Summary of the Inspection Report

PALMERS CROSS PRIMARY SCHOOL

An average sized community primary school situated in the Tettenhall area of Wolverhampton inspected 6^th to 9^th October 2003 by an inspection team led by Mr Paul Nicholson

OVERALL EVALUATION

Palmers Cross is an effective school that provides its pupils with a good quality of education. Overall teaching is good and pupils do well. The school is well led and managed. It provides good value for money.

The school’s main strengths and weakness are:

Teaching is good and pupils throughout the school do well in English and mathematics, and in Years 3 to 6 they also do well in science.
This is a caring school, which fosters positive attitudes and good behaviour from the pupils.
The headteacher provides good leadership and the school is well managed.
There is an insufficiently sharp focus on strategic planning and the leadership roles of the subject co-ordinators are not sufficiently well developed.
There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs both in the main school and the learning resource base.
Procedures for marking and assessing pupils’ progress are satisfactory but not fully developed.
Pupils’ speaking and comprehension skills are underdeveloped.

The school has maintained the good quality of education noted at its last inspection. The school has successfully improved its provision for children in reception, which was a weakness, but the quality of marking remains an area for development.

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Year 6 results

Results in National

Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6 compared with:

all schools

similar schools

2000

2001

2002

2002

English

B

C

C

A

Mathematics

A

D

C

A

Science

B

C

C

A

Key: A- well above average; B- above average; C- average; D- below average; E- well below average; Similar schools attained similarly at the end of Year 2

Pupils’ standards in National tests at Years 2 and 6 vary from year to year. This is because of the differing numbers of pupils with special educational needs and some pupils transferring to their next school at the end of year 4. However, pupils make good progress and they achieve well compared with their prior attainment.

From a low starting point, children in reception do well and they make good progress towards the expected Early Learning Goals. Most children reach the goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and in their creative development.
Pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well in English, particularly writing, and in mathematics. Overall the standards in the current Year 2 in all subjects are in line with national expectations and above average in writing.
In years 3 to 6 pupils continue to reach good levels of achievement because of good teaching. Standards vary from year to year reflecting differences in the groups of children. In the current Year 6 standards are in line with national expectations in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, and in all other subjects seen during the inspection.
The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good. There is satisfactory provision for their cultural development. Pupils have positive attitudes towards school, and their behaviour in lessons and on the playground is good. Their rate of attendance is above the national average.

QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a good quality of education. Overall teaching is good throughout the school, particularly in English and mathematics. Consequently, pupils’ make good progress in their learning. The school provides pupils with a satisfactory range of learning opportunities.
There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs both in the main school and in the learning resource base. These pupils make good progress towards their individual targets.
Good levels of care and positive links with parents support pupils’ learning.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall the school is well led and managed.
The headteacher has high aspirations for the school and provides good leadership. He is well supported by a hard working staff. Together they manage the school well. Their commitment is reflected in the good quality of education provided. However, the leadership role of most subject co-ordinators is not fully developed. The school’s development plan is satisfactory but lacks a sharp focus on the whole school priorities for improvement.
Governors are very supportive and carry out their statutory duties well. They have a clear view of their roles and responsibilities. They have a satisfactory understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and involvement in determining the priorities for the future. The governance of the school is sound.

PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

· Parents are pleased with all aspects of the work of the school. They are happy with the teaching and the progress their children make. Parents report that their children like school. They feel that the school is well led and that the care and support provided to their children is good. Most parents feel the staff are approachable but a small minority feels that the school could do more to develop closer links with parents.

· Pupils expressed positive views of the school. They feel they have to work hard and enjoy new activities in lessons. Pupils appreciate the help teachers give them and know who to seek advice from if they have a problem.

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are:

have a clearer focus on the most important whole-school priorities when planning for the future;
develop the roles of the subject co-ordinators so that they play a more effective role in further improving the quality of education provided;
develop the whole-school procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ progress in subjects other than English, mathematics and science;
have a consistent and more effective system for marking pupils’ work
provide more opportunities to develop pupils’ speaking skills and their use of a wider vocabulary.

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