Here's some extracts from the 2013 school report (in the 2015 report they did improve on many of these metrics due to a lot of extra training and money which was spent following the poor 2013 report ) and doesn't include areas where they are doing ok (i.e. I'm cherry picking the points to illustrate the basic idea that educational attainment and resource allocations change when the community is experiencing a large non-integrating immigration.)
- This is a larger-than-average primary school.
- The very large majority of pupils are from White British or Pakistani backgrounds, in equal proportions. The remaining few come from a wide range of other ethnic heritages.
- The proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language is well above the national average.
- The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is extra government funding for particular groups, including pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and those from service families, is well above the national average.
Achievement of pupils - Requires improvement 3
Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3
Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2
Leadership and management Requires improvement 3
- Achievement requires improvement because not enough pupils make good progress, particularly in mathematics and those who are more able. This is because teaching is not consistently good throughout the school and so progress between year groups is too variable.
- Pupils join the school with knowledge and skills that are well below those expected for children of this age, particularly in aspects of communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Progress requires improvement in the Early Years Foundation Stage although it is showing signs of improvement. The Nursery establishes good links with parents and carers and so children settle quickly. There is a strong emphasis on care and nurture, especially for children who have specific needs. For example, when pupils who speak English as an additional language were encouraged to make a pattern with coloured cubes, a bi-lingual teaching assistant explained what the child should do in their first language while encouraging them to talk about their work in English.
- Pupils supported with pupil premium funding make similar progress to others as a result of the support they receive in lessons and small group teaching. They are closing the gap in attainment with other pupils in the school and nationally in English, but the gap has increased in mathematics. Based on their average points scores at the end of Year 6 these pupils are approximately two terms behind their classmates in English and three terms behind them in mathematics.
- Teaching assistants make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning throughout the lesson, especially for pupils who speak English as an additional language, as well as disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. For example in a Key Stage 1 class a teaching assistant supporting a group of pupils who have special educational needs, made very good use of the interactive whiteboard to help them to create sentences.
From the 2015 report - which does show marked improvements - but what this doesn't tell you is that they basically had to do the following after pupils from aforementioned community had been sexually harassing female classmates on social media and the police and social workers got involved:
- The work done to secure pupils’ appreciation of British values is a major strength of the school. Pupils understand the importance of showing tolerance and respect for each other. They talk openly about this and about how well those from a range of different communities get on together in school. Staff have promoted pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development outstandingly well to create a highly positive culture and ethos where all groups have an equal chance to succeed without discrimination. This work is supported by the school’s role in the cooperative trust, which has helped cement its place at the heart of the community.
- Pupils have a suitable understanding of what constitutes bullying and how to deal with it. They are very positive about the lack of any name-calling or racist bullying. They know how to keep themselves safe when using computers. They are aware of possible dangers from, for example, strangers, and are confident there are adults in school who they can trust and would talk to if they had any worries.
The following is very cleverly worded way of saying the Pakistani children struggle to keep up but make better progress than the national average for their community. The more able kids - whatever their background - get neglected since the school is throwing all its efforts at the less advantaged.
- Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The largest minority group, from a Pakistani heritage, make better progress than similar pupils nationally. Those from Eastern Europe often make exceptionally good progress, especially in reading and writing.
- Throughout the school, the most-able pupils make at least the expected progress. The school is aware
that it is not yet doing enough to ensure that more reach the highest possible levels in their work