Oakhill Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching further, so that pupils make even better progress through each year group by ensuring that:
  • pupils who have the ability to attain higher standards are encouraged to achieve at greater depth
  • pupils of all abilities use appropriate mathematical resources to support them in their learning.
• Sharpen leadership and management by ensuring that senior leaders:
  • monitor the progress of those pupils capable of attaining high standards rigorously
  • consider how best to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies designed to improve pupils’ behaviour
  • continue to reflect on, and refine, strategies designed to improve attendance.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders are committed to Oakhill and the local community. They are determined to help pupils attain high standards in order to be successful as they move into secondary education.
• Since the last inspection, senior leaders have ensured that they have a good understanding of how well staff are performing. Each senior leader’s responsibilities ensure that they gain knowledge about performance in each year group. This means that they understand what needs to be done to improve performance further and how any changes will impact on the rest of the school. For example, the executive headteacher knows what to look for when monitoring teaching in the early years, while the early years leader closely tracks pupils’ phonics progress through Year 1.
• There is good capacity for continued school improvement. All senior leaders are effective in their roles. They have shown that their work is having a good impact on pupils’ learning. The leader with responsibility for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, for example, evaluates how well these pupils are progressing, and makes effective changes when required.
• Leaders have designed and implemented an effective curriculum. Leaders support potential leaders well. Staff develop subject leadership skills through working alongside senior colleagues.
• Reading underpins the curriculum. Pupils from different backgrounds and abilities, including those who are disadvantaged, are able to gain knowledge though their reading in all subjects. They develop empathy skills well, through subjects such as religious education and personal, social, health and economic education. This ensures that the school is effective in promoting equality and ensures that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders monitor the quality of teaching well. Each leader knows when they will carry out classroom checks and what they need to look for. Teachers and teaching assistants are keen to learn from guidance offered by leaders. Newly qualified teachers, for example, talk about how they are becoming more competent and confident in their teaching as a result of such dialogue.
• Leaders use information gained from their monitoring to plan training sessions for staff. Training often occurs with colleagues from the other school in the federation. Recent examples include discussing pupils’ work and then checking that staff judgements align with national standards. Teaching benefits because staff are using the reliable achievement information to plan more effective lessons.
• The leader who coordinates the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is ambitious for this group of pupils. She ensures that documents which capture important information about each pupil’s learning and progress are used to help set challenging targets. Pupils only receive additional support if they are unable to access the learning in the relevant year group. This helps to ensure that expectations of what pupils can achieve remain high.
• Newly qualified teachers, as well as other newly appointed staff, are inducted well. Senior leaders meet with staff prior to them working in school. This helps to ensure that new staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding and relevant school policies from the moment they begin working with pupils.
• The local authority recognises how the school has improved since the previous inspection. It has supported leaders well in developing and implementing an effective curriculum, as well as supporting teachers in their planning of different subjects. As a result, the local authority provides less support than that seen prior to the start of this academic year.
• During the inspection, there was no evidence of discrimination. The curriculum ensures that pupils learn about what it is like to follow different faiths and live in communities different to their own. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective.
• Leaders do not track the progress of those pupils capable of attaining high standards, including those with high prior starting points, as rigorously as they could. This is because they do not analyse the progress of these pupils as a specific group. Governors would benefit from receiving information about these pupils.
• Despite leaders’ determined work to improve pupils’ attendance, the rate remains below the national average. Leaders have a good understanding of why this is the case. With this knowledge, they could better evaluate the impact of specific strategies and make changes as appropriate.
• Leaders could think more critically about the impact of their work to improve pupils’ behaviour. Behaviour has improved since the last inspection. However, pupils continue to be frustrated by comments that some other pupils make.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors reflect well on their own performance. They present an honest view on their current strengths and areas for further improvement. They recognise that they would benefit from more specific information about pupils capable of attaining high standards. They ensure that all statutory duties are carried out, including holding school leaders to account effectively.
• Clear systems, designed to ensure that governors have a secure understanding of school performance, are in place. Link governors submit reports for the full board, following their visits to school. These help governors gain a better insight into how the school operates and how effective it is. Examples include safeguarding and the progress of disadvantaged pupils.
• School leaders keep governors well informed about teaching performance. Governors also seek the views of staff, via visits to school and surveys, to ascertain staff morale and the nature of any concerns.
• Governors ensure that funding, including that for pupils who are disadvantaged or who have SEN and/or disabilities, is used effectively. High staff–pupil ratios are maintained, which impacts well on the progress of disadvantaged pupils.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is also spent wisely. Pupils enjoy engaging in a wide range of activities, most notably during after-school clubs. Governors have yet to evaluate the impact of coaching support, geared to enhance the teaching of PE by class teachers.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The designated safeguarding leaders operate in the early years and in key stages 1 and 2. This ensures that staff and pupils are frequently reminded to be vigilant.
• Safeguarding practices are compliant. Newly appointed staff are inducted well. Staff receive clear guidance about what to do if they are concerned about a pupil or a member of staff.
• During the inspection, various staff talked about their interpretation of safeguarding. Their views were consistent with relevant school policies and procedures.
• Parents, pupils and staff express similar views that pupils are kept safe at Oakhill.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Reading is taught well. Teachers understand the importance of helping pupils acquire a wide vocabulary. Through their reading, pupils learn about the conventions of spelling and about how coherent sentences and paragraphs are put together. Those pupils who need to catch up in their reading are progressing particularly well. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils expressed their opinions on classic sonnets well, with one pupil appreciating how the author conveyed romance.
• Teachers and teaching assistants probe pupils’ understanding through effective questioning. They are skilled at both drawing out pupils’ thinking and in guiding subsequent learning. Achievement information is reliable, which means that teachers are confident in using it to refine questions better to challenge pupils of different abilities. Particularly good examples were seen in the Reception and Year 6 classrooms.
• Disadvantaged pupils are taught well. They receive more teaching time, owing to relatively small class sizes. Many disadvantaged pupils benefit from the frequent reading activities through the teaching day. This is because they can engage well with the wide range of topics taught through the different subjects.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receive effective teaching. Teachers are skilled at modifying activities which enable pupils to tackle year-group objectives well. Teaching assistants teach pupils specific skills through short, frequent intervention sessions.
• No group of pupils is adversely affected by any teaching that is not good. The most able pupils are challenged well in their learning, as they are given tasks which make them think hard. In a Year 3 mathematics lesson, for example, a group of able pupils worked together to solve a challenging word problem. Their classmates were taught skills that the most able pupils had already secured.
• Pupils in key stage 1 benefit from good phonics teaching. Staff use their secure subject knowledge to select and teach activities which both consolidate pupils’ existing skills and introduce them to more complex words and sounds.
• Writing is taught well. Pupils enjoy writing about a wide range of different topics and for different purposes. They show this by writing long pieces, frequently in different work books. This helps them to rehearse and consolidate the grammar and punctuation skills learned during daily, designated lessons.
• Mathematics has been taught well over the last few years. Pupils’ books show that they receive a balance of calculation and problem-solving activities. Tasks which require pupils to show their reasoning knowledge are built into lessons appropriately. These enable pupils to practise choosing when to apply certain skills in different situations.
• Homework is set every week. The nature of activities varies between classes. Parents value this provision, as it helps them gain a better understanding of the national requirements in each year group. This is in turn helping to raise aspirations for pupils’ achievement in the community.
• Teachers’ expectations are too low for pupils who have the capability to attain greater depth outcomes. Pupils have yet to consistently demonstrate higher level skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils are not encouraged to use a range of mathematical resources. This means that their learning is restricted, as they do not explore mathematical topics, such as space and pattern, thoroughly. As a result, pupils of all abilities do not always secure mathematical concepts as well as they could.
• Pupils do not always use time to consolidate specific skills well. This can lead to difficulties, as they have not always mastered the skills needed to tackle subsequent tasks.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Owing to the school’s focus on encouraging pupils to read high-quality books, pupils are able to articulate their views well. Talking with pupils of different ages, it is evident that as they progress through the school they become more assertive, confident learners. This supports them well as they transfer into secondary education.
• The most vulnerable pupils, many of whom have low attendance, receive effective support for their emotional health and well-being. All senior leaders understand pupils’ needs, as they share information appropriately.
• Governors ensure that pupils receive relevant information about the dangers of working and playing online. This results in pupils understanding such dangers, and knowing what to do if they become concerned.
• Pupils state that when bullying occurs at their school, staff deal with incidents well. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 say that bullying incidents have decreased over recent years.
• During the inspection, pupils’ interactions with each other and with adults were observed. Pupils respected, and were tolerant of, others’ views. Through the well-planned curriculum, pupils learn about different cultures and faiths. This contributes well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils conduct themselves well around school and in lessons. They respond well to the visibility and supervision of leaders and staff throughout the school day. This includes when they are welcomed at the start of the day and when they leave at the end of the day.
• Pupils enjoy the well-planned and well-delivered learning activities. As a result, they demonstrate good attitudes to learning across subjects and at different times of the day. Reception children were keen to write and learn about how best to grow magic beans late in the afternoon.
• Disruption in lessons is rare. When it does occur, it is at a low level. This means that classmates’ learning is not disturbed. At the breakfast club, pupils played together well and respected the environment and the equipment they were using. They responded well to the supervising adults, who took time to talk and play with them.
• Overall attendance rates remain stubbornly below the national average. When analysing attendance, a notable feature is the number of holidays taken during term time. So far this year, different groups of pupils, including the disadvantaged, attend similarly well. However, the overall rate of pupils with SEN and/or disabilities is lower. Leaders are aware of this and are working hard with families to have pupils attend school as frequently as possible.
• Staff express positive views about behaviour. However, both the parents and the pupils express variable views. Pupils state that, despite some name-calling still occurring, behaviour has improved over the last few years. The name-calling does not adversely affect pupils’ views about feeling safe in school, but it does annoy them.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Last year, academic standards at the end of key stage 2 improved well on previous years. Pupils performed well in their assessments, as they had experienced activities frequently throughout the year which required relevant skills. Evidence secured during the inspection shows that this improvement in pupils’ academic standards is being sustained.
• So far this academic year, most pupils in each year group are making sufficient progress to attain the standards expected for their age. Leaders have a clear understanding of why any pupil is unlikely to meet the required standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The school ensures that pupils are well prepared for their transition between year groups and, ultimately, into secondary education.
• No group of pupils makes weaker progress than others across the school. For example, disadvantaged pupils are making similar gains in their literacy and mathematics work when compared to their classmates. Typically, pupils who need to make greater gains than their peers, owing to lower attainment previously, make the strongest progress.
• Pupils apply their reading and writing skills accurately across a range of different subjects. In science, for example, pupils conveyed their conclusions from their practical scientific enquiries coherently through their writing. This demonstrates that pupils can write for different purposes and audiences.
• The leader with responsibility for the provision for pupils with SEN and/or disabilities ensures that teaching staff are ambitious for this group of pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants teach well. As a result, this group of pupils are making similarly good progress to their classmates, from lower starting points.
• For the past two years, a greater proportion of pupils than the national average attained the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. This year, pupils entered Year 1 with lower starting points than previous cohorts. They are making strong progress. As a result, a similar proportion of pupils are on track to achieve the expected standard when compared to last year.
• Typically, those pupils with high prior attainment are making sufficient progress to attain high standards at the end of the relevant key stage. More pupils are now capable of attaining these higher standards, as they can successfully tackle harder work using their improved reading skills.

Early years provision Good

• The senior leader with responsibility for the early years provides effective leadership. She has a clear understanding of what children need in order to progress well through the Reception Year. This is because staff assess children’s learning accurately. The curriculum is then adapted accordingly.
• The leader, ably supported by her teaching team, continually seeks to improve the early years. A recent change is the introduction of phonics workbooks for the most able children. This provides additional challenge for these children with regard to letter formation and spelling.
• Last year, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development was below the national average. Last year’s cohort entered the Reception Year with skills that were well below those that are typically expected, most notably in speech and language. Despite the children making strong progress, this was not sufficient for half of the pupils, as they did not attain the required standards.
• This year’s cohort is making strong progress. Staff ensure that evidence of each child’s learning is captured in learning journeys and other work books. Collated information is used to inform teaching. This year, children are being well prepared for the learning that they will experience in key stage 1.
• Teaching is good in the Reception class. Skilled adults question children well, probing their understanding. They then show children how to improve their skills. Children learn well from this provision, notably from frequent opportunities to rehearse and embed phonics skills. As a result, they make strong progress across the curriculum.
• The indoor and outdoor environments are safe and secure. Children are well supervised in their learning and play. This is in part owing to a well-trained, designated safeguarding leader operating in the key stage.
• Staff assessment of children’s academic development is accurate. This is because they observe children’s learning and play carefully and listen to what parents say about their children’s experiences away from school. They use this information to ensure that pupils of different abilities are taught well.
• Staff use additional funding, including that to support children who have SEN and/or disabilities, effectively. For example, they purchase the guidance of external agencies, such as for speech and language. As a result, children progress well in their academic development, as well as in their emotional health and well-being.

School details

Unique reference number 124166 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 10048232 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 121 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Edward Workman Headteacher Peter Hollis (executive) Telephone number 01827 213 960 Website www.oakhill.staffs.sch.uk Email address office@oakhill.staffs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 9 March 2016

Information about this school

• Oakhill is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The school is in a federation with Hanbury’s Farm Primary School. Both schools are led by the same executive headteacher. There is one governing body for both schools.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is more than double the national average.
• Most pupils come from a White British background. There are no other significant groups.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who receive support for their SEN and/or disabilities is well above the national average. Currently, there are no pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.
• The early years is made up of one full-time Reception class. All pupils are taught in single-age classes.
• There are two newly qualified teachers.
• Pupils from Oakhill can attend a breakfast club which operates each weekday. It is overseen by the governing body and was observed as part of this inspection.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.
• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about governors on its website.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching and learning in every year group. He visited eight lessons, all of which were observed jointly with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• Meetings were held with pupils, staff, the vice-chair of the governing body and other governors. A telephone conversation took place with a local authority representative.
• The inspector met with the executive headteacher and newly qualified teachers.
• The inspector talked to pupils about their reading. He listened to higher- and lower- ability pupils read.
• The inspector examined work in pupils’ books from a range of subjects.
• The school’s child protection and safeguarding procedures were scrutinised.
• The inspector looked at a range of documentation written to support school improvement. This included minutes of governors’ meetings and attendance information.
• The inspector was unable to take account of Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, as there were insufficient replies from parents. He spoke with parents at the start of the school day and with others via telephone.
• The inspector took account of 12 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.
• The inspector reviewed the school’s website.

Inspection team

Jeremy Bird, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector