The Annual Report

Summer 2015

School: Kenmore Park Junior

SSIA:Nasim Butt

Date:July 2015

Section 1 - School Context

Ofsted Grade: 2

LA Grade 2015: 2

Commentary

Section 2 – Overall Effectiveness

Overall Judgement: GoodGrade: 2

Section 3 – Leadership and Management

Overall Judgement: GoodGrade: 2

  • Self-evaluation and improvement planning have improved, leading to clear improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement. The biggest improvements have been in reading and mathematics; progress in improving standards in writing has been steady.
  • Leaders have made good progress this year in the key areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. For example, they have sharpened systems for the regular monitoring of achievement of individual pupils and recruited a full-time intervention teacher who works closely and effectively with the SENCO and year group leaders to combat underachievement.
  • Subject leaders are more skilful in using the school’s better information about pupils’ progress to pinpoint those pupils who need extra help. As a result, most pupils are making good progress and the likelihood of a pupil falling through the net is now much lower.
  • Through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), pupils learn skills in a variety of interesting contexts. They benefit from studying a range of topics and themes which they find interesting and stimulating. Carefully chosen visits to places of interest and a strong focus on art and music ensure that the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is considerably enhanced.
  • The school is working well towards full implementation of its preferred approach to assessment following the removal of National Curriculum levels. However, there is a need to ensure that pupils’ new targets in reading, writing and mathematics fully support the model adopted. Additionally, further targeted work needs to be undertaken by leaders to ensure that a higher proportion of teaching is outstanding.
  • As a result of effective training, governors have been able to carry out their role of support and challenge effectively. They are clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and have a good understanding of the information about pupils’ performance and how it compares with that of all schools nationally.

Section 4 – Behaviour and Safety

Overall Judgement: GoodGrade: 2

  • Pupils behave very well both in and out of the classroom. Pupils are very kind and considerate to one another and play happily together. They are polite and courteous. They show respect to teachers and other adults and respond immediately to instructions and requests. As a result the school has a feeling of a family all sharing similar values.
  • Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and join in activities with enthusiasm. Their ability to work collaboratively is well developed across the school. They work well together sharing ideas and resources to complete given tasks.
  • There are clear systems and procedures in place to safeguard pupils and to follow up accidents and any inappropriate behaviour. Appropriate risk assessments are in place. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in classrooms and when outside.
  • Since the school achieved outstanding for behaviour and safety at the previous inspection, the criteria have become more demanding and, therefore, the school needs additional evidence of pupils ability to self regulate their behaviour and demonstrate a real ‘thirst for knowledge’ in the context of consistently strong learning.

Section 5 – Quality of Teaching

Overall Judgement: GoodGrade: 2

  • Teaching has been improving as a result of greater thought given to teaching strategies and approaches that are likely to have the greatest impact on pupils’ learning. In particular it is much more consistent across a range of subjects, including in reading, writing and mathematics.
  • Reading is taught well. Standards have improved as a result of effective guided reading and focused support on letters and sounds. Moreover, good teaching of writing has led to improvements in pupils’ writing skills, as reflected in higher levels of attainment and stronger progress in some year groups. However, standards in writing are still not high enough and progress is not consistently good, in particular for pupils who enter the school with above average prior attainment.
  • Other adults provide effective support for small groups and during whole-class sessions. They use a good range of resources and thoughtful questioning to promote good progress. This is in the context of more effective leadership of interventions, including a better use of assessment information to match activities to targeted pupils’ needs.
  • Where teaching is most effective, pupils are given harder problems to stimulate their thinking and the most able pupils are excited and engaged. Not enough teaching is outstanding, partly because the most able pupils in particular are not always set work that is pitched at a high enough level, and this sometimes limits the progress they can make.
  • Marking is increasingly effective. Pupils are given good guidance on how well they have done and what they need to do to improve (although a few inconsistencies remain). Scrutiny of pupils’ books shows that, increasingly, pupils respond well to this guidance, but this remains an area for further development.

Section 6 – Achievement

Overall Judgement: GoodGrade: 2

  • The school’s most recent data indicate that a higher proportion of pupils are now working at levels expected for their age and have made good progress from their different starting points across most year groups. Although improving and better in 2015 compared to 2014, attainment and progress in writing is not as strong as it is in reading and maths.
  • Pupils supported by the pupil premium have also made better progress this year. This is because their needs are more clearly identified and a targeted approach to interventions ensures that they receive effective support. Gaps in attainment between these pupils and others in the school are narrowing.
  • There is little difference in the progress made by boys and girls across all subjects. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well because the support they receive closely matches what they need to learn to make good progress.
  • Pupils from different backgrounds are making better progress across a range of subjects. There has been a strong focus on improving standards in literacy, for example through the provision of more opportunities to practise speaking and listening so pupils’ communication skills are developed well.
  • The most able pupils are usually given challenging work to do so they are able to work beyond the levels expected for their age. Sometimes more able pupils spend too long practising skills they can already do in mathematics which slows the progress they are able to make.