Paddox Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that it is consistently strong throughout the school and leads to rapid progress, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, the most able and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in mathematics so all groups of pupils make accelerated progress from their starting points.
• Extend the impact of leadership and management by:
  • reviewing, evaluating, refining and embedding new systems that are now in place so that they help to secure sustained improvements to the quality of education provided by the school
  • developing middle leadership so that they use the information that is available to them to hold staff to close account in order to drive improvements in their areas of responsibility
  • working closely with all parents to extend the promotion of healthy eating and reduce absence rates of a very small number of pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and managers are taking effective action to address the decline in standards that took place after the last inspection. This is now a good and improving school.
• Leaders, including governors, have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are using their thorough and honest appraisal of the school to secure the required improvements.
• The headteacher and the deputy headteacher work well together and they have developed an ambitious culture within the school. The wider leadership team are supporting them effectively but many of them are very new. Consequently, some middle leaders are not yet using all the information that is available to them to hold others to close enough account to secure rapid improvement. Some processes that have been recently introduced, such as the assessment system, have not had time to fully embed.
• Leaders ensure that all staff receive good-quality training opportunities to help their professional development. Newly qualified teachers are well supported and performance management is used effectively to improve the quality of provision within the school. Staff are set clear targets which focus on the quality of teaching, the progress that pupils make, school priorities and the responsibilities of staff. Progress against these targets is reviewed regularly and decisive action is taken to ensure that all teaching continues to improve.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and promotes discovery, exploration and creativity. A range of subjects are taught well, some in specialist rooms, so pupils make good progress across the curriculum.
• Teaching in the classroom is supported by high-quality outdoor learning. Pupils regularly use the Forest School area to explore and create using natural resources. They enjoy themselves as they develop respect for the environment by considering acceptable and safe behaviours. A wide range of trips and visits and clubs also support the learning that takes place in the classroom. Extra-curricular activities are of a high quality and help to promote good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning in the school.
• Fundamental British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are promoted well. Awe and wonder are clearly evident in outdoor learning and pupils are encouraged to think deeply and reflect on issues in the classroom. Pupils learn about a range of cultures and religions and celebrate their different backgrounds together. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Additional funding is used effectively. The primary sport and physical education (PE) funding has been used to provide specialist coaches, training for staff and additional sporting activities. The school regularly wins local competitions and represents Rugby in regional events. Many individuals have excelled in a number of sports but the funding has also been used to encourage those who do not regularly take part in physical exercise to do so. The primary sport and PE funding has been used effectively as it has led to increased participation in a wider range of sporting activities.
• Pupil premium funding has been used for targeted interventions for pupils and additional staffing. It has been effective as it has led to improved attendance, behaviour and progress of disadvantaged pupils. It has had a particular impact on improving outcomes in reading and writing but it has not yet helped to accelerate progress fast enough in key stage 2 mathematics.
• As the funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has not led to strong progress for this group of pupils in the past, the relatively new special educational needs coordinator is developing how it is being used. This has begun to have a positive impact but her actions are not yet fully in place. More needs to be done to ensure that this funding has maximum impact.
• The vast majority of parents are extremely supportive and fully engaged with the work of the school. Communication between staff and parents through meetings, school activities, emails, text messages, phone calls and regular newsletters is of a high quality. However, there are a few parents who do not fully support the school in their promotion of healthy lifestyles and a very small number do not ensure that their children attend school regularly.

Governance of the school

• The current governing body have a range of skills and experience which they use well to offer leaders appropriate support and challenge. Governors know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and ask challenging questions about the range of information that they receive. They also attend regular training and keep up to date with educational matters.
• The chair of the governing body is very capable and ambitious for the school. She ensures that members of the governing body focus on the appropriate areas and support school improvement.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities with regard to keeping pupils safe. They have received up-to-date training and regular updates and procedures used throughout the school are robust. Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare.
• Referrals are made promptly and outside agencies are used appropriately. Record-keeping is thorough and careful checks are made on visitors and staff. The site is safe and pupils understand how to stay safe. As a result of a strong safeguarding culture, pupils, staff and parents believe that pupils are safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils learn in a positive learning environment. Displays are used well to celebrate their achievements and to aid learning. High-quality artwork brightens classrooms and corridors.
• Outdoor areas are used well to enhance learning opportunities. Pupils are given opportunities to discover, explore and create throughout the school. They are encouraged to accept challenges and learn from their mistakes.
• Lesson activities are often rooted in real-life situations and cross-curricular literacy and numeracy are embedded within the curriculum. For example, inspectors saw pupils working collaboratively to design a theme park which helped them refine a wide range of skills. Pupils are also given many opportunities to develop their communication skills.
• Learning is usually well planned to help pupils make good progress from their starting points. Staff have secure subject knowledge and use this to probe pupils’ understanding and develop their thinking skills through targeted questions.
• Time is used well in lessons. There are clear routines and pupils work very well together and with staff. They are happy to discuss work with each other and solve problems together. Praise is used effectively and behaviour in class is positive and productive. Disruption to learning is extremely rare.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are usually well supported in class. High-quality teaching assistants lead and support learning very well but others are not as effective. Some pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not spend enough time with their teacher or other pupils in their class. This slows down their progress.
• Staff regularly give effective verbal feedback and they follow the school’s marking policy. Pupils are given time to respond to comments and complete additional activities but staff do not consistently focus on helping pupils to improve their handwriting. This means that the quality of presentation varies and often is not good enough.
• Teaching is not consistently of the highest standard. Where it is less effective, staff have lower expectations of the quality of work that can be produced. They do not ensure that different groups of pupils make rapid progress from their starting points and some staff move learning on too quickly or too slowly. This means that some pupils are not given time to consolidate their learning and others become disengaged. Too often, the most able pupils are given work that is not challenging enough in the first instance.
• Assessment is now accurate and teachers use this information to help their planning. However, all leaders are not yet using the system for collating assessment information to inform actions in their areas of responsibility.
• Teachers follow the school’s homework policy and pupils are given tasks to consolidate their learning in mathematics and English, or extend their skills through project work. Pupils told inspectors that their homework helps them with their learning.
• Parents are given clear, detailed and accurate information about how their child is progressing in relation to national expectations and what they need to do to improve. The parents who spoke to inspectors confirmed that that they find this information useful.

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 they are keen to take on positions of responsibility to improve it further. Many sit on the different school councils, others are learning or sports leaders, some are prefects and others are singing playground leaders. Inspectors saw the singing playground leaders start a song which led to almost 50 pupils quickly joining in the activity. Pupils told inspectors that this has led to a more harmonious playground.
• Pupils are self-confident and self-assured. They spoke confidently to inspectors and they are keen to learn. They respond with enthusiasm to challenging activities.
• Physical and emotional well-being are promoted effectively. Pupils have opportunities to talk to staff or other pupils if they have a concern and almost all take regular exercise. The school’s grounds are used well for physical activities and school teams and individuals have successfully competed in a wide range of sporting events. The school promotes healthy eating but not all parents fully support the school’s work in this area. As many children eat unhealthy snacks during social time, school leaders are considering changing their approach to the way that they work with parents to help pupils eat healthily.
• Bullying is extremely rare and pupils are confident that staff would deal quickly and effectively with any unkindness, if it should happen. Pupils act as peer mediators and use the skills that they have been taught to help others to resolve issues.
• Pupils are taught to stay safe when they are online and appropriate controls are in place on school computers. Pupils learn about how to stay safe in a range of situations, including road, rail and fire safety, and all pupils are provided with sex and relationships education in an age-appropriate way.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite, kind and friendly. Pupils behave very well around the school and are usually attentive and enthusiastic in lessons. However, very occasionally, their levels of concentration subside in class.
• Pupils play with enthusiasm during social times. Most are considerate of others but a few older pupils do not quickly stop what they are doing at the end of playtime. The atmosphere inside the school building is calm and orderly.
• The very few pupils who find it more challenging to manage their own behaviour are well supported to behave well. Instances of inappropriate behaviour are very rare and there have been no permanent exclusions and very few fixed-term exclusions since the last inspection.
• Attendance is consistently above the national average and the vast majority of pupils have excellent attendance. However, a very small number of pupils are absent as a result of extended holidays and a few are late too often.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Attainment has remained above the national averages since the last inspection. Current pupils are making good progress in a range of subjects throughout the school. Effective action has been taken to speed up the slow progress made by some groups of pupils that was apparent at the end of key stage 2 in 2015 and 2016.
• Current pupils in every key stage are making good progress across the curriculum. Progress is more rapid in reading, writing and science and middle prior attaining pupils are now making good progress in a range of subjects. Improvements in the quality of writing and in the progress made by middle-ability pupils are the direct result of actions taken by leaders to address relative weaknesses in these areas.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, usually achieve well. However, some high prior attaining pupils do not have fully developed mathematical reasoning skills or sophisticated writing skills. This means that they are unable to access the highest levels of attainment.
• Pupils from minority ethnic groups make similar progress to other pupils. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make accelerated progress and low prior attaining pupils are beginning to make faster progress.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving. However, processes that are now in place are not fully embedded, so they are not yet making rapid progress from their starting points.
• Over time, pupil premium funding has been used effectively to improve the progress made by disadvantaged pupils and diminish the differences between their attainment and the attainment of other pupils nationally. However, leaders acknowledge that the progress of this group of pupils is not yet consistently rapid in order to close the attainment gap. They have plans in place to address this.
• Improvements evident elsewhere in the curriculum have not been matched consistently in mathematics. Some pupils make very good progress but others do not have fully developed mathematical skills appropriate to their ability.
• Pupils read well. The most able pupils read fluently and less-confident readers can use the sounds that letters represent to decipher words. Outcomes in phonics have improved over time and they are usually above the national average.
• The proportion of children who reach a good level of development in the early years provision continues to improve and it is consistently above the national average.
• Pupils throughout the school are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Early years provision Good

• The relatively new leader of the early years provision has a clear understanding of the setting’s strengths and areas for development. She is taking effective action to improve the provision.
• The early years leader is gaining a clear understanding of what pupils know and what they can do in order to ensure that staff plan activities to help children make accelerated progress. In the past, baseline assessment information was not used well enough. This meant the children did not make rapid progress in their first few weeks in the setting.
• The outdoor area is used very well to promote learning. It encourages physical development and is used effectively to develop boys’ writing. Most children make secure progress in writing. However, the most able children and those who find writing more challenging do not consistently produce as much written work as they are able to.
• Teaching is good. There is a balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities that are focused on learning. Children’s independence is developed well. They are given opportunities to explore and find things out for themselves.
• The curriculum is imaginative and engaging. A range of resources are used well so children can collaborate to build planes, cars, ships and tents in a creative environment. During the inspection, the entire setting was transformed into a travel agent, with children selecting their holiday destinations, writing their own passports and booking their travel tickets. This was a highly engaging way for pupils to develop a range of skills.
• Outcomes are consistently above the national average and children are well prepared academically and socially for Year 1. They read, write and use mathematical skills well and all groups of children make good progress from their starting points. Children who need to catch up, those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children are supported well to make good progress. Additional funding is used effectively to help disadvantaged children achieve well.
• Fundamental British values are promoted well through discussions about fairness and what is right or wrong. Children collaborate well and they are also beginning to learn about different religions and cultures. However, this aspect of the setting’s work is not as well developed as elsewhere in the school.
• Behaviour is good. Children enjoy positive relationships with adults and their classmates. They are willing to share resources and respond well to high expectations and clear routines. Children told inspectors that they were safe and happy.
• Safeguarding is effective and all statutory welfare requirements are met. Children develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in school but some children are absent too often.
• Communication with parents has improved this year and parents believe that they are communicated with very well. High levels of parental engagement and regular contact between staff and parents allow learning and development that takes place in school to be supported at home. This contributes to the good progress made by all groups of children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 130885 Warwickshire 10032620 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 496 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Jan Halstead Jane Le Poidevin 01788 572340 www.paddoxprimary.com admin2625@welearn365.com Date of previous inspection 4–5 March 2010

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• There are two classes in every year group, except in Year 1 and Reception, where there are three classes.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by pupil premium funding is well below the national average.
• The headteacher took up her post in September 2013 and the chair of governors was appointed in September 2014. The school’s wider leadership team and many governors are relatively new.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other leaders and a group of staff.
• The lead inspector met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke to a representative of the local authority and a consultant who supports the school by telephone.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally and heard a small number of pupils read.
• The lead inspector made short visits to every class with the headteacher on the first day of the inspection. On the second day, team inspectors made longer visits to every classroom and observed learning outside. They also looked at pupils’ work in their books.
• The views of parents were considered by talking to parents on both days of the inspection and through 18 responses on Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. Inspectors also considered 142 returns of the school’s parental survey.
• Various school documents were also scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation and its improvement plan, information about managing teachers’ performance and staff training records.
• Minutes of meetings of the governing body and information about pupils’ progress, behaviour, attendance and safety were analysed. Inspectors also looked at published information on the school’s website.

Inspection team

Simon Mosley, lead inspector Helen Quinn Susan Lowry Johanne Clifton Collette Higgins

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector