St Martin’s Garden Primary School
Inspection report: 18–19 November 2008
Introduction
The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.
Description of the school
This is an average size primary school. Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision is in the single Reception class. Most pupils are of White British heritage, although the proportion from minority ethnic families is increasing as is the
proportion learning English as an additional language. The number of pupils who joinor leave the school at other than the usual times is high. The proportion of pupils
with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. A high proportion of
these pupils have autism and learn within the Margaret Coates Autistic Centre, which
is an integral part of the school.
There is a children’s centre on site, including a nursery, that is not managed by the
school’s governing body.
Key for inspection grades
Grade 1 Outstanding
Grade 2 Good
Grade 3 Satisfactory
Grade 4 Inadequate
Overall effectiveness of the school: Grade: 3
In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion
that this school no longer requires significant improvement. This is a satisfactory
school, which is improving at a steady rate. In the last year, the headteacher, with
very strong support from the senior leadership team, governors and local authority,
has improved pupils’ learning and the use of assessment to track pupils’ progress.
The school is better placed to identify any pupils who underachieve and to put in
place effective strategies to help them improve. The impact of these strategies has
led to a discernable upward trend in standards in English, mathematics and science
at the end of Year 6, including a greater proportion achieving the higher Level 5 in
national tests. Based on the progress made since its last inspection, the school has
the satisfactory capacity to improve.
Children start school with standards that are well below expectations for their age,
especially in early language skills and noticeably in speaking and listening.
Satisfactory provision in the EYFS means that children make satisfactory progress
but standards remain below average at the end of Reception. Standards in
knowledge and understanding of the world are exceptionally low. Children do not
spend enough time learning outdoors. In Years 1 to 6, achievement is satisfactory
and although clearly improving, standards at the end of Year 6 remain below
average. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Whilst there are pockets of good
teaching, there is not enough good teaching to ensure that pupils make consistently
good progress in all lessons.
There are strengths in the teaching of pupils with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities, which enable many of these pupils to make good progress. However, in many lessons, teachers’ planning does not meet the
needs of all pupils, especially the potentially more able, with the result they do not
always make enough progress in lessons.
In Year 2, standards have fallen for the last four years and in 2008 were
exceptionally low in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards in writing were
higher than reading, which goes against the national trend. Evidence from the
inspection and the school’s data, indicates that the downward trend is reversed, with
green shoots of recovery evident. The successful teaching of letters and sounds in
the EYFS and in Years 1 and 2 has a significant impact on slowly improving standards
in reading and writing. In the EYFS and Years 1 and 2, classrooms do not promote a
love of reading sufficiently well.
Pupils’ personal development and well-being are satisfactory and supported by
satisfactory care, guidance and support. Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in
their much-improved attendance over the last two years. Behaviour is good. Boys
and girls are equally enthusiastic in wanting to answer questions in lessons. Pupils
have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles and many participate in sporting
activities in school and/or out of school. The care and support for pupils with learning
difficulties and/or disabilities are good as they are for those learning English as an
additional language. Pupils know their targets and their next steps in learning. While
pupils are safeguarded adequately in school, the records kept are not up to date or
easily accessible to allow quick checks that all statutory requirements for
safeguarding and risk assessments are in place.
Provision for pupils in the Margaret Coates Centre is good. As a result of good
teaching, these pupils make good progress in their learning. There are strengths in
pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. Occasionally, in lessons, the
pace of learning is too slow. Leadership and management in the centre are good and
ensure that pupils are cared for extremely well and that they enjoy an effective and
stimulating curriculum. The accommodation is outstanding and contributes
successfully to pupils’ good achievement.
Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage: Grade: 3
On starting the EYFS, children benefit from the school’s effective links with the
children’s centre and a smooth transition from the nursery class. Parents are very
appreciative of the induction process when their children start in the main school.
From very low starting points, children make satisfactory progress although
standards remain below average by the time they start Year 1. In knowledge and
understanding of the world, standards are well below average and this links to
children not having sufficient time to experience learning outdoors. Children are very
happy and benefit from very good relationships with staff. Teachers and support
staff work very hard to develop children’s speaking and listening skills through
regular discussions and questioning children about what they are learning. The
teaching of letters and sounds is good and has a positive impact on developing
children’s early reading and writing skills.
The quality of care is good, with children learning in a safe and caring learning
environment. Although underused, the outdoor learning area is safe and secure.
Leadership and management are satisfactory, with strengths in systems for
monitoring and assessing children’s progress. However, insufficient focus is given to
children having the opportunity to work outdoors regularly and at a time of their own
choosing. There are effective links with outside agencies, including speech therapy to
support children who have difficulties in communicating. Partnerships with parents
are good and they are welcomed into the classroom to provide valuable additional
support for children’s learning.
What the school should do to improve further
• Improve the consistency of teachers’ planning in Years 1 to 6 so that it meets
the needs of more able pupils.
• Improve EYFS children’s opportunities for outdoor learning and their knowledge
and understanding of the world.
• Ensure that records for safeguarding and risk assessments are up to date and
in a form that shows the statutory information clearly.
• Improve the quality of reading corners for younger pupils to encourage and
promote a love of reading.
A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged as satisfactory
but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an
Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5 inspection.
Achievement and standards: Grade: 3
The year-on-year decline in standards at the end of Year 2 is being to be reversed
through more rigorous tracking of pupils’ progress and putting strategies in place to
tackle pupils’ underachievement. As a result, in the current Year 2, there are clear
signs of improvement in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils respond positively
to the teaching of letters and sounds and this is improving their achievement,
especially in reading and writing. At times, more able pupils are not sufficiently
challenged in guided reading sessions.
Standards at the end of Year 6 while below average are rising and this is supported
by inspection evidence and the provisional results of the most recent National
Curriculum tests. Encouragingly, there is a marginal increase in the proportion of
pupils reaching the higher Level 5 in English and mathematics. Achievement based
on their starting points at the beginning of Year 3 is satisfactory.
Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress against the
targets in their individual education plans because of good teaching, especially high
quality support from teaching assistants. Pupils with English as an additional
language make good progress and benefit from the school reaching out into its
community to find, for example, speakers of Polish who work with pupils from Poland
to develop their knowledge of scientific vocabulary.
Personal development and well-being Grade: 3
Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. They have a
strong sense of right and wrong. Pupils have a much better understanding of local
cultures than they do of the wider community within the United Kingdom. Pupils feel
that when unacceptable behaviour occurs adults deal with it effectively. A number of
pupils find boisterous play in the playground a concern. Pupils in Year 6 enjoy taking
responsibilities, including being house captains, librarians and recycling monitors. At
present, the school council does not make a significant contribution to day-to-day
school life. Pupils appreciate the way their successes both in and out of school are
celebrated by staff and their peers. Preparation for their next stage of life is
satisfactory. Girls benefit from activities planned to raise their self-esteem, such as
through the ‘Girls Allowed’ project. Pupils enjoy taking part in sporting and cultural
events in school and in the city of Bath.
Quality of provision
Teaching and learning: Grade: 3
Pupils enjoy their lessons and say that teachers make learning fun. Teachers are
skilled in involving pupils in question and answer sessions, including engaging boys
and girls equally. Learning intentions and success criteria are shared with pupils at
the start of lessons. There are strengths in the teaching of pupils with learning
difficulties and/or disabilities, for example in giving them practical tests at the start of
lessons to reinforce new learning. Teaching assistants provide very good support for
such pupils, together with those learning English as an additional language.
Teachers’ planning is detailed but it does not consistently meet the needs of
potentially more able pupils in terms of challenge and extension. In literacy lessons,
there is evidence of the overuse of photocopied worksheets. Such sheets restrict the
development of free and unaided writing, especially for more able pupils. Teachers’
marking is effective and pupils say that it does help them to improve their work.
Curriculum and other activities Grade: 3
The curriculum meets statutory requirements. The school is passionate in its wish to
provide pupils with a wide ranging curriculum with opportunities for pupils to see,
understand and use the links between subjects. In the EYFS, current planning does
not focus sufficiently on knowledge and understanding of the world and in Years 1 to
6, it does not meet the needs of more-able pupils. Curriculum enrichment is good,
especially in sport and the arts. The school is very proactive in participating in
cultural events within the city. Attendance at extra-curricular clubs is good and
contributes significantly to pupils’ good understanding of healthy lifestyles. Pupils’
personal development and well-being are supported through a good programme of
personal, social, health and citizenship education and the social and emotional
aspects of learning (SEAL) programme.
Care, guidance and support Grade: 3
The support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. Individual
education plans are of good quality and the school makes very effective use of
outside agencies to support these pupils. Those learning English as an additional
language receive equally good support. Currently, the school’s records in relation to
safeguarding and risk assessments are not up to date. They are in a form which
means it is difficult to assess whether the school meets statutory requirements.
Academic guidance is good. Through effective marking and the use of targets, pupils
have a greater understanding of how well they are learning and what they need to
do to improve their learning. Such guidance plays an increasingly important part in
helping pupils improve their rate of achievement and level of attainment.
Leadership and management: Grade: 3
Over the last year, the headteacher, with very effective support from the senior
leadership team, governors and the local authority has tackled successfully the issues
from the last inspection. The school is in a much stronger position in relation to
monitoring teaching and learning to gauge its impact on pupils’ achievement. The
use of assessment information is good and allows staff to identify areas of
underachievement and put in strategies to prevent pupils lagging behind. While
recognising success is to be celebrated, the school’s self-evaluation is too generous
and not an accurate picture of where it stands. Day-to-day management, especially
in relation to records, is not sufficiently up to date concerning safeguarding and risk
assessments.
The school improvement plan has clearly aimed targets at raising achievement in
literacy, numeracy and science. However, in numeracy there are no costings or indications of how the school will judge the success of its actions to improve this
aspect. The school works effectively within the community, with especially strong
links with the children’s centre. It has effective links with local schools and colleges
to promote sport and the arts. Links with the wider United Kingdom are not as
strongly developed, which limits pupils’ cultural awareness.
Inspection judgements
Key to judgements:
Grade 1 is outstanding, Grade 2 good, Grade 3 satisfactory, and Grade 4 inadequate.
Overall effectiveness
How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education,
integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of
learners? 3
Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the
last inspection: Yes
How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote
learners’ well-being? 3
The capacity to make any necessary improvements: 3
Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage
How effective is the provision in meeting the needs of children in the
EYFS? 3
How well do children in the EYFS achieve? 3
How good is 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? 3
How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS
promoted? 2
How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed? 3
Achievement and standards
How well do learners achieve? 3
The standards reached by learners: 3
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.)
How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations
between groups of learners: 3
How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress: 2
Personal development and well-being
How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the
learners? 3
The extent of learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development: 3
The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles: 2
The extent to which learners adopt safe practices: 3
How well learners enjoy their education: 2
The attendance of learners: 3
The behaviour of learners: 2
The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community: 3
How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to
their future economic well-being: 3
The quality of provision
How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of
learners’ needs? 3
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? 3
Leadership and management
How effective are leadership and management in raising
achievement and supporting all learners? 3
How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading
o improvement and promote high quality of care and education: 3
How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise
standards: 3
The effectiveness of the school’s self-evaluation: 3
How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated: 3
How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 3
How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to
achieve value for money: 3
The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities: 3
Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government
requirements? Yes
Does this school require special measures? No
Does this school require a notice to improve? No
Letter from Inspector:
22 November 2008
Dear Pupils
Inspection of St Martin’s Garden Primary School, Bath BA2 2UN
Thank you very much for giving us a very warm welcome when we visited your
school. We enjoyed meeting you, especially the school council and the group from
Year 6 who gave up part of lunchtime to meet us. I am pleased to tell you that your
school is much better than a year ago and that it is now a satisfactory and improving
school. You and all adults in the school have helped make it better through:
• Working much harder so that you make satisfactory progress and now do as
well in English, mathematics and science as most children of your age
• Behaving very well in lessons and being very keen to ask and answer questions
• Enjoying your lessons which you think are ‘fun’
• Taking part enthusiastically in after-school clubs and local festivals
• Understanding your targets and working hard to achieve them
• Supporting all the adults who are working hard to improve your education.
There are still some important things that we have asked your headteacher, teachers
and governors to do so that your school continues to get better. These are to:
• Make sure that when planning your work, teachers expect all of you to work as
hard as you can
• Give those of you in the EYFS more time to learn outdoors and more time on
• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Make sure that all the important records the government expects your school to have in place are kept up to date
• Make reading corners more exciting to encourage you to really enjoy reading.
We know that you will continue to work hard and enjoy school.
Yours sincerely
David Curtis
Lead inspector
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