Shenton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Shenton Primary School has improved significantly since its previous inspection and now provides a good quality of education in most respects. The headteacher, supported by the senior leadership team, is the driving force behind these improvements.

Staff and the governing body share her vision that all pupils will succeed. Pupils are now making good progress in their learning because the quality of teaching has improved, with the majority being good or better. Pupils are inspired by a curriculum which captures their interest and imagination.

Adults are supportive and form trusting relationships with pupils within the stimulating learning environment. These, together with pupils' good behaviou...r and positive attitudes to learning, underpin pupils' good achievement. Standards are broadly average, but a pattern of improvement is emerging.

Year 6 pupils' attainment has risen steadily from being low in 2008 to just above average in 2010. The school's most recent assessment information and evidence in pupils' work indicate that pupils' good progress is leading to similar outcomes again this year. An increasing number of pupils are achieving the higher grades in assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, though not all of the most-able pupils reach these levels.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who begin school at the early stages of learning English are supported well, and the vast majority of these pupils make good progress. Almost all pupils say that they enjoy school and the vast majority of their parents and carers endorse their views. Nonetheless, attendance figures remain average and some pupils lose valuable learning time, for example, when they are taken out of school for holidays in term-time.

The skills of senior and middle leaders have been successfully developed. They play their full part in monitoring and ensuring the evaluation of the school's work is accurate. They can demonstrate their impact on improvements made to the curriculum and to teaching and learning.

However, a few instances remain where teaching is satisfactory because : teachers are not using assessment well enough to plan activities that meet the needs of all pupils. This is particularly evident in Year 1, for example, where all pupils enter not having achieved the Early Learning Goals but spend too long engaged in the same quite formal teacher-directed activity rather than engaging in planned and purposeful play appropriate for their needs. There has been a period of uncertainty in staffing and leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage which has contributed to some inconsistency.

Children make a good start to school life in Foundation Stage One. However, in Foundation Stage Two their progress slows because, for example, adults do not make as effective use of the good assessment information available to plan the next stages of learning which will challenge children of all abilities, and not enough use is made of the outdoor area to promote learning. However, the school demonstrates its good capacity to improve by its strong track record of improving leadership, provision and outcomes for pupils.

Staff demonstrate their commitment to reflect on their practice and to continue to work as a team to drive improvements.

Information about the school

This is a larger than average-sized primary school where almost all of the pupils are from Indian backgrounds. A small proportion is from African backgrounds, with the rest coming from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

The vast majority speak English as an additional language and the majority are at the early stages of learning English when they start school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with a statement of special educational needs is larger than that found in most schools.

A new headteacher was appointed after the previous inspection following a period of instability in the senior management team. A new staffing structure has been put in place. An assistant headteacher is currently temporarily acting as deputy headteacher and the inclusion manager is also sharing some of the deputy headteacher's responsibilities to cover a period of staff absence.