Shelley Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management so that:
  • leaders use pupil progress information to identify how well pupils, including pupils in different vulnerable groups, are doing leaders ensure the information obtained from monitoring teaching is used to develop effective strategies to improve classroom practice throughout the school
  • areas of good practice continue to be maintained and improved, while areas for development are addressed
  • governors are more robust in challenging and holding leaders and staff fully to account for the progress that pupils make.
• Raise standards of teaching and learning, by:
  • developing pupils’ understanding of how to read and improving comprehension skills, especially for the most able
  • making sure that misconceptions in mathematics are addressed promptly
  • ensuring that writing improvements are embedded and sustained
  • making sure that pupils do as well in reading and mathematics as they do in writing
  • providing carefully tailored support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have not ensured that pupils do as well as they should in reading and mathematics across the school. This is particularly the case in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2.
• Checks are not as systematic as they need to be to improve the quality of teaching. Leaders provide useful feedback about what can be improved, but do not ensure that changes have been implemented.
• Pupils’ progress is recorded and checked by leaders and teachers. However, on occasion they do not analyse the information systematically enough to identify where pupils are not doing as well as they should be. This is especially the case in reading and mathematics. The recent focus on writing has led to improvements, because pupils’ progress is checked more rigorously in this subject.
• Leaders accurately identify strengths and weaknesses and know that pupils are not doing as well as they need to in some year groups. Where leaders have taken action, there are signs of improvement, but these are inconsistent.
• Middle leaders have embraced the challenge of improving standards in their areas of responsibility with some success. Acting on local authority advice, they have devised appropriate action plans and have begun to develop the quality of teaching in reading, writing and mathematics through staff meetings. However, improvement is not taking place at the same rate for all subjects. The focus on writing has resulted in better progress at the expense of mathematics and reading.
• The well-organised curriculum plan ensures that all pupils learn about a range of subjects through interesting topics and activities. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 learned about the Great Fire of London – a topic that enthused and excited them, resulting in good progress in writing.
• The headteacher’s warm and honest approach, along with his dedication to the school and pupils, inspires staff and governors to demonstrate the same commitment. They support his ethos of ‘working together to become even better’. Parents appreciate and speak very positively of the high levels of care and support their children receive.
• The school makes good use of its pupil premium funding, so that disadvantaged pupils make good progress. Pupils receive a range of tailored learning and assistance and there is relevant guidance and support for parents. However, leaders’ use of funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is not as effective. These pupils are not making good progress overall.
• Funding to support sport in schools has also been used well to support competition with other schools and develop the skills of staff. This resulted in more than two thirds of pupils representing the school in various competitions last year. Sustained improvements, as a result of this funding, have enabled the school to be awarded the silver gamesmark.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength. The school teaches pupils about their own culture and to better understand the culture of others. Respect for other religions is fostered through assemblies and visits. Pupils have a sound understanding of British values because they are embedded well within topics.
• Continuing professional development for staff is well planned and matched to the school’s areas for development. The focus on writing, including English and grammar training, has been effective.

Governance of the school

• Governors do not hold leaders and staff fully to account for the progress that pupils make. They ask useful questions about many aspects of school life and challenge leaders to ensure that they are making the right decisions, but, at times, they are too accepting of what they are told. This is particularly the case for pupils’ outcomes.
• Governors have appropriate skills for their role. They undertake learning walks with senior staff and have a growing knowledge of the work in the classrooms.
• Governors have an appropriate involvement in overseeing the school’s performance management arrangements.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff receive relevant training and take appropriate action when required. Training is thorough and up to date, including recent additions to statutory requirements. Training for staff new to the school is good. Staff are all aware of their ‘Prevent’ duty and relate it to their commitment to teach British values.
• Pupils are monitored as soon as there are any concerns, and records show that effective action is taken as a result. The school works effectively in partnership with other professionals and agencies to ensure that children are kept safe.
• The single central record is systematically maintained and effectively records the rigorous checks on the suitability of all staff and volunteers to work with children.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching often does not meet pupils’ needs as well as it should in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2. Some learning tasks are not sufficiently well matched to the needs of pupils, and expectations are not always high enough.
• Mathematics teaching is inconsistent. Mathematical concepts are not always taught in a logical sequence. Teachers do not check understanding sufficiently well to identify and tackle misconceptions promptly. Teachers assess how well pupils are doing, but do not always use this information to plan the next lessons.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not making sufficient progress. Learning plans are detailed and conscientiously delivered by teaching assistants. However, the support is not sufficiently tailored for pupils to make rapid progress.
• In reading lessons, weaknesses in teaching have resulted in some pupils being less confident in comprehension and working out how to read more challenging words.
• When pupils are given the opportunity to use reasoning to explain their learning, the most able master concepts securely and rapidly.
• There have been recent improvements in the way phonics is taught in key stage 1, resulting in better progress. Phonics lessons are well structured and pupils understand how to sound out words.
• The whole-school focus on improving the teaching of writing has been effective, and pupils are catching up to the expected standards. Increasingly, stimulating lessons motivate pupils to write well. Pupils competently edit their work and use the skills they have learned across the curriculum. Spelling of common words is accurate and pupils’ grammar and punctuation are developing well.
• Pupils take pride in their work, and their handwriting and presentation are good.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good and a strength of the school.
• One of the school’s values is ‘togetherness’, and this is evident in the interactions between pupils and staff. Pupils demonstrate respect for each other and for adults. Relationships across the school are good.
• Pupils are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They enjoy coming to school and learning.
• All parents who completed the online survey, Parent View, feel that their children are safe in school. Pupils feel safe in school and are confident that they can speak to a member of staff if they have any concerns and need help.
• Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe. They know about road safety and fire safety. One pupil commented, ‘Teachers always know where we are, in case there is a fire.’ The work on e-safety in particular is comprehensive. Not only are pupils taught about being safe online, but there is also a wealth of helpful advice and information for parents on the school website.
• The school is a safe environment. Perimeter fencing around the school is secure, and levels of supervision and support at playtimes and lunchtimes are good.
• Pupils learn about being healthy through science lessons and personal, social, health and economic education. The healthy-eating requirements in school support this.
• Older children confidently and effectively take on responsibility, such as peer-mentor roles to provide care and support for younger pupils. For example, when younger pupils fall over or are hurt in the playground, older pupils help them and make sure they get the adult care they need. This makes a positive contribution to pupils’ feeling of safety and well-being.
• Extra-curricular activities are popular and well attended. These include orchestra and drama as well as a range of sports, with more than three quarters of pupils from Years 5 and 6 taking part in a sports club last year.
• Attendance has improved and is now above the national average for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Attendance issues are addressed on a case-by-case basis. However, attendance is not systematically monitored and there are currently no whole-school systems to encourage better attendance.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite, friendly and welcoming. Lesson time is calm and orderly, and behaviour for learning is good. Pupils are motivated and want to learn. They conduct themselves well outside of lessons and around the school.
• Playtime is active and noisy, but good humoured, reflecting the positive and supportive relationships between pupils across the school. There is a sociable atmosphere in the lunch hall and pupils eat their lunch with good manners.
• Parents and staff feel that the school deals effectively with bullying. The comprehensive anti-bullying policy details how incidents should be dealt with. A few pupils said that adults do not always resolve issues; they feel that teachers could do more about minor incidents. However, other pupils disagreed and the detailed behaviour and incident records show that pupils are heard and matters are addressed.
• Detailed records of serious behaviour incidents show that they are tackled effectively. The school informs and appropriately involves parents and outcomes are recorded. Any racist incidents are recorded and reported to the local authority and the governing body.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Outcomes in 2016 were below national figures for all subjects in key stage 1 and for writing in key stage 2. Current work in pupils’ books, together with the school’s own assessment information, shows that pupils in upper key stage 2 are now making the progress they need to catch up to where they should be. However, this is not consistently the case in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2.
• The most able pupils obtain mastery of mathematical concepts securely and rapidly, particularly in upper key stage 2. Most-able pupils also achieve well across the school in writing.
• In the early years, children make good progress from their varying starting points. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development has remained in line with the national average for the past three years.
• The phonics screening check results at Year 1 have been below the national average for two of the past three years. New approaches to the teaching of phonics have resulted in pupils in key stage 1 making better progress.
• In key stage 1, better teaching is resulting in better outcomes. However, pupils who did not achieve a good level of development at the end of the early years are not consistently supported to catch up. Work in books indicates that progress is accelerating, but there continue to be inconsistencies between classes and within subjects.
• Reading outcomes are inconsistent in key stage 2, and the school’s tracking evidence shows that lower key stage 2 pupils are not doing well enough.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive some effective support. However, they are not progressing as quickly as other pupils, particularly in writing.
• Progress in writing has been below the national average for pupils in key stage 2 for the past three years, and well below the national average in key stage 1 last year. Leaders’ actions to improve this are effective and are leading to rapid improvement.
• Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, are doing well and are progressing at least as well as other pupils in all years in the school. This reflects the school’s effective provision to meet their specific needs.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership of the early years is effective. Leaders know the strengths and identify the right priorities for improvement.
• Children make a good start to school and are well prepared for their move to Year 1. Staff have high expectations, encouraging children to do well with appropriate praise. Because of this, most children make good progress from their different starting points.
• Recent initiatives to develop mark-making have resulted in a large majority of children becoming competent in forming letters and writing sentences. Children are keen to write and some are beginning to write independently. Children follow the school’s handwriting style from the beginning, and their letter formation is good.
• Phonics is taught well and children use their reading strategies effectively. On occasion, opportunities are missed to develop comprehension skills with the most able children. Volunteer reading helpers listen to children read and support their progress well.
• Staff assessments are thorough and accurate. The computerised assessment programme is used well to record and identify the children’s next steps. Parents are involved at every stage and their comments are welcomed. Communication with parents is good and parents are positive about the way their children are settled into school.
• Teaching assistants are skilled in asking questions to develop learning. Behaviour is good. Children cooperate with each other and share well.
• Good use is made of the limited outdoor space. Activities cover a wide range of curriculum areas, which promote children’s physical development well. Although activities are well planned to interest boys, they do not always interest girls and therefore some valuable opportunities for girls and boys to interact are lost.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125820 West Sussex 10024578 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. 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 321 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Lucy Hammond Mr David Bird 01403 265343 www.shelleyschool.org.uk office@shelleyprimary.school Date of previous inspection 5–6 February 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Shelley Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is approximately half of the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic households is less than half of the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below the national average.
• The school met the government’s floor standards for attainment and progress in 2016.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in every year group, through learning walks with senior leaders and visits to lessons.
• The inspection team talked with pupils in school and on the playground. They heard pupils read, and scrutinised a range of pupils’ work.
• Meetings were held with members of staff, school leaders, governors, and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also spoke with parents.
• Inspectors took into account 54 responses to the online survey, Parent View, as well as 23 responses to the staff questionnaire, and 50 responses to the pupil questionnaire.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of school documentation, including documents relating to safeguarding, attendance, pupils’ behaviour, the achievement of pupils, the quality of teaching, and the curriculum.

Inspection team

Lesley Corbett, lead inspector Chris Donovan Peter Wibroe Kevin Parfoot Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector