Dearne Goldthorpe Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make faster progress by ensuring that:
  • teachers use accurate information about pupils’ prior learning to provide work that is accurately matched to pupils’ abilities
  • all adults quickly adapt teaching when pupils and groups of pupils are making insufficient progress, particularly boys, those who are disadvantaged and those who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • staff have consistently high expectations and insist that pupils respond to feedback where it is designed to improve their work, to enable pupils to reach higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics
  • learning maximises opportunities to reinforce key reading, writing and mathematical skills, as well as handwriting and spelling, across all subjects
  • teachers manage the work of teaching assistants effectively to support good learning.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • strengthening the school’s self-evaluation and plans for improvement so that leaders and governors have a more accurate understanding of the quality of teaching, learning and outcomes across the school
  • ensuring that the monitoring of pupils’ progress is timely and used sharply to identify specific targets to enable individual and groups of pupils to make consistently good or better progress
  • enabling all middle and aspiring leaders to take greater responsibility for leading improvements and raising levels of achievement across the curriculum to replicate the effective leadership and outcomes in early years
  • further improving the role governors play, the impact they have and the work they do to support and challenge school leaders to bring about the necessary improvements.
• Improve pupils’ behaviour by:
  • ensuring that pupils concentrate fully on their learning at all times, take pride in their work and make a good contribution to their progress
  • continuing to work with parents and carers to improve attendance and to ensure that fewer pupils are persistently absent. An external review of the pupil premium should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, the quality of education provided has lapsed. By the end of key stage 2, pupils’ attainment and progress have declined in reading, writing and mathematics. Information and inspection evidence seen for this year suggest that improvements will be made, but it has taken too long for leaders to address the decline in standards.
• While senior and middle leaders undertake various monitoring activities, these are infrequent and lacking in focus. For example, visits to lessons and the checking of pupils’ work do not consider with enough precision the impact that teaching has on pupils’ gains in learning. Leaders do not fully take into account the progress made by different pupil groups, such as the most able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders’ actions, therefore, do not have a reliable impact on improvement.
• Senior leaders want to do well and are clear about what is required of them. However, some subject leadership roles are not in place, including mathematics, and some leadership roles are the temporary responsibility of the headteacher. Consequently, leaders have not had enough time or opportunities to fully address the changes that need to be made in order to monitor rigorously their areas of responsibility and lead the necessary improvements.
• Leaders and governors know what needs to improve. However, plans for improvement lack the necessary detail to pinpoint precisely how and when this will be achieved and how the impact of their work will be measured, such as on outcomes for pupils. Leaders have been overgenerous in their evaluation of the school. Support offered to the school has, at times, been declined, so improvements required have been slow to be acted upon. The support for phonics has resulted in improved outcomes for 2018.
• Leaders and governors have not ensured that the pupil premium funding has been spent effectively. As a result, the progress of disadvantaged pupils lags behind that of other pupils nationally and, overall, disadvantaged pupils are not achieving as well as they should. Leaders are now ensuring that any differences in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally are narrowed quickly.
• Additional funding to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is now spent effectively. The recently appointed leader understands what needs to be undertaken and has taken necessary action. As a result, progress for these pupils is improving.
• The primary school physical education (PE) and sports funding is used to provide a range of sporting activities, including football and fitness. Pupils understand the importance of being fit and healthy and enjoy regular physical activity. The work of the sports coaches is valued by pupils, who all spoke about their enjoyment of sports and physical activities.
• The curriculum incorporates all of the subjects that it should. Educational visits and the use of specialist teachers of outdoor education and Mandarin add inspiration and engagement within the wider curriculum. This captures pupils’ imagination. There is a strong emphasis within the curriculum on developing pupils’ life skills through the highly effective outdoor education. It is not clear, however, if this emphasis has had a detrimental effect on reading, writing and mathematics outcomes over time.
• Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development requires improvement. It was not evident that pupils had opportunities to debate and learn about different religions and beliefs that would deepen pupils’ spiritual and cultural awareness. Pupils’ moral understanding and social skills are well developed through the outdoor education approach the school takes.

Governance of the school

• Over time, governors have not challenged leaders effectively to ensure that they have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance. They have been too reliant on information provided by the headteacher, which has, at times, been overgenerous in its evaluation. They have been too slow to make necessary changes to aspects of the school’s work, including the recruitment of leaders and the introduction of a new assessment system.
• Attendance at a local authority strategic school improvement group set up to support the school has improved governors’ understanding of attainment and progress. Governors are now playing a greater role challenging leaders about the information they are provided with.
• Governors have a growing understanding of the variances in achievement of different groups of pupils, such as the most able pupils. They are aware that, over time, the pupil premium funding has not had an effective impact on improving the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.
• Regular visits to the school are made by governors. The evidence they gather is starting to support the work they and leaders undertake to improve the school further.
• Governors ensure that leaders use funds effectively, including the primary PE and sports funding, to provide additional support to meet the needs of pupils. This includes the appointment of specialist teachers in Mandarin and the use of sports coaches to enhance the curriculum.
• The chair of the governing body and other governors inspectors met are ambitious for all pupils and families. The chair is encouraging governors to readily challenge leaders about the information they receive. As such, governors are becoming clearer about what the school does well and where it needs to improve further.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have established a clear safeguarding culture and take care to ensure that every pupil at Dearne Goldthorpe is kept safe. Leaders make sure that the school’s physical environment is safe and secure.
• Pupils said that they feel safe, and parents who made their views known also agreed that their children are safe. The school keeps a range of risk assessments that are updated regularly, to keep both pupils and staff safe.
• Leaders make sure that checks on staff are carried out and recorded. However, leaders, including governors, do not routinely make checks on these records to ensure that they are up to date. Leaders provide staff with up-to-date training in all aspects of safeguarding. Consequently, they are knowledgeable about the signs to look for that may indicate that a pupil or adult is at risk of harm.
• Staff spoken to during the inspection also showed a good understanding of what to look for that may raise concerns. Pupils’ records show that leaders follow up any issues with external agencies where necessary.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistently good. Not all adults have sufficiently high expectations of what pupils can do and achieve, especially the most able. Pupils’ rates of progress and learning across the curriculum, therefore, are variable over time.
• Teachers do not always take sufficient account of pupils’ existing skills and understanding. Work planned and presented, therefore, does not always match pupils’ needs with sufficient precision. This results in some of the most able pupils not being stretched and challenged enough.
• Some teachers and teaching assistants do not check carefully how well pupils are learning in lessons. This is particularly the case for some pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and for those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Staff do not move pupils on to more demanding work quickly enough or when they are ready. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Most teachers have good subject knowledge. Teachers’ expectations about pupils’ handwriting, and the presentation and organisation of their work in books across all subjects, however, are not high enough. When poorly presented work is accepted, for example in ‘connected learning’, history and geography, some pupils’ readiness to make a greater effort slips.
• Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ responses to the verbal and written feedback that they receive, in order to improve their work, are inconsistent. As a result, opportunities are missed for many pupils to improve the work that they initially produce.
• The teaching of mathematics has improved. Teachers’ subject knowledge has developed. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress and achievement. Evidence was seen that teachers provide sufficiently regular opportunities for pupils to apply their basic mathematical skills to solve problems and carry out investigations.
• The teaching of reading is also improving. Across school, pupils say that they enjoy reading, both individually and to one another. The teaching of inference and deduction skills, however, is variable. Not all adults make sure that pupils explain, in full, the assumptions they make when searching for clues about character and plot development in the texts they read.
• While the teaching of basic writing skills is secure, not all pupils, in all classes, take enough care to ensure that these are applied in every piece of work they do. Examples of work from older pupils working at the expected standard were seen where they were not consistently using full stops and capital letters within their work.
• The teaching of PE and sport is led by external coaches employed by the school, and they make good use of the sports facilities and grounds on site. Many pupils are motivated to attend extra-curricular recreational opportunities. Pupils also enjoy the Mandarin lessons taught by the Mandarin teacher.
• Generally, good relationships exist between teachers, teaching assistants and pupils. These foster positive attitudes to learning and encourage many pupils to try their best. However, there are times when teachers do not check and manage the work of teaching assistants to make sure that a wide range of pupils are given good support for their learning.
• The outdoor education centre developed on site is a strength of the school. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the exciting learning they do as part of the five elements of Eco School – farm school, construction school, survival school, gardening school and conservation school. Goldthorpe is regarded highly for this work, having won national awards such as Eco School, Gold Green Tree School and the Level 5 Royal Horticultural Society School Gardening Award, its highest accolade.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school’s welcoming and caring ethos is central to its work for pupils. Leaders are clear about the importance of being part of the school community and take action based on what is best for the pupils.
• Pupils’ welfare is a school priority. Leaders work with other agencies, including the local authority, when they identify any pupils or families that may need additional support or be at risk.
• Staff know the pupils well, and pupils benefit from effective care and guidance. The support provided to individuals is well planned and enables them to be fully involved in the life of the school. Most parents value the support and care given.
• The high priority placed on outdoor education enables all pupils to understand the importance of living healthy lifestyles. This includes them planting, growing, harvesting, cooking and eating the vast range of fruit and vegetables they grow.
• Pupils understand the risks of using the internet and most have an age-appropriate understanding of the potential risks of social media, including the use of mobile phones.
• The school site is very well kept and maintained, including the outdoor education centre. Pupils generally respect the learning environment, which is clean, stimulating and attractive.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Although the school works hard to promote attendance by working with families, attendance remains stubbornly below national averages. For some it is improving, yet a higher than average proportion of pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, are persistently absent, thus impacting on progress and outcomes.
• Generally, pupils show positive attitudes to learning and work cooperatively in lessons, yet this was not consistently seen in every class. Pupils listen to each other’s points of view and help one another with their work.
• Pupils, in some classes, do not take sufficient care or have pride in the presentation and organisation of their mathematics or written work in all subjects.
• Pupils are proud when they are nominated into leadership roles such as eco councillors and school council representatives. They represent their school well.
• Pupils feel safe in school, yet they state that instances of bullying take place. On the occasions bullying happens, inspection evidence shows that the school deals with it and pupils knew that they can trust adults to help ‘sort this out’.
• A number of parents and staff expressed their concern at pupils’ standard of behaviour and some had concerns about the support available to help deal with poor behaviour. Comprehensive checks of records were made by inspectors and while there are recorded incidents, these are dealt with appropriately, in accordance with school policy and statutory guidance.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Outcomes for pupils are variable across the school. They have declined significantly since 2015 at the end of key stage 2, yet in early years have been consistently improving over the past three years. Key stage 1 and phonic outcomes have also been variable. Current information, including inspection evidence, suggests that pupils’ progress and achievement is stronger than in 2017 in early years, Year 1 phonics and key stage 2.
• The school’s own assessment information of pupils’ attainment and progress is not fully reliable and, as a result, a revised system is being put in place for the new school year. Inspection evidence, including work seen in pupils’ books, indicates that leaders’ view of the extent of the improvement in pupils’ current achievement is overly optimistic. This information shows that there are some differences between the progress of some groups of pupils, including those who have SEN and/or disabilities and boys.
• The most able pupils do not always reach the standards they are capable of achieving. Tasks or work set are not always demanding enough to enable these pupils to reach their full potential. Pupils stated that work was too easy.
• The achievement of disadvantaged pupils across the school is inconsistent and requires improvement. The pupil premium funding is not used effectively enough to bring about rapid improvement in their attainment and progress. Over time, their achievement has lagged behind that of other pupils in the school and other pupils nationally. Gaps, although now narrowing, remain too wide.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported by the additional adult support they receive. The support is focused on improving the progress these pupils make and, as a result, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are now starting to make better progress than previously.
• The number of pupils in Year 1 meeting the expected standard in the national phonics screening check has varied over the past three years. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in 2017 was below the national average, yet information seen shows that in 2018 it will be above national. By the end of Year 2, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard remains lower than national, and 2018 information shows a further decline.
• Pupils’ outcomes across other curriculum subjects require improvement. Work in books and the ‘connected learning logs’ suggest that a range of curriculum subjects have been covered in each year group. The logs show that pupils plan and assess their own learning to develop knowledge, understanding and skills from their different starting points. It is not clear, however, if pupils are meeting standards expected of them in these subjects.

Early years provision Good

• Most children join the Nursery class with knowledge and skills below those typical for their age. More children, including boys, are now making good progress through Nursery and Reception from their starting points.
• Over the last three years, the proportion of children reaching the early learning goals in each area of learning has increased. However, overall this proportion remains below the national average and so these children are not sufficiently well prepared to start learning in Year 1.
• There are many opportunities to read, write and develop number skills in different areas of the setting, and children, including boys, choose to participate for sustained periods of time in these activities.
• The progress made by disadvantaged children in the early years has improved steadily over recent years. Consequently, the gap between the progress and achievement of disadvantaged children and their peers has diminished each year.
• Teaching in the early years is good; a wide range of carefully planned activities ensure that children have many opportunities to develop their love of learning. The children enjoy making choices about what they would like to learn, and the curriculum is adapted to reflect their interests. Adults are skilled in choosing when to intervene and move learning forward. Occasionally, however, the activities provided for the most able children lack challenge and are too easy to complete, as the children are capable of more and of reaching higher standards.
• Expectations of children are high and adults model the behaviour they wish children to display. As a result, behaviour is good and children share resources and cooperate well. The positive relationships that children form with staff and their peers help them to gain confidence and independence as they go about their choice of activities calmly and safely.
• The learning environment is calm, stimulating and welcoming and there is a range of areas in which children can develop skills and play purposefully. It caters well for the wide needs and interests of the children. The outdoor area is large and utilised well to allow a wide and varied choice of activities that support learning.
• Safeguarding and the welfare of children are a priority and all procedures are implemented thoroughly, including regular risk assessments. Children are kept safe and understand how to keep themselves safe.
• The early years leader is determined to improve provision in the early years. She leads a team of staff who work with her to plan and deliver the best for the children they work with. The leader has an accurate understanding of the strengths of the early years and what still needs to be improved.
• The early years action plan identifies priorities and the next steps for improvement. However, how others are held to account for improvements in the setting is not sufficiently detailed or sharp enough.

School details

Unique reference number 106580 Local authority Barnsley Inspection number 10047616 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 262 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Marilyn Gittner Headteacher Sarah Fields Telephone number 01709 892044

Website www.dearnegoldthorpeprimary.co.uk/ Email address s.fields@goldthorpeprimary.co.uk

Date of previous inspection 15–16 July 2014

Information about this school

• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average. A larger number of pupils than the national average have an education, health and care plan.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is significantly above the national average. Seven out of every 10 pupils are disadvantaged.
• The school provides full-time places for children in the Reception class and part-time places in the Nursery class.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited 18 lessons or part-lessons across the school to observe teaching and learning. One of these was conducted jointly with the headteacher.
• Formal and informal discussions took place with senior leaders, including governors, subject leaders, staff, pupils, parents and a representative from the local authority.
• Documentation relating to the school’s website and safeguarding, including the single central record and information of recruitment checks, was scrutinised.
• Inspectors examined a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, governing body minutes, monitoring of teaching, plans for improvement, external reports and analysis of pupils’ attainment, progress, behaviour, exclusions and attendance.
• Pupils’ work in different subjects was scrutinised alongside senior leaders.
• Inspectors listened to Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 pupils read.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed by inspectors in lessons, during break and lunchtimes and during assembly.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils about their work informally during lessons and met with groups of pupils to discuss their learning and listen to their views about their school. There were 97 responses to the online pupil survey.
• Inspectors talked to a number of parents at the start and end of the school day. They also took account of the five free-text online responses to the Ofsted questionnaire. Inspectors also took account of the 22 staff responses to the online survey.

Inspection team

Nicola Shipman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Larissa Thorpe Ofsted Inspector Mary Lanovy-Taylor Ofsted Inspector