Myrtle Park Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure pupils reach higher standards in writing by ensuring that: all teachers have a consistent approach to the correcting and editing of pupils’ work pupils use accurate spelling pupils’ written work is tidy and well presented.
• Improve the quality of provision in the early years by: developing leaders’ understanding of their strategic role planning suitable activities which challenge children’s thinking providing tasks to build on skills the children need to learn.
• Strengthen leadership and management by: developing skills and expertise of leaders so they have an accurate overview of how well pupils are progressing evaluating the impact on pupils’ achievement when monitoring lessons and when new initiatives are implemented ensuring that school policies and new initiatives are applied consistently reviewing the support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and monitoring and evaluating the impact of their attendance and progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Recent turbulence in staffing and the management of budget constraints has distracted leaders’ attention from a sharp focus on making sure pupils make good progress from their various starting points. Insufficient attention has been given to monitoring the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs.
• The headteacher has a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of teaching but has made insufficient use of information identifying which groups of pupils are not doing as well as they could. Initiatives to improve pupils’ achievement have lacked cohesion and have not always been implemented consistently across the school or effectively evaluated.
• The changes in staffing and leadership means some subject leaders have been given responsibility for which they are not fully equipped. In some cases, leaders are being asked to lead on aspects of the school without understanding where improvements need to be made.
• The school is in the process of developing a system for tracking the progress and attainment of pupils. The importance of measuring pupils’ progress from their various starting points has not been fully understood by leaders and governors. Consequently, leaders do not have an accurate view of how different groups of pupils are progressing when compared to others nationally.
• Although the majority of parents are happy, the reduction in staffing has resulted in some loss of confidence in leadership and management. Parents raised concerns about the school’s special educational needs provision.
• The school provides well for pupils who have a high level of special educational need and/or disability. However, teachers lack clarity distinguishing between some pupils who may have special educational needs with those who would benefit from higher-quality teaching. Until now, leaders have not robustly challenged this attitude; consequently provision for some pupils who have special educational needs is not sharply focused and this has led to some confusion for some parents.
• Due to budget constraints, senior leaders and governors have efficiently managed some major changes and reductions in staffing. They have not been reticent in making some difficult decisions; their priority is unequivocal in ensuring that the school provides quality teaching and support for all the pupils.
• The management of teacher performance has been clearly focused on pupils’ achievement, and targets are firmly based on how well pupils do in each class. Recommendations about pay increases have been linked to the achievement of these targets. Some teachers have received some effective professional support. This is having a positive impact in improving the quality of their teaching and ensuring that pupils make good progress.
• Leaders have used the pupil premium funding to provide additional support and opportunities for extra-curricular activities and school trips for the disadvantaged pupils. While these pupils are highly engaged in their learning and enjoy most aspects of school work, their progress varies according to the quality of teaching they receive.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through the curriculum and assemblies which are highly valued by pupils. The school’s culture of respect and tolerance is clearly understood and upheld by pupils, creating a good climate for learning.
• The school’s curriculum is a real strength, providing enjoyment and enrichment. Displays around the school reflect a good range of subjects. Classrooms are well organised and provide an attractive environment for pupils to work. Pupils proudly demonstrate examples of good work across all subject areas and they convey a real sense of enjoyment in their learning experiences.
• The use of primary school sports funding is effective. Pupils understand about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and how exercise contributes to this. The school makes good use of various sports coaches to provide a selection of sporting opportunities. These range from early morning gymnastics for the youngest pupils to ballroom dancing, as well as many team sports where pupils enter competitions.

Governance of the school

• Governors’ commitment to the school is clear but their monitoring has lacked sharp focus on pupils’ achievement and provision for those who have special educational needs. They have allowed management issues to distract them from holding the senior leaders to account for rates of pupils’ progress.
• The governing body has a good range of expertise, and individuals understand their role. Governors have devised a plan to improve the quality of their work but have been slow to action this.
• Governors have managed a tight budget with integrity. They are committed to ensuring that they employ teachers of the highest standard and that all resources, including staffing, provide value for money.
• Governors know that the progress of disadvantaged pupils across the school is variable. They are currently evaluating the impact of resources, funded from the pupil premium, on the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors understand that the progress pupils make should be the main driver when awarding pay increases and have ensured that this is the case. They are fully prepared to challenge underperformance where teaching has not been good.
• Governors are fully conversant with their statutory duties for safeguarding, ensuring that staff are recruited with careful consideration.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school follows correct procedures to ensure that pupils are safe. It takes appropriate action when necessary, refers to and communicates with outside agencies and follows up concerns.
• Teachers are aware of the school’s procedures for safeguarding. Support staff receive updated training to ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities.
• The school checks all members of staff before they are recruited and keeps an accurate and up-to-date single central record.
• Pupils say they feel safe and would go to a ‘trusted adult’ in school if they were worried. The school is keen to give pupils the opportunity to go on school trips and plans these with appropriate risk assessments so that pupils are safe.
• Rates of attendance overall are good but insufficient attention has been given to monitoring absence of different groups including those who have special educational needs.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching across the school is inconsistent. Changes in staffing have meant teachers are individually trying to make improvements. The lack of a whole-school approach to the teaching of writing, spelling and grammar means that progress in different classes is variable.
• The school’s response to improving the teaching of writing has lacked cohesion. Teachers’ expectations of spelling, handwriting and presentation varies and this is reflected in pupils’ work. Pupils repeat misspellings, presentation can be untidy and pupils are not really clear what they need to improve. However, following several edits, pupils’ written work is often of a high standard.
• When pupils get to the top of the school they benefit from some good teaching and effectively focused group work. This means that pupils’ progress accelerates, however, the legacy of underachievement from previous weaker teaching means that some pupils, particularly lower ability, still need to catch up.
• The needs of the most able pupils are well met and this group achieves well. For less-able pupils, work is not always pitched at the right level of difficulty and pupils are sometimes given work that is too hard. Teaching assistants are not always sufficiently well briefed to support those pupils who struggle.
• The approach to teaching and support for the disadvantaged pupils is not effectively coordinated. Their progress depends on the quality of teaching they receive within the classroom and this is inconsistent across the school.
• The needs of pupils who have high levels of special need and /or disabilities are generally well met. The effective deployment of teaching assistants help these pupils access the curriculum and participate in the life of the school. Not all teachers have the skills to distinguish between pupils who require focused teaching and those who have a specific need. Consequently, provision for this group is not consistent in every class and pupils’ progress is variable.
• Recent changes in the teaching of mathematics are having a positive impact. A structured approach in presenting pupils with their tasks helps them to become fluent in a mathematical skill. Once pupils can explain their reasoning, they are given mathematical challenges to tackle. Pupils were very clear how this helped them understand what was expected of them in each lesson.
• In mathematics, teachers give pupils good opportunities to go back over mistakes they have made and this helps them gain a thorough understanding of a concept. Pupils’ books showed that when they responded to the teachers’ comments by correcting their work, progress was rapid.
• The teaching of phonics is effective in ensuring that pupils have grasped basic sounds and can write them. Pupils are moved on quickly to learn more complex letter combinations and this means that most pupils make good progress. However, some of the work is too challenging for less-able pupils who require more consolidation.
• Pupils enjoy reading, they understand how the library is used and are proficient in using other sources of information for research, particularly the internet.
• School activities such as ‘Ladies Day,’ observed during the inspection, add to the sense of enjoyment in literature. Mothers, aunties and grandmothers came into school to make hats based on favourite stories. With high levels of excitement, pupils discussed with inspectors why they, and their relative, had chosen various texts.
• The teaching of a range of curriculum subjects is well structured through topics and results in some good-quality work. Pupils have high levels of productivity and older pupils use their writing skills to write effectively in different subjects.
• Pupils show a good understanding of basic geographical concepts and can present their work in a range of ways, including tables, charts and written reports. Pupils have enjoyed a range of scientific topics and have good opportunities to design and conduct their own experiments and report their findings.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils have learned how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. One pupil was prepared to challenge the lead inspector, asking for her identity. Pupils have a well-developed awareness of the risks of using the internet and social media.
• Input through lessons, and visitors to school talking about staying safe, means pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including bullying related to race and gender, and the impact on victims. Pupils say bullying does not happen, but if they had any safeguarding concerns they know who to turn to. They feel the school keeps them safe.
• The school provides good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility in roles such as the school council. They are keen to achieve house points and be credited for good behaviour and work.
• The school’s ethos promotes effective reflection on faith, culture and personal choices. Partnership with a neighbouring school, in a diverse community, has resulted in pupils’ thoughtful consideration of different beliefs and life choices. They demonstrate a reflective understanding of British values, which prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. The school’s expectation that pupils take responsibility for their own learning has been pivotal in developing their positive attitudes.
• They are enthusiastic about the variety in the curriculum and the different subjects they learn. They take a pride in some of their high-quality work displayed around the school.
• Pupils’ confidence as learners is evident. They sustain concentration for lengths of time. They have effective strategies to find an appropriate resource to work out a problem or do further research.
• Pupils are confident and well mannered. They are attentive, listen well to the adults and their peers, and show respect for the views of others. They play cooperatively in the playground and move around the school in an orderly way.
• Overall, the attendance of pupils is good. Some pupils who have special educational needs are well supported by the school and their attendance has improved. A small minority of pupils who have special educational needs have irregular attendance and this impacts on their progress.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• At the end of key stage 2, standards in mathematics and reading are broadly the same as the national average and pupils make expected progress. In writing, pupils do not make good progress from their starting points. The teaching of writing has not been consistent and there is no clear school policy or practice on how this should be done.
• At the end of key stage 1, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are broadly in line with the national average. However, when considered from their starting points, many pupils do not make better than expected progress in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils’ books show that the most able pupils make good progress and achieve well across reading, writing and mathematics by the end of both key stages.
• Achievement of the disadvantaged pupils reflects the progress made by other pupils. They make expected progress in reading and mathematics but their progress in writing is weaker.
• The number of pupils achieving expected standards in phonics at the end of Year 1 has been broadly in line with the national average for the last three years because the teaching of phonics is securely established in key stage 1.
• The provision for pupils who have special educational needs in all parts of the school still lacks proper cohesion and oversight. This is impeding the progress for this group of pupils. Their achievement, particularly in reading and writing, is variable.
• Pupils of all ages enjoy books and the most able readers can discuss their preferences for different authors. Older pupils can research and retrieve information through books and technology. Younger pupils can use their phonics to decode words and can talk enthusiastically about what they are reading.
• Pupils achieve well in art, history and geography because the teaching of these subjects is well supported by resources, visits and specialist teaching. Pupils could put forward arguments for and against deforestation in South America and explained the importance of homework. They particularly enjoy some of the creative projects they do at home.
• Achievement in science is good. Pupils have had the opportunity to design their own experiments and they can explain their findings and reasons for their conclusion. Teachers provide some good starting points by posing questions such as, ‘Have you ever wondered?’ This engages pupils’ interest to investigate a scientific topic.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Children enter the early years at stages typical for their age. Teachers’ expectations of the youngest children are too low and for the most able children there is a lack of challenge. As a result, children make no better than expected progress from their starting points.
• Provision in the early years is not good enough. A lack of rigour in focusing learning activities, for example to improve writing, means that children are not doing as well as they could. Opportunities to deepen pupils’ mathematical understanding are not exploited. Consequently the progress of some of the most able pupils is too slow.
• Although staff know the children well, assessment is not used effectively to plan purposeful activities. Some children drift from one thing to another because they are not directed to a task which would develop the skills they need to learn.
• Pupils come into school with language skills expected for their age. While adults often pose interesting and appropriate questions, too often children are given the answers before they have had the chance to formulate a response, hindering the development of their language skills.
• Support staff working in the early years show good skills in supporting those children who have significant special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are suitably trained so they can help these pupils to access the early years curriculum.
• The leader of the early years, while enthusiastic, does not have a clear view of her strategic role in developing and improving practice. However, she has developed good relationships with parents and transition arrangements are good.
• Routines are well established throughout the early years, and children’s behaviour is good both in the classroom and in the outside area. They are confident and cooperate well with each other and the adults. They are beginning to understand how to keep safe and healthy.
• The welfare and safety of the youngest children are given the correct priority in the early years. Staff respond to children’s personal needs. Health and safety requirements are met. The unit is a safe place for children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107437 Bradford 10023864 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 Foundation 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 241 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Matthew Barnett Headteacher/Principal/Teacher in charge Sarah Crowther Telephone number 01274 564 681 Website Email address http://www.myrtlepark.com sarah.crowther@myrtlepark.bradford.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 July 2013

Information about this school

• This is an average-sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average.
• The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information on its website for pupils who have special educational needs.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection was converted from a section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection. On the second day, the lead inspector was joined by a team of two more inspectors.
• The inspectors visited lessons in all classrooms, some with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors observed small groups of pupils being taught.
• The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work, heard pupils read and spoke to pupils about their enjoyment of school and their opinions of behaviour and safety.
• The inspectors held discussions with staff and governors.
• A wide range of school documents were taken into account as part of the evidence, including: the school’s self-evaluation; its school development plan; behaviour and attendance records; governing body documents; and documents relating to the monitoring of teachers’ performance.
• Sixty-four parents submitted responses to Parent View. Parents’ written comments were considered by the inspection team. Inspectors also spoke to parents in the playground.

Inspection team

Karen Heath, lead inspector Fiona Dixon Peter Marsh

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector