Moving beyond the floor target case study: Grange Community Primary School, Suffolk

• Date: Jan 2008
• Programme: Improving Schools Programme (ISP)
• Focus: Tackling underachievement in schools causing concern
• Number in series: 9
• School name: Grange Community Primary School
• Phase: Primary
• Key stage: Foundation Stage, Key Stages 1 and 2
• Local authority: Suffolk
• Ref: 00150-2008DWO-EN-01
• % of free school meals: 26%

School context and profile

The school serves an area of high social deprivation near the docks in Felixstowe. The school had a turbulent period between 2004 and 2007, and has moved from an Ofsted category of serious weaknesses in 2004, to a judgement of good with outstanding features in that timeframe.

• Grange Community Primary School has 187 pupils on roll (164 full-time and 23 part-time).
• A small but growing number of pupils have English as an Additional Language.
• 26% of children are entitled to free school meals.
• The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is well above average, and includes those children with statements, who have a wide range of learning difficulties.
• Most children are from white British backgrounds, with a small number from a range of different minority ethnic groups.

The school was inspected in March 2006, following inspection in 2004, where it was judged to have 'serious weaknesses'. The judgement made was that the school is now good, with good capacity to improve, no longer has serious weaknesses, and provides good value for money.

Issues identified were:

• to continue to raise standards in English and mathematics at both key stages by improving writing and mathematical problem solving skills
• to continue to work with parents to improve pupils' attendance
• to further develop the role of the governors, to enhance their impact on school evaluation and planning for improvement.

2006 Key Stage 2 results

English L4 54%; mathematics L4 54%

2007 Key Stage 2 results

English L4 79%; mathematics L4 71%