Shirley Manor Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to accelerate pupils’ progress in all areas of the curriculum but particularly reading and mathematics by ensuring that: teachers are equipped with strong subject knowledge that will support them in delivering high-quality learning all staff have high expectations of what pupils, particularly boys, can achieve assessment information is used effectively by teachers to plan learning activities which are closely matched to pupils’ skills and abilities pupils with low prior attainment receive the precise teaching and support they need in order to make accelerated progress questioning is used well to check on learning so that tasks can be reshaped when pupils have not fully understood the concepts being taught support is provided for pupils, particularly boys, to improve their writing skills by promoting consistently high expectations of spelling and handwriting throughout key stage 1.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership by ensuring that: the skills of middle leaders are improved so that they can rigorously monitor provision in their areas of responsibility and secure essential improvements in teaching pupil premium funding is effectively spent to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make good progress support is given to pupils and their families who are regularly absent to secure their regular attendance at school pupils develop an understanding of what it means to live in modern Britain.
• Improve the provision and outcomes in the early years for all children by making sure that: staff ensure that accurate assessments clearly identify what children can do and what they need to experience next children are taught correct letter formation to equip them for writing all activities that children do have a clear focus so that children make more rapid progress, particularly in Reception activities, both indoors and outdoors, enable children to develop learning and independence fully in all of the early learning goals. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• The new headteacher has demonstrated strong leadership and taken robust action to improve the quality of teaching. She has swiftly assessed the quality of education being offered and has put into place precise plans to bring about improvement. She has introduced new systems for checking on pupils’ progress and is stringently holding teachers to account. However, some teaching remains less effective despite ongoing support and guidance for individual teachers.
• Although keen to make improvements, middle leaders have not previously been developed well enough to drive change in a way that affects the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.
• Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well supported through assemblies, class lessons and through the school’s daily routines. The school council meets to discuss how they might improve their school. However overall, pupils’ understanding of what it means to live in modern Britain is not well developed.
• Pupil premium funding has been spent on providing additional resources and staffing to support disadvantaged pupils. However, disadvantaged pupils make less progress than other pupils nationally, particularly in early years and key stage 1. Leaders are aware of the need to make sure all resources improve the learning of disadvantaged pupils but, as yet, no evaluation of the impact of pupil premium funding has taken place.
• Leaders are carefully monitoring the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Individual pupil records show that effective work with external agencies and pupils’ families is underpinning the care and guidance given to pupils, many of whom face multiple and complex challenges. External assessment information shows that these pupils have not made enough progress in the past. However, funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is now being effectively spent so that current provision is stronger and pupils are making better progress.
• Checks on the performance of teachers closely link the work in pupils’ books and pupils’ progress. Senior leaders are identifying and successfully tackling weaknesses in teaching. The assistant headteacher is playing an important role in supporting and developing teachers.
• Leaders have developed effective partnerships with local schools and a national support school. The headteacher has swiftly engaged effective school improvement partners to help her to develop teaching at Shirley Manor. Staff have received many focused opportunities to develop their practice in a term and a half, helping them to improve learning, particularly in reading.
• The headteacher is engendering a sense of team spirit among staff and governors. They echo the ambition of senior leaders to ensure that they become a good school and to help every child reach their potential.
• Leaders have ensured that the curriculum provides a broad range of subjects and experiences for pupils. ‘Magic moments’ class books capture learning through many exciting lessons and visits including an enactment about Florence Nightingale, visits to the water treatment works and making models about the second world war.
• Leaders use the primary sports funding to employ specialist coaches and to provide clubs such as dodgeball, Zumba and dance. Pupils enjoy taking part in sports competitions and particularly like the visits from Bradford City football club. Leaders have successfully ensured that a large number of pupils are involved in fitness activities and for some less enthusiastic boys, this has increased their enjoyment in coming to school.

Governance of the school

• The governing body express determination to get the school back on track. Their appointment of a strong headteacher was a key milestone in this ambition.
• In the past, governors do not feel they have had sufficient information to judge the effectiveness of the school well enough. They are confident in the information now supplied to them by current school leaders.
• Governors know that teaching over time has been too variable. They were disappointed by outcomes in 2016 and know results should have been better.
• Governors have been resourceful in assessing the effectiveness of teaching. They have visited school regularly, assimilate information given to them by a range of senior leaders and now ask the searching questions required to hold leaders to account.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are very committed to ensuring that all pupils are happy and secure, offering vulnerable pupils additional nurture and a safe place to go in school.
• All policies and procedures support effective safeguarding and all staff are trained appropriately to deal with safeguarding issues as they arise. Staff teach pupils how to keep safe when using the internet and how to ensure their personal safety.
• All staff have been trained to spot signs of radicalisation among pupils and to act to keep pupils safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• There has been a lack of consistency in the quality of teaching over time. This has led to varied rates of progress across classes and subjects, so that pupils have not made enough progress in reading and mathematics by the end of their time in school. While some teachers have high expectations of what pupils will learn, this is not evident in all classes.
• Some teachers do not pay enough attention to assessment information. Consequently, pupils’ progress has been inconsistent because the tasks they are given have not been well matched to their skills and abilities. Some teachers do not question pupils closely enough to determine what they understand and to move learning on quickly.
• Teaching in mathematics is helping pupils to secure basic skills. However, not all teachers are able to correct misconceptions in learning and this is preventing the rapid progress of the least able pupils in particular. Teachers have not developed sequences of learning sufficiently to ensure that pupils have a good understanding of new concepts before moving on to the next one. As a result, pupils are unable to deepen their understanding and achieve mastery in mathematics.
• Until this year, the teaching of reading has been too variable. This year, leaders have urgently reviewed how reading is taught. They have ensured that teachers have received focused training and resources to help them to improve this area of provision. Teachers have raised their expectations of how pupils will respond to the texts they are reading, enabling pupils to develop higher-order reading skills more effectively. Teachers have chosen books to appeal to boys as well as girls and pupils are encouraged to read regularly in school. As a result, a better proportion of pupils are now working at levels typical for their age than was the case at the start of the year.
• The teaching of writing has been similarly variable, with rapid progress being made in upper key stage 2, enabling pupils to achieve astounding outcomes in writing. However, teachers’ knowledge of how to develop pupils’ writing is not consistently strong across school and expectations of presentation and handwriting, particularly by boys, are still too low in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2.
• Additional adults are increasingly effective in their role to support groups and individual pupils. They are providing good support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, many of whom demonstrate challenging behaviours and have complex social and emotional needs.
• Some teachers are providing highly stimulating, imaginative lessons that are engaging pupils well. For example, Year 6 pupils were observed constructing a three-dimensional shelter that would accommodate four pupils. The task, linked to their class text, was exercising their ability to work as a team to solve problems.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Pupils report that a small number of pupils use derogatory, sometimes homophobic language, although adults check this when they hear it.
• Pupils talked about the opportunities they have to learn about keeping safe, including dealing with bullying online. They appreciate that not all pupils are able to manage their behaviour successfully and say that staff deal well with the small amount of poor behaviour that occurs. Consequently, pupils said they feel safe in school.
• The headteacher has instilled in pupils and staff the belief that everyone can succeed in learning. This has led to a ‘can do’ attitude and pupils are rapidly developing resilience in learning. This resilience is particularly apparent in key stage 2.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because although behaviour in lessons and at playtime is generally good, the poor behaviour of a small number of pupils sometimes disrupts learning and spoils lunchtime for others pupils. In the main, the impact of this behaviour is minimised by all staff.
• Despite the efforts of leaders and the attendance officer, pupils’ attendance is not improving quickly enough. Attendance is below average and too many pupils are persistently absent.
• New routines are helping most pupils to behave well. Pupils really enjoy receiving online tokens that effectively reinforce rewards and sanctions. Teachers are consistent in their application of the policy and for the most part, school is calm and orderly.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• In 2015, the attainment of pupils at the end of key stage 2 was below national averages in reading and mathematics, but above in writing. This trend continued in 2016.
• The progress of Year 6 pupils was well above national average in writing in 2015, above in mathematics, but well below in reading. In 2016, pupils’ progress in writing continued to be very strong, but progress in reading and mathematics was below national average.
• The progress of boys, and middle prior attaining Year 6 pupils overall, was low compared to national figures for reading and mathematics. There was little difference between the progress of disadvantaged pupils and others, but pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities made less progress than other pupils with similar starting points.
• In 2016, the attainment of pupils at the end of key stage 1 was below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. Middle prior attaining boys and disadvantaged pupils did not make enough progress in any subject. Very few pupils achieved greater depth in learning.
• Outcomes in phonics have improved over the last three years and in 2016 were just below the national average. However, disadvantaged pupils did not do as well as others.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that pupils’ progress accelerates as they move up through the school. Pupils’ progress is strongest in Year 6. Overall, middle and high prior attaining pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are now making secure progress.
• The school’s own assessment information shows that pupils are making much better progress across most year groups in reading, writing and mathematics. In the majority of classes, disadvantaged pupils are currently making similar progress to other pupils. However, in some year groups there are differences in the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils and girls are outperforming boys.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Most children enter Shirley Manor with levels of development below that typically seen for their age. In 2015, no children joined the Nursery class with skills and knowledge typical for their age and in 2016, a sixth displayed typical levels of development. Leaders say that children do make progress through Nursery and Reception classes but, due to past unreliable assessment, it is difficult to quantify how much progress has been made. Published assessment information states that 70% of children achieved a good level of development by the end of 2016. This is just below average when compared to national figures. Disadvantaged children did not do as well as other children.
• Leaders now have a clear view of the strengths, weaknesses and overall effectiveness of the early years provision. However, until recently they have not evaluated the impact of provision and teaching on children’s learning and progress with enough precision to identify the things that were making a positive difference to children and those that have less impact.
• Teachers have not been consistent in the use of assessment information to plan the next steps in children’s learning. As a result, teaching activities do not always take account of children’s abilities, starting from what they know, in order to help them learn new concepts in a logical order.
• Teachers do not consistently plan activities in the indoor areas to capture and hold children’s interest and support their learning and development. At times, learning activities do not challenge some of the most able children and are too difficult for those children who have special needs and/or disabilities to access independently. This means that not all children make the rapid progress needed, particularly in developing writing skills, to prepare them well for Year 1.
• Leaders have recently developed an inviting and flexible outdoor environment, effectively used to promote learning, particularly for the Nursery children.
• Children behave well, play energetically and learn cooperatively. Leaders have ensured that the setting is safe, that care is taken to ensure that all equipment is well maintained and that safe levels of supervision are maintained. Staff effectively manage the risks for children and ensure that the statutory welfare requirements are met.
• Funding provided to help disadvantaged children to make a good start is spent well to provide weekly speech therapy with a specialist. Additional adults were observed questioning children well to develop their understanding and effectively modelling language for children to copy.
• Children settle quickly into school life, aided by good communication with parents and with pre-school providers. Parents have regular opportunities to visit school with their children and to attend events such as the ‘hot chocolate and story’ sessions or ‘stay and play’ to help them and their children assimilate into school life.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140639 Bradford 10023841 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 Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Shaun Casey Heather Lacey 01274 679320 www.shirleymanor.ngfl.ac.uk office@shirleymanor.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Shirley Manor is smaller than an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium is twice the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• 85% of pupils are from White British backgrounds; 15% of pupils are from other minority ethnic groups.
• The headteacher joined the school in September 2016.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics.
• Children in the Reception class attend full time. Children in the Nursery attend part time.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about the impact of pupil premium funding and funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Information about this inspection

• Together with the headteacher and assistant headteacher, inspectors looked at pupil progress data, information about the performance of teachers, documents relating to behaviour and safety and documents relating to safeguarding.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 17 parts of lessons, several alongside senior leaders.
• Pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read to inspectors. Inspectors spoke with pupils in a meeting, in lessons, at lunchtime and at playtimes.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders and four members of the governing body. A meeting was also held with the local authority school improvement partner.
• Inspectors considered the opinion of 36 parents through Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents).
• The inspectors took account of online responses returned by 14 members of staff and met with staff to talk about their experience of working at the school.

Inspection team

Lesley Butcher, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector James Reid Peter Marsh Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector