in your school work hard to make sure they provide interesting things for you to do. They plan interesting trips out of school and help you to stay healthy by making sure you have lots of opportunities to do physical education and sport. The way you behave is excellent. You all get on well together and your parents and carers are pleased with how well you are doing at school. The headteacher and governors know what they need to do to make yours an even better school. I have asked them to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ give you more opportunities for you to plan your own work in Reception

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ mark your work better so that you know what you have to do to improve your work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ give some children even harder work to help them do better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us so welcome, and keep working hard! Yours faithfully Nick Capron Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Florendine Primary School, 23–24 October 2008

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