Orchard Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the impact of leaders’ work to improve pupils’ attainment and progress by ensuring that:
  • leaders plans for improvement link more closely to pupils’ achievement information leaders and middle leaders analyse more sharply the progress made by different groups of pupils leaders link the management of teachers’ performance closely to the school’s priorities and the gains that pupils need to make
  • senior leaders develop the knowledge and skills of middle leaders, so they can effectively support teachers to make improvements to the quality of their practice.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • teachers use effectively pupils’ assessment information to provide pupils with tasks that both match their ability and accelerate their progress, particularly that of boys and the most able
  • teachers set writing tasks across the curriculum to capture boys’ interests, so they make faster progress
  • teachers enable pupils to further develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills.
• Improve the quality of provision in the early years by:
  • reviewing the environment for learning to ensure that it supports children to make the best possible progress in reading, writing and their understanding of number
  • ensuring that teachers assess accurately the progress made by different groups of children and use this information to plan activities to stimulate children’s maximum development
  • teachers using more effectively the information provided by parents about their child’s learning at home to devise activities which build on this learning.
• An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leaders’ planning for improvement does not focus sharply enough on the key priorities for the school, or include clear criteria for success. For example, leaders do not use effectively the whole-school assessment information to identify key areas for improvement. As a result, boys’ progress in writing is not as rapid as it should be, and the most able pupils do not achieve as well as they might.
• The governing body and leaders do not use targets in teachers’ performance management as robustly as they might to hold teachers to account for the progress that pupils make. Targets do not always relate explicitly to the school’s priorities for improvement or to specific outcomes for pupils.
• Not all middle leaders use their knowledge and skills effectively to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their area of responsibility. They have not received training to help them to develop their skills more fully. Recently, the school joined a local teaching alliance to help develop leaders’ skills and provide greater opportunities to share effective practice. More time is needed to evaluate the improvements made by middle leaders to their areas of responsibility, as a result of this professional development.
• The headteacher has created an inclusive and welcoming school where every child is valued. Alongside the governing body, she has successfully led the school through an increase of the number on roll, a change of age range to include Year 6, and the building of two new classrooms. This has been a key focus, especially for governors, in recent times.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. It is complemented well by a range of extra-curricular activities and school visits. The curriculum is particularly effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils enjoy residential visits, biking trips and theatre shows. Pupils have an in-depth knowledge of a range of cultures and religions. For example, pupils told an inspector about the 99 names for Allah and discussed their recent work on the Hindu festival of Diwali. The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• The additional funding for physical education (PE) and sport is used effectively. Pupils enjoy high-quality PE lessons because teachers are well trained by sports coaches. The school promotes sporting activities well, and pupils enjoy the range of competitions, such as cross country, athletics and cycling events.
• The headteacher is currently the leader for the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. She ensures that teachers and teaching assistants are well trained to meet the broad range of needs in the school. For example, staff have received training on provision for pupils who have autism and dyslexia. They are using this training well to target pupils’ specific needs in lessons. Pupils’ workbooks show that this group of pupils make good progress from their starting points. Pupils who have difficulty managing their emotions receive effective support from well-trained adults. Leaders make effective use of additional funding to support this group of pupils.
• The school provides well for disadvantaged pupils by allocating the pupil premium funding appropriately. In spring 2017, a review of the effectiveness of the use of the pupil premium funding has supported leaders to ensure that funds are sharply focused on raising achievement for this group of pupils. From their different starting points, these pupils make good progress. Work in pupils’ books shows that teachers meet their needs well by tailoring learning tasks appropriately.
• The curriculum promotes well fundamental British values. For example, pupils are elected members of the school council. They play a key role in organising charitable events, such as the Macmillan coffee morning and Children in Need dress-up days. Pupils told an inspector about the importance of electing a school council so that ‘we all get a say and not one person makes the decisions’. Nominated road safety officers teach the younger pupils about road safety. Pupils understand the importance of helping, respecting and caring for each other.

Governance of the school

• The governing body does not challenge leaders sufficiently to ensure that pupils’ outcomes improve rapidly. The governing body is limited in the level of challenge it can give to leaders because it does not have a complete view of pupils’ achievement.
• The governing body has supported effectively the headteacher with the recent building work and provision for the extended age range. However, governors acknowledge that there is further work to be done to ensure that pupils’ achievement information is evaluated accurately.
• The governing body is knowledgeable about how the pupil premium funding is spent. Governors make regular visits to the school to ensure that funding is supporting disadvantaged pupils appropriately.
• Governors undertake regular visits to the school to audit the school’s safeguarding arrangements. They have received training on safeguarding children, the safe recruitment of staff and ways of raising awareness of radicalisation and extremism. The governor responsible for safeguarding regularly checks the single central record. Governors are knowledgeable about, and are effective in, their roles of and responsibilities for keeping pupils and adults safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The headteacher ensures that all staff are appropriately trained in safeguarding, including ways of raising awareness of radicalisation and extremism. Staff know they have a duty to be vigilant and know well the different forms of abuse.
• The headteacher is tenacious in her approach to the management of child protection. She keeps detailed and accurate records of those pupils who are a concern. Actions taken by outside agencies and staff are diligently recorded on pupils’ records to ensure that the needs of pupils are being met in a timely manner. Leaders respond promptly to any concerns raised by staff.
• All the checks to help keep children safe are carried out thoroughly. For example, the recruitment checks on staff’s suitability to work with children are thorough. The school’s site is safe and secure.
• The school’s single central record of staff and visitor checks is kept in order, staff training is kept up to date, and staff have a clear understanding of what to do in the event of any concerns they may have about a pupil’s welfare.
• The school works effectively with outside agencies to safeguard pupils. Leaders respond promptly to concerns and ensure that there is early support in place for vulnerable pupils. Action is prompt, with effective guidance to support families.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Too often, the work that staff ask pupils to complete or the pace of learning are not well matched to pupils’ abilities, particularly those of the most able pupils. Work in books shows that teaching is not consistently challenging.
• Teachers are sometimes not as precise as they could be when assessing pupils’ understanding and using this information to plan the next steps in learning. Pupils’ work shows that, in some classes, the most able pupils sometimes do not move on to more challenging work quickly enough. Pupils complete the same work, and there is little adaptation to meet the needs of pupils with different starting points. As a result, pupils do not make consistently good progress.
• Teachers do not consistently provide engaging writing activities to capture boys’ interests. This means that some boys are slow to settle to writing tasks and do not make the progress of which they are capable in writing.
• Teachers do not always provide regular opportunities for pupils to use and apply their developing mathematical skills in problem-solving activities and tasks in which pupils are required to demonstrate their reasoning skills. Some pupils are not yet equipped with the skills and strategies they need to be effective problem solvers or to communicate their reasoning clearly.
• The teaching of reading is effective. Pupils have regular opportunities to read with an adult. When pupils find reading a challenge, they receive additional support from adults to ensure that they make the progress of which they are capable. Pupils have opportunities in their phonics lessons to use and apply their skills well at word and sentence level. However, the most able pupils are not challenged enough to build on their comprehension skills.
• Adults other than teachers are often deployed well throughout the school. Teaching assistants are clear about their roles in lessons, and inspectors saw many instances when they provided effective support for individuals or groups of pupils, or supported teaching with the whole class.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported in their classrooms to make good progress. Teaching assistants work well with teachers to support pupils’ learning, particularly that of those who need to catch up.
• Where teaching is stronger, staff use questioning skilfully to check children’s understanding and take their learning forward. Where this is the case, pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. For example, in Year 6, pupils were encouraged to be the teacher and provide feedback to their classmates on their story planning. This was received well by pupils because they have been taught how to evaluate each other’s work effectively.
• Homework tasks are creative and interesting. Pupils are encouraged to read regularly and learn their spellings. Recently, pupils in Years 5 and 6 enjoyed creating their own model of an island, based on their class novel.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy their roles in wider aspects of school life. For example, the elected school council, the Green Team responsible for improving the school environment and the junior road safety officers all have opportunities to develop their leadership skills. The school’s radio station is another way in which pupils are able to develop their speaking and listening skills. They enjoy interviewing visitors to the school, sharing sports reports and giving regular updates about the weather. The range of opportunities on offer means that pupils are confident and articulate.
• The friendly and inclusive ethos of the school supports pupils to make positive choices. Pupils who spoke with inspectors said that bullying and name-calling are rare. They feel confident that adults are there to help them with any worries and concerns they may have. Posters are displayed to provide information about anti-bullying. Displays reinforce the importance of kindness and respect for each other.
• Pupils help each other and do not hesitate to enquire about each other’s well-being. For example, a junior-aged child asked an infant-aged child about her ‘poorly’ arm. Leaders focus on pupils’ well-being is a high priority. Pupils have taken part in World Mental Health Day to understand the importance of resilience.
• Pupils are knowledgeable about online safety. They know that they must not share personal information on the internet. Pupils told inspectors about visits from the local police to help them understand the importance of online safety. Pupils have made posters about the importance of e-safety, and they regularly use online scenarios as helpful reminders.
• Pupils receive regular visits from a range of organisations that help them to keep safe in school and in the community. For example, pupils learn about fire and road safety.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and courteous in lessons.
• Pupils enjoy their breaktimes and play well together. Pupils are well supervised on the playground. Pupils’ conduct around the school is good. Pupils open doors for visitors and are polite to each other and adults alike.
• There is a positive climate for learning in classrooms. On occasions, some pupils become a little unsettled or lose focus, but only when work is not well matched to their needs.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and respectful in all classes. These relationships shine through and are reflected in the views of parents. Pupils are proud of their school.
• The large majority of pupils behave well. They settle quickly to tasks and cooperate well in lessons. They follow instructions and complete their tasks to the best of their abilities.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Since the last inspection, pupils’ outcomes have remained broadly average at the end of key stage 1. However, provisional school assessment information for 2017 shows that there are discrepancies in the performance of different groups of pupils. In particular, boys’ attainment in writing is below average. The difference between the achievement of boys and girls in writing for the past two years has been significant. Some of the most able pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. This is reflected in the quality of their work.
• Leaders recognised swiftly the need to refresh staff training after a dip in the proportion of pupils achieving the national average in 2016. Teachers and adults now teach phonics consistently and provide additional groups for those pupils who need to catch up. As result, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected level in the end of Year 1 national phonic screening check in 2017 was average.
• Attainment in the Year 2 phonics screening check has been broadly average for the past two years. However, school information for 2017 shows that there has been a dip in the proportion of pupils attaining the expected level. Recently, the school has received a small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language. These pupils have not had enough time in school to meet the expected standard at the end of Year 2.
• Provisional information for 2017 shows that pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 1 is broadly average. However, the attainment of boys is significantly behind that of girls, particularly in writing. The proportion of boys achieving the higher standard in 2017 was significantly behind that of girls.
• In most classes, work in pupils’ books shows that the most able pupils do not reach their full potential in reading, writing and mathematics because they are not challenged enough. This means that these pupils are not making the progress of which they are capable in these particular subjects.
• In some classes, pupils’ workbooks show that boys still do not make as much progress as girls in their writing. Teachers have recently introduced new topics to inspire pupils’ writing, such as Dr Who, Star Wars and robots. Leaders recognise that more work needs to be done to ensure that boys’ writing in particular improves and that boys make the progress of which they are capable.
• In some classes, the most able pupils still do not receive work in mathematics, which is consistently challenging. Although pupils’ workbooks show that teachers are beginning to provide greater opportunities for problem-solving and reasoning activities, leaders recognise that there is still more work to be done to ensure that pupils have opportunities to use and apply their mathematics skills.
• Since the pupil premium review in spring 2017, leaders now check on the progress of disadvantaged pupils more carefully, and teachers provide increasingly focused support for pupils who are falling behind, through the use of the pupil premium funding. The school’s information and work in pupils’ books show that disadvantaged pupils are making faster progress, so that the differences between their attainment and that of other pupils nationally are starting to diminish.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support in class and overall make similar progress to that of other pupils. Pupils who have social and emotional difficulties are well supported by adults.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Overall, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has declined over the past three years and has been below average. The inconsistent quality of the assessment of children’s learning over time has resulted in assessment information that does not truly reflect children’s learning. Children entering the early years are capable and enthusiastic learners. However, the progress that children make is not reflected in school assessment information as well as it could be.
• The indoor and outdoor learning areas do not consistently support children’s learning as well as they could. In particular, adults do not use the outdoor space well enough to ensure that children have access to good-quality writing, reading and number activities.
• Leaders do not make sure that teachers use assessment information to gauge accurately children’s starting points. This means that teachers do not consistently plan activities to build on children’s skills and meet the specific next steps in children’s learning, particularly those of the most able and disadvantaged pupils. This hampers the progress that some children make.
• Information about children’s learning and experiences at home are not used as well as it could be by adults in the early years to plan activities that build on children’s particular interests.
• The safety and well-being of children are well managed. As a result, children quickly settle in when they arrive, and feel safe when they are learning. Staff have received appropriate safeguarding and first-aid training.
• Relationships between teachers and children are very positive. Children follow instructions well. For example, when an adult asks the children to stop, children respond immediately. Parents are happy about the education their children receive. Transition arrangements prepare children well for Year 1. Most children are prepared well academically for Year 1.
• Children play sensibly and learn well together. They talk about their learning and enjoy learning with their classmates. They play well together and give clear instructions to each other.
• When provision promotes effective learning, children are enthusiastic and capable learners. For example, children enjoyed acting out the Diwali story using costumes and props. They worked well with the adult and responded well to her questions. Children had opportunities to deepen their learning because the adult asked challenging questions.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119982 Leicestershire 10036011 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 278 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Vanessa Jones Anne Sherwood 01332 810078 http://www.orchardprimary.org school@orchard.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23─ 24 January 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is significantly below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average.
• The school has recently changed its age-range and now has a Year 6. The school has undertaken considerable building works to create additional classrooms.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in 17 lessons. These covered all classes in the school. One of the observations took place accompanied by the headteacher. The inspectors also scrutinised many examples of pupils’ work.
• The inspection team held meetings with the headteacher, middle leaders, parents, governors and pupils.
• The inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s development plan and self-evaluation, policies and records related to safeguarding, records of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s information about pupils’ outcomes and attendance, and records of meetings of the governing body.
• Inspectors considered the views of 75 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and the 26 responses to the free-text service for parents. They considered the 17 responses to the staff questionnaire and 43 responses to the pupils’ questionnaire.

Inspection team

Emma Nuttall, lead inspector Heidi Malliff Jane Moore Caroline Poole

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector