Scawthorpe Sunnyfields Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders at all levels, including governors, should work to secure further improvements in teaching and therefore in pupils’ outcomes by:
  • ensuring that boys in key stage 1 are regularly given the chance to write at length and understand how to improve their use of grammar, spelling and punctuation to support accurate and skilful writing
  • providing regular opportunities to develop writing and mathematics in the broader curriculum
  • ensuring that work in the broader curriculum is well targeted to meet the needs of all groups of pupils, especially challenging the most able pupils in school
  • providing a wide variety of experiences to support learning about different faiths and cultures.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have worked effectively to improve the school since the last inspection. They have created a rigorous monitoring system, which highlights the strengths in teaching, and have worked to identify where teaching was not good enough. This information has been used strategically to create bespoke training opportunities to make rapid improvements to teaching, which has led to good outcomes for pupils.
• Appraisal of teachers is done well. Teachers are accountable for the progress that different groups of pupils make. This ensures that progress is carefully checked and tracked, and that support is provided where underachievement is apparent. Targets are ambitious and teachers work hard and effectively to meet them.
• Leadership for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong. This area has improved well in recent years. Pupils’ needs are met well through an established system, which tracks pupils’ progress and identifies where support is needed. Teachers and other adults work well with these pupils to ensure that the curriculum is accessible and that teaching supports gaps in their learning. This confirms that the additional funding for these pupils is used well.
• The pupil premium funding received is also used well. The pupils who attract support through this funding are thriving in the school. They make good progress and often outperform their peers in school and nationally. As well as supporting academic achievement, the funding supports disadvantaged pupils to take part in trips and special events to enhance their learning and broader development.
• The teaching of phonics is well led. Pupils consistently achieve well in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. This means that pupils can read fluently from a young age. They are well prepared for Year 2 and develop more complex reading skills to support a joy of and passion for reading. Pupils in all year groups read widely and often. They are advised and guided by teachers in choosing books but they themselves are also highly motivated to broaden their reading material. Parents’ comments in reading records confirmed that they are effective partners in supporting their child’s reading.
• The physical education (PE) and sports premium is used well. Pupils have the chance to play a broad variety of sports in PE lessons, in the playground and at after-school clubs. Pupils reported that PE and sport have improved in recent years, which is seen particularly in the equipment that they now have access to, some of which they can use at playtime and lunchtime. They also engage in local competitions.
• Parents are very happy with the school and most reported that the school has improved in recent years. Parents feel that their children are safe and happy and that they make good progress. They feel well informed and well supported by the school. This is particularly the case with parents of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. These parents feel that the school works hard to make sure that staff know how to support their child.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and well supported through trips, visitors, special events and assemblies. Pupils are highly engaged in their learning, due to the strength of the curriculum. The school has a very clear set of values, which not only supports excellent conduct and very respectful attitudes, but also ensures that pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. These values mirror British values very well and ensure that these pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The curriculum also enhances pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and this is seen in pupils’ secure understanding of and respect for different lifestyle choices and different faiths and cultures. However, at times, there are too few experiences to further enhance pupils’ understanding of and interest in different faiths and cultures. This is something that the school is already aware of, and it has plans in place to increase these experiences.
• Subjects such as history, geography, science and languages are well taught, and pupils demonstrate enthusiasm and real joy in their learning. However, at times, the broader curriculum does not always make use of the opportunities to reinforce pupils’ skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Opportunities to challenge the most able pupils are also missed at times. Nevertheless, this is not a consistent picture; in some classes, the most able pupils are challenged well.
• The local authority has worked well with the school. This was particularly the case immediately after the last inspection when it brokered support from good and outstanding schools locally. The local authority rightly believes that this school has improved well since that time and now uses leaders in this school to support other schools locally.

Governance of the school

• Governance is good. Governors understand their role in the school well. They have worked with leaders to make the necessary changes and improvements, which have led to better teaching and outcomes for pupils. They have been ready to make tough decisions and to eradicate weaknesses. They also understand how different additional funding is used and its impact on learners, including the additional funding attracted by disadvantaged learners and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Governors understand the appraisal system in school and work with leaders to ensure that this is a robust and ambitious system, which promotes high standards from teachers and pupils, as well as leaders.
• Governors challenge leaders well because they are well trained and understand the information that they are given, such as the assessment information and the published results for pupils. They understand how well the school is doing in comparison with schools nationally, and this allows them to recognise the school’s strengths and successes, as well as to identify where further improvements are needed.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school regularly reviews its protocols and policies in school to ensure that pupils are safe and that they are up to date on regulations in relation to the safeguarding of pupils. The school works effectively with external agencies to ensure that different pupils’ needs with regard to their safety are met, and they ensure that parents, pupils and staff know how to report a concern if they are worried that a child is unsafe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is good and supports strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Different pupils make rapid progress, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, some boys’ progress in key stage 1 in writing is too slow and is not good enough.
• The strength in progress reflects improvements in teaching since the last inspection. It also means that the standards that pupils reach in different subject areas are now in line with the national expectation, and sometimes exceed this expectation, with the exception of boys’ writing in key stage 1.
• The school’s assessment system provides accurate information on pupils’ learning. Regular checks are carried out so that underachievement is identified and eradicated quickly through specific support for pupils. Equally, teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding and knowledge in lessons through questioning and by checking their work in books. These checks are used well by teachers to plan activities that match pupils’ needs well.
• The most able pupils do well in reading, writing and mathematics. An increasing proportion of pupils exceed the expectations for their age in these areas. In other subjects, such as history, geography and science, work does not always challenge the most able pupils well enough. This hinders the pace at which they make progress in these subjects. This is sometimes because teachers’ miss opportunities to reinforce sufficiently pupils’ skills in writing and mathematics.
• Pupils display very positive attitudes to learning because of good teaching and high expectations of behaviour in lessons. Pupils have very regular opportunities to work independently and they have resources which support this type of work. In addition, pupils often work in teams and they work well collaboratively. They listen to one another and they communicate their ideas articulately and with a high level of self-assurance.
• Teaching assistants work effectively with pupils. They know pupils well and work with teachers to ensure that they understand pupils’ specific needs and any gaps in learning, to provide bespoke support to move learning on rapidly.
• Reading is taught well. Pupils read widely and often and are given guidance to promote a knowledge of a wide range of authors and genres of books. This is supported by strong phonics teaching, which ensures that pupils can read and enjoy reading from an early age.
• The teaching of writing is good. Pupils write often and in a variety of styles. Pupils also write on subjects across the curriculum, although this is not always the case. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are also taught well and reinforced through the regular opportunities for pupils to write at length. However, in key stage 1, boys’ writing is not good enough. Strategies to help them to improve their skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar are not as effective as they are for other pupils in the school.
• Mathematics teaching is a strength in school, and this area has improved most rapidly since the last inspection. Pupils regularly get the chance to reinforce basic skills before using and applying these skills in a variety of ways, including problem solving and multi-stepped word problems. The level of challenge is high and, as in reading and writing, teachers’ expectations of pupils are high. This supports pupils’ enjoyment in their learning of mathematics, as well as their good outcomes. At times, however, opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematics skills in other subjects, such as science and geography, are missed. This prevents progress from being even better.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are safe in school, and those spoken to throughout the inspection reported that they feel safe. Pupils said that adults are always present and that they are very approachable, so they can speak to them if they are worried or upset.
• The school’s efforts, through learning in lessons, special events, and assemblies, to ensure that pupils can keep themselves safe in a wide range of situations are very effective. This includes information about different forms of bullying, including bullying online and racist or homophobic bullying. Once a week, the headteacher leads an assembly on the school’s values, which is followed up in a short session in class led by teachers. These sessions offer pupils the chance to talk through different issues and points of view, and to write about their experiences and views.
• The strength of the work done to ensure that pupils are safe also supports pupils’ understanding of the school’s values, which underpin everything that pupils and adults do in school. In turn, this means that pupils have excellent learning behaviour and attitudes to all activities that they undertake in school. It means that they are very willing to tackle challenging work and to work increasingly independently. It also means that they take teachers’ advice on how to improve their work. In addition, pupils take real pride in their learning, and their presentation of work in books is excellent.
• Pupils are proud of their school and feel that it is unique because of the focus on the values and the enjoyment that they get from learning.
• Classrooms are well organised and tidy.
• Pupils understand how to keep themselves fit and healthy. Most opt to eat a school dinner, which pupils said are healthy and tasty. In addition, pupils participate in a wide variety of sports and study topics in lessons that enhance their understanding of the types of activities and food that improve and maintain good health.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ conduct around school is exemplary. They need very few reminders of how to behave and move around school with care and purpose. This means that learning time is not wasted. In the playground, different age groups of pupils mix and play together very well. Older pupils often show real care and support for younger pupils, making sure that they are included and safe.
• Learning is very rarely disrupted due to poor behaviour. This is the view of pupils and staff, and was observed by inspectors as well. There are very few serious incidents and only small numbers of minor incidents. Attendance is in line with the national average. This is an improvement in the school and confirms pupils’ appreciation of the opportunities afforded them in school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• From their starting points, pupils make good progress in school. This is the case across the curriculum, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. By the time pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the key areas is in line with the national average. There is also an increasing proportion of pupils who exceed this standard. As a result, pupils are now well prepared for their next stage of learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress, and the gaps in the standards reached by these pupils compared with others have diminished rapidly in recent months. This means that these pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, and that some exceed this standard. This is also the case in subjects such as history, geography, art, French and science.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well. From their starting points, they make good progress because their needs are well understood and they are given support to access the work and make improvements.
• The most able pupils do well in reading, writing and mathematics. They increasingly exceed the expected standards in these areas. At times, activities in other subjects do not meet these pupils’ needs as effectively, and this means that progress in these subjects is not as rapid for the most able.
• Reading outcomes are good. This is because of a strong start to reading through the teaching of phonics. It is also because the school has worked effectively to improve pupils’ understanding of more complex reading skills, which has supported rapid progress in reading.
• Outcomes in writing are good. Pupils get the chance to write often and at length. They focus on a variety of genres in their writing, and sometimes this is also across a range of topics. However, writing across the curriculum is not consistently done well. Pupils enjoy writing and use their spelling, punctuation and grammar skills well to ensure that writing is accurate, as well as imaginative and creative. However, this is not the case for boys in key stage 1.
• Progress and attainment in mathematics are good. Pupils work on their basic skills regularly and apply these in different ways in lessons. This secures the skills and ensures that pupils understand the relevance of mathematics skills in their everyday lives. It also ensures that pupils are highly engaged and enthusiastic about their learning in mathematics.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Due to excellent leadership and teaching, as well as a very strong and engaging curriculum and setting, children in the early years make exceptional progress. Children generally arrive in Reception with levels of development typical for their age. A very high proportion of children reach and exceed a good level of development by the end of Reception, meaning that they are very well prepared for Year 1.
• Different groups of children do very well in the early years. Their needs are very well understood, thanks to rigorous, robust and regular assessment. Staff here have an accurate understanding of the gaps and strengths in children’s learning. This leads to very well-informed planning of activities. Along with the broad curriculum and the imaginative physical setting, this ensures that children’s needs and interests are very closely met.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do very well in the setting. All adults understand their needs and ensure that learning and support match their needs. All adults engage very positively with these children, including developing their willingness and ability to work on their own. In this way, these children make the same excellent progress as their peers.
• Leadership of the early years is exceptional. Leaders have developed the indoor and outdoor spaces to provide learning experiences which enthuse and engage children. There are also very high expectations of children to access activities to develop their oral communication skills, as well as their reading, writing and number work. Children rise to the challenges very well because they enjoy their learning in the setting.
• Leaders have ensured that the indoor and outdoor settings promote the development of children’s fine and gross motor skills, as well as their physical development, very well. Most significantly, the strengths seen in promoting strong values in pupils in key stages 1 and 2 are reflected in the excellent opportunities that children have to enhance their personal, social and emotional development. Thus, children’s conduct is exceptional, as is their willingness to learn.
• Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is outstanding. Leaders, teachers and other adults work very well as a team, and the setting is well resourced. Adults observe and engage with children skillfully, allowing children to develop their independence in learning, to work well with other children and to interact with adults in a positive way. Staff engage with parents very well. Parents reported that they feel very well supported by the school and are well informed about how well their child is doing. They believe that their child settled quickly into school because of the strong provision and caring nature of the adults. Parents feel that they get relevant support so that they know how to help their child at home. This is also the case for parents of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Safeguarding arrangements in the early years are effective. Children are kept safe. There are clear and well-established routines in place, which children understand and which help them to settle quickly. Statutory regulations are adhered to.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 106747 Doncaster 10031953 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 309 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Martin Hobbs David Richardson 01302 780386 www.sunnyfields.doncaster.sch.uk/ office@sunnyfields.doncaster.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a larger than average-sized primary school.
• The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• An average proportion of pupils is disadvantaged.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• Children enter the school in Nursery on a part-time basis and move into Reception on a full-time basis.
• The school is organised into 11 classes, some of which are mixed-aged classes.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in a range of lessons and through a scrutiny of work in pupils’ books.
• Inspectors observed and spoke with pupils during lessons and at breaktime. They also met formally with groups of pupils from Year 1 to Year 6. In addition, they spoke with pupils informally during lessons and at breaktime and lunchtime.
• Inspectors listened to some pupils from Year 3 and Year 6 read.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders. Meetings also took place with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ work and a range of documents, including the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, performance management procedures and pupils’ attendance data. Information about pupils’ progress and attainment was also examined.
• Inspectors considered the 48 parental responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke with parents as they brought their children to school.

Inspection team

Fiona McNally, lead inspector Mary Lanovy-Taylor Elaine Watson

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector