Ashgate Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Deepen and broaden pupils’ understanding in a range of subjects other than English and mathematics.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and, thereby, further increase the rate of progress and attainment by:
  • ensuring that the most able pupils, including children in the early years, are consistently challenged in their learning so that they make accelerated progress and maximise their attainment
  • ensuring a consistent approach to teaching and assessing spelling, punctuation and grammar so that these skills are embedded in pupils’ writing.
• Ensure that pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, regularly and punctually attend school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced some turbulence in leadership. The appointment of the current headteacher led to the changes the school needed to make in order to raise standards. The headteacher, along with his deputy, leads the school effectively and they have made significant improvements.
• Senior leaders, including governors, have a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the school. This is a result of their high expectations and diligent monitoring.
• The school’s monitoring system is robust and all leaders, including governors, understand their roles. Teaching and learning are regularly monitored, evaluated and reflected on to identify next steps for school improvement. This has been exemplified by the increased rate of progress for all pupils over the past three years.
• Professional development of staff has been used effectively to improve outcomes for pupils. Teachers and learning support assistants value the training they receive and use it to improve practice. The school has developed a reflective culture. Teachers automatically and consistently think about how they can improve. As a result, standards have risen.
• Staff are proud of and enjoy working at Ashgate Primary, and they recognise the improvements made since the previous inspection. Staff feel that senior leaders are supportive and that their views of the work of the school are considered.
• The vast majority of parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and who spoke to inspectors are very supportive of school leaders and value the work of the teachers. One told the inspectors, ‘It is a fantastic school with great teachers and headteacher.’
• The leader for special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is effective because she knows the individual needs and backgrounds of pupils. This knowledge is strategically used to plan improvements, target support and monitor progress. In the early years, a child with additional needs was actively participating and learning well because the adults supported them well. Resources and additional funds are used effectively to improve outcomes for those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Leaders ensure that the additional government funding for physical education and sport has been effectively used. Staff engage well with training which has been provided and, as a result, skills are more effectively taught. Extra-curricular clubs include a variety of opportunities such as choir, and both team and individual sports such as rugby, football, fencing and gymnastics. The range of clubs has inspired some pupils to join local clubs outside school.
• Leaders have implemented various strategies to improve the attendance and punctuality of a minority of pupils. Vigorous monitoring of pupils is evident and safeguarding measures are in place. Leaders have worked with outside agencies to support families in order to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and punctually. Despite this, attendance and punctuality are not consistently good.
• Pupils are taught about British values through the school’s ‘respect agenda’. This permeates throughout the school’s ethos. It is clearly seen in the rewards and sanctions and wall displays, and is the core thread in assemblies. Pupils value and can clearly articulate the principles of ‘respect’. Pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. However, the school has not fully utilised the spiritual diversity of the local area to support pupils’ spiritual development.
• The school’s curriculum, for the most part, covers a range of subjects. However, school leaders are aware of the need to ensure that pupils have greater opportunities to deepen their understanding and achieve well in subjects other than English and mathematics.
• Support provided by the local authority has been effective in raising standards. Leaders are in a good position to continue developing the school with a much-reduced level of support.

Governance of the school

• Governors are ambitious for the school and have effectively supported the headteacher in driving school improvements. Governors have a very good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They have recently completed an audit of skills which has helped them to identify areas of expertise needed to further improve their impact.
• Governors are proactive in their approach to their responsibilities. They complete training which allows them to understand school data for example, which, in turn, allows them to ask relevant and searching questions to confidently hold the school to account.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The headteacher is tenacious in his approach to safeguarding and ensures that all statutory requirements with regard to recruitment and training are met. Records show that concerns are effectively dealt with and in a timely manner. This is because all staff not only understand their responsibilities and the process to follow, but do so vigilantly.
• Staff and governors receive regular training in safeguarding as a result of a meticulous schedule. Relevant updates and issues are regularly discussed, ensuring that adults, including midday supervisors, are knowledgeable about their responsibilities.
• The vast majority of pupils and parents agree that this is a safe school. Pupils are taught how to stay safe in a variety of situations and feel they can easily talk with the adults in school if something is wrong.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Effective communication between teachers and learning support assistants allows them to work in partnership to support the good progress of pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants use their knowledge of past learning to effectively set appropriate targets and plan interventions. Consequently, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are closing rapidly.
• Pupils have a good understanding of their individual targets and use these to improve their work.
• Teachers’ good subject knowledge is evident in their expectations and modelling of correct vocabulary. Pupils are expected to be equally precise in their responses. As a result, their spoken vocabulary, as well as that in their writing, is improving. In a Year 5 English lesson, pupils were writing Haiku poems and using phrases such as ‘inexplicable darkness’ and ‘majestic universe’.
• Pupils receive good-quality phonics teaching. Teachers and teaching assistants model letter sounds clearly, allowing pupils to acquire key early reading and writing skills. Pupils use their phonics knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words and to help them in their writing.
• Teachers and teaching assistants effectively use questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding of mathematical concepts. In a Year 1 mathematics lesson, pupils were encouraged to explain their thinking. As a result, pupils develop their reasoning skills and deepen their understanding of numbers and patterns and the connections between them.
• Teachers model their expectations of learning. Pupils understand the standard they are aiming for and their progress is supported well in order to achieve it. Pupils are able to quickly get on with their tasks and little time is wasted.
• Relationships between pupils and adults are strong and based on mutual respect. Pupils work cooperatively and support each other’s learning in lessons. Pupils quickly follow adults’ instructions and any low-level disturbance is effectively managed with minimal disruption to the lesson.
• On occasion, the most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged and opportunities to deepen their understanding and knowledge are missed. Therefore, the rate of progress is not always maximised for this group.
• Approaches to teaching and expectations for spelling, punctuation and grammar are not consistent in key stage 2. Sometimes errors or misconceptions in basic punctuation and spelling are not addressed by adults. As a result, not all pupils are maximising their capacity to learn from their mistakes and progress is slowed.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Relationships between adults and pupils in the school are positive and pupils demonstrate a good level of social awareness and skill. ‘Mini leaders’ are trained to support other pupils on the playground and this was observed to be working well during a wet lunchtime.
• New pupils are warmly welcomed. The array of cultures and nationalities within the school are celebrated and each is represented by a flag in the main hall.
• Pupils have been taught to become resilient learners and usually have positive attitudes towards their work. In lessons, they demonstrate a willingness to learn and share their ideas even if they are not sure whether they are right.
• Pupils enjoy various responsibilities available to them, such as on the school council and as digital leaders. The school is currently training a group of pupils to become wellbeing ambassadors who will be able to help support others in need.
• Pupils feel safe at school and understand how to keep themselves safe in different situations including when on the internet and using social media. A few pupils spoke about a recent issue with cyber bullying, and how the school has responded by highlighting the issue and providing further education and support for pupils to understand the serious nature of the issue and its consequences. The vast majority of pupils and parents who spoke to inspectors or responded to Parent View trust the school to deal with any problems effectively, including rare incidents of bullying.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• A minority of pupils do not attend school regularly or punctually. Some parents have not engaged and do not understand the importance of regular school attendance. As a result, the learning of these pupils is affected because they are often absent or miss the start of lessons. Despite leaders’ best efforts, attendance rates of pupils have been below the national average for the past three years.
• Engagement of pupils in their learning is not always as high as it could be, particularly for the most able pupils. This occurs when tasks are not well matched to pupils’ abilities or interests. When this happens, they become disengaged and their progress is inconsistent.
• Pupils generally conduct themselves well at different times of the school day. Transition times are calm and orderly. This is the result of the positive relationships they have with the adults in school as well as with each other. Pupils are polite, courteous and friendly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Historically, children have entered the early years with levels of development which have been below what are typical for their age. From these starting points, children make good progress and the vast majority enter Year 1 with a good level of development.
• The number of pupils in Year 1 reaching the expected standard in the phonics screening checks has been above the national average for the past three years. The school’s tracking system indicates that current pupils in Year 1 will do similarly well. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who reach the expected standard is similar to that of non-disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 1 has been improving. In 2017, published data shows that the number of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading was in line with the national average while in writing and mathematics achievement was above. However, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard remains below the national average.
• Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 has also shown improvements. In 2017, published data shows that the number of pupils achieving the expected standard in writing was in line with the national average. Although attainment in reading and mathematics at the expected level remains below the national average, pupils make above-average progress from their starting points. The proportion of pupils who attain the higher standard has shown improvement. In writing, this is now above the national average. Reading and mathematics attainment, however, remains below the national average at the higher standard.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils in the school is nearly double the national average. The school’s information and published data show that the vast majority of disadvantaged pupils make good progress over time from their starting points. This reflects the effective use of the pupil premium grant to support their learning.
• School information confirms that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress. This is a result of accurate assessment of their individual needs and the use of timely, targeted intervention.
• Work in current pupils’ books shows that the vast majority of pupils are continuing to make good progress from their starting points, regardless of ability or background.
• Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure as a result of the developing reading culture within the school. A new reading scheme and a wide range of new books have been recently introduced which the pupils enjoy. One pupil proudly told the inspector, ‘There are lots of new books in the library and I want to read as many as I can.’

Early years provision Good

• Children in the early years get off to a good start in their education. In 2017, the school’s information shows that children entered the early years with levels of development which were typical for their age. Typically, children make good progress from their starting points. Children’s outcomes for the past three years have been improving and have been above the national average. As a result, the vast majority of children are well prepared for entering Year 1.
• Through a supportive transition system involving parents and setting consistent routines, children settle quickly into school life. There are strong links with the local nurseries.
• Provision in the early years is good because the leader has a solid understanding of the needs of the children. Staff are quick to accurately assess the needs and abilities of the children and provide early support where it is needed. Adults are keen to find out what the children want to learn about, and to plan topics based on their interests. The current dinosaur topic is very popular.
• Adults, including learning support assistants, usually use effective, probing questions to further engage and challenge children’s thinking to move their understanding and learning forward. Children are given time to explore their thinking and make choices, developing their independent learning skills.
• All activities have a clear purpose and all areas of learning are catered for both indoors and out. Children understand what is expected of them as a result of clear explanations and considered targeting by adults. The opportunity to write a description of a dinosaur quickly sparked children’s imagination and allowed them to reflect on observations made earlier. Children are motivated and eager to join in activities, interacting with adults and each other well.
• The learning environment is stimulating and provides multiple opportunities for children to practise key language and number skills. Adults encourage the children to develop their skills through modelling and correction when necessary. Early phonics, reading, writing and mathematics skills are taught well. As a result, children make good progress.
• Staff monitor children’s progress closely and ensure that judgements are secure through regular discussions and reviews of children’s work. Most parents are actively involved with the school’s assessment and reporting system. Leaders use targeted resources, such as the pupil premium, effectively allowing disadvantaged children to make good progress.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective and statutory duties are met. Adults working in the school ensure that children are kept safe, and children are well supervised.
• Leaders’ and teachers’ expectations are not consistently high enough for the most able children. Some of these children are making good progress, but this is not the case for all of them.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 131685 Derby 10037593 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 324 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Jessamie Self Peter Seargent 01332 343 928 www.ashgate.derby.sch.uk head@ashgate.derby.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15 16 May 2013

Information about this school

• The school has had changes in senior leadership since the previous inspection. The current headteacher has been in post since January 2015. The current deputy headteacher has been in post since September 2016.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding is nearly double the national average.
• Since the previous inspection, the school has received formal support from the local authority.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 21 lessons, some jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, across all classes. They looked at pupils’ work in books covering a range of subjects, abilities and year groups.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, and middle and subject leaders with responsibility for the early years, SEN and/or disabilities, English and mathematics, and the pupil premium.
• Inspectors met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.
• The inspectors met with a group of pupils and considered their views of their school. They also spoke informally with pupils during lessons and during breaktimes and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors considered the responses from Parent View and spoke informally with parents at the start of the school day.
• The inspectors looked at a range of documentation including the leaders’ self-assessment of the school’s performance, the school improvement plan, governors’ minutes, the school’s most recent information on pupils’ progress and achievement, and information related to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

Inspection team

Heidi Malliff, lead inspector Hazel Henson Kelly Lee

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector