Cleeve Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Secure the rapid progress of all groups of pupils, including the most able and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, by:
  • ensuring that assessment is carefully used to plan lessons that meet the needs of all pupils
  • planning sequences of lessons that deepen learning, particularly for the most and least able pupils.
• Provide more opportunities for pupils to consolidate and deepen knowledge, skills and understanding across the broader curriculum, by:
  • planning for the development and mastery of skills across subjects other than English and mathematics
  • ensuring that pupils have frequent opportunities to develop, use and apply their skills in science
  • ensuring that there are more systematic opportunities for pupils to learn about different faiths and cultures in modern Britain.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has been resolute in his determination to improve outcomes for pupils at Cleeve Primary School. Staff and governors describe his approach to school improvement as ‘relentless’, embodying the school aim: ‘at Cleeve we achieve’. Under his leadership, pupils have made good progress at each key stage for the last three years.
• The headteacher’s use of specific targets to help teachers to improve their performance in the classroom has contributed to rapid improvement in the quality of teaching. The headteacher has introduced effective approaches to measuring the impact of teaching and has developed a responsive school development plan so that findings can be acted on quickly.
• Senior leaders support the headteacher effectively and share his vision that Cleeve Primary School can deliver the best education for its pupils. They lead by example, trying out new approaches and adapting their practice. Leaders rigorously check on the work of teachers to ensure that they are using agreed approaches so that pupils can learn well.
• Teachers are given many opportunities to develop their skills, frequently attending meetings and events with other local schools and benefiting from training organised by the headteacher. Teachers are proud of the work they are doing to improve learning and assessment and are appreciative of the support they receive from senior staff.
• The leaders with responsibility for English and mathematics provide effective leadership and direction for teachers and teaching assistants to help pupils make good progress.
• Extra money provided to the school to support disadvantaged pupils is used well to provide additional support, including through the breakfast club where pupils complete homework or have extra reading tuition. Funding supports pupils in several ways, including through additional reading and mathematics lessons. The impact of this work is that almost all disadvantaged pupils are making good progress.
• Primary school sports funding has been used effectively to improve teachers’ expertise and to increase participation in a range of sports. Through this funding, pupils have received specialist coaching in football, basketball, dance and tennis.
• The curriculum leader supports teachers to plan and teach a range of subjects through themes that interest pupils. The curriculum is enhanced through trips out and visitors to school. Even so, teaching and assessment across the wider curriculum is not as well developed as in English and mathematics. In particular, pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to develop their skills in scientific enquiry.
• Leaders promote British values through assemblies and the curriculum. Pupils understand about democracy and the rule of law. However, pupils’ understanding of faiths and cultures other than their own is underdeveloped.

Governance of the school

• Governors are robust in their challenge to school leaders. They use information provided by external consultants to appraise the work of the school. Governors regularly challenge the headteacher about the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils, registering their questions on the online school development plan.
• Several governors have particular skills and knowledge, for example in the teaching of English and in school leadership. They use this expertise well to reflect on school effectiveness and to support improvements. They have ensured that challenging targets set for the headteacher have contributed to improvements in the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils.
• Governors have a good understanding of how the pupil premium and school sports funding are used. The school development plan shows that governors challenge leaders to ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to achieve.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have received appropriate training in all aspects of safeguarding, including spotting signs of radicalisation. Senior leaders and the pastoral team are trained to a higher level.
• Leaders ensure a safe environment for pupils through regular risk assessments. The school site is secure and staff are vigilant in keeping pupils safe. The headteacher ensures that governors are well informed about safeguarding.
• Safeguarding records are detailed and show a close working relationship with other agencies, including the police, to ensure pupils are kept safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers expect highly of pupils’ behaviour in lessons and are rewarded by good levels of pupil concentration and involvement in their learning. They use questions well to determine what pupils know and understand.
• Teachers use new procedures to determine accurately what pupils know and understand. These processes are well embedded for the assessment of reading, writing and mathematics and are supporting teachers in planning next steps in learning. Teachers work consistently within the school’s marking policy to encourage pupils to correct their work, offering pupils additional challenges when appropriate. Pupils are given time each day to respond to their teachers’ comments, contributing to their good progress.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Well-chosen activities and accurate groupings enable pupils to make good progress. By the end of Year 1, a large proportion of pupils achieve the expected standard in phonics and by the end of Year 2 all pupils have reached the expected standard. Pupils in both key stages 1 and 2 are encouraged to use their phonics knowledge to help them read and write independently.
• Pupils read regularly through a mixture of daily reading lessons guided by adults and through regular opportunities to read individually to an adult. Pupils in danger of falling behind are targeted for additional reading. In key stage 1, pupils of all abilities tackled unfamiliar words well using their phonics knowledge during guided sessions. However, the least able pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities struggle to make progress when taught in large groups.
• Pupils in key stage 2 read fluently and explain aspects of texts well. The most able pupils show real confidence, using the ‘voices’ of different characters when reading aloud. Pupils read a range of books both at school at home. Key stage 2 pupils particularly are benefiting from reading challenging novels together in class and at the time of the inspection were really enjoying an in-depth study of ‘There’s a boy in the girls’ bathroom’.
• Improvements in the teaching of writing have accelerated pupils’ progress. The consistent use of resources and a structured approach to the teaching of writing have supported pupils in developing their skills in different types of writing. Work in books shows that pupils are encouraged to write at length, using adventurous vocabulary.
• In mathematics, tasks enable pupils of all abilities to develop confidence and to understand and practise mathematical skills. In the majority of classes, strong subject knowledge and modelling of methods are supporting pupils to make good progress. In some classes, the pace of learning is not sufficiently fast for the most able pupils to make rapid progress.
• Teachers have high expectations of presentation in all subject areas and, as a result, pupils present their work neatly and take pride in their books.
• Both teachers and additional adults take responsibility for teaching lower-attaining groups and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Additional adults are proficient in supporting pupils’ learning, using good subject knowledge and questioning well to ensure that pupils have understood.
• In the majority of lessons, teachers plan carefully to meet the needs of different pupils in their class. However, the most able pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not always make the rapid progress they are capable of. This is because activities planned for them are not consistently matched closely enough to their needs.
• The teaching of science is planned through science weeks spread over the year. Work in books shows that opportunities for pupils to develop and consolidate their skills in scientific enquiry are in short supply.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils learn how to eat well and stay healthy, physically and mentally. Some pupils take part in an art therapy class and others are in regular contact with the pastoral team, helping them to talk through their concerns and to stay on the right path.
• Pupils are enthusiastic about school. One said ‘Teachers are nice and they help us’. No pupils completed the Ofsted questionnaire. However, in a recent school questionnaire to pupils, an overwhelming majority expressed real enjoyment in coming to school.
• Pupils say that some bullying does happen but that adults deal with it effectively. School records show that bullying is very rare. When bullying does happen, victims are well supported and bullies are helped to change their behaviours.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet, through well-planned lessons and assemblies delivered by the e-safety worker. Pupils have learned the ‘underpants rule’ to help them make good judgements about safe touching. Pupils report feeling safe in school and well equipped for identifying dangers beyond the school gates.
• The pastoral team, consisting of the safeguarding officer and behaviour support, attendance and e-safety workers, is highly effective in supporting pupils and families when they are at their most vulnerable. This team has an excellent knowledge of the community, which underpins its work.
• In most classes, pupils show persistence in learning, seeing a task through to the end. Often they are carefully led through the learning by adults, particularly in mathematics. Some pupils expressed a wish to ‘go faster’, indicating that they could work more quickly.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils of all ages and abilities are proud of the school and have positive attitudes to learning. The vast majority of pupils are sensible and respectful in their interactions with each other. In lessons, pupils are quiet and attentive. Most pupils respond quickly to their teachers’ instructions, which ensures that they get on with work quickly and little time is wasted.
• Behaviour at lunchtime and breaktime is good. This is a result of clear behaviour policies, consistently applied by all staff, so that pupils understand the consequences of poor behaviour.
• A small number of more serious incidents are managed very well by the behaviour support worker. As a result, the behaviour of pupils who are more challenging has improved over time and serious breaches of behaviour are rare.
• The majority of pupils attend school regularly and on time. The attendance worker is persistent and has been effective in supporting families and improving the attendance of pupils, so that attendance is now broadly in line with the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Up to, and including, 2015 there was an improving trend in the progress of pupils at all key stages. The proportion of pupils who made expected progress or more than expected progress from their different starting points was in line with figures seen nationally. Pupils’ attainment was slightly above the national average at key stage 1. Pupils’ attainment in key stage 2 was broadly in line with the national average in writing and mathematics and slightly above in reading.
• In 2015, in key stage 1, disadvantaged pupils achieved as well as other pupils nationally in writing and mathematics and only slightly less well in reading. Key stage 2 disadvantaged pupils achieved slightly less well than others in reading and below others in writing and mathematics. The most able pupils made good progress, attaining the higher levels in all three subjects.
• In 2016, from low starting points, pupils in key stage 1 attained levels broadly in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. However, in key stage 2, pupils struggled to achieve expected levels in the new reading and mathematics tests. This means that overall outcomes for Year 6 pupils in 2016 were below those seen nationally. Outcomes for teacher assessment were better and work in pupils’ books suggests that the large majority of pupils are leaving Cleeve equipped with the reading, writing and mathematical skills needed to make a successful start in high school.
• School assessment information and work in books show that last year current pupils made at least expected progress across all year groups in reading, writing and mathematics. In these subjects, in most classes, disadvantaged pupils made progress in line with others. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities made slower progress than others. The most able pupils achieved well.
• The proportion of pupils attaining the Year 1 phonics check has improved over the last three years and was above the national average in 2016, representing good progress for these pupils. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils attaining the expected level was above that of other pupils.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Very small proportions of children arrive at Cleeve Primary School with skills typical for their age. In 2015, only 7% of children were at levels of development that are typically seen. Increasing numbers of children are entering the setting with poorly developed speech and have difficulty understanding. Children are quickly helped to settle into Nursery by skilled and sensitive staff who help them to develop attention, confidence and vocabulary. By the time children transfer into Reception class, although they have made very good progress they are still behind their peers nationally.
• The early years leader is a specialist leader of education, providing advice and support to other practitioners. Her pursuit of excellence is uncompromising. She has a deep and accurate understanding of how children learn and has ensured that the setting has improved rapidly. As a result of outstanding teaching and provision, children in Reception are making exceptional progress, so that they are entering Year 1 with skills and knowledge in line with those expected for their age.
• Teachers watch the progress of all children carefully and plan activities to match their needs closely. Teachers identify and plan extremely well for the needs of disadvantaged children. As a result, disadvantaged children progressed at a faster rate than others in 2016, diminishing the difference so that both groups achieved equally well. In 2015, boys outperformed girls. Due to focused efforts by staff, this trend was reversed in 2016 so that girls did better than boys. This year’s plan has been designed to ensure that activities appeal to boys and girls equally so that all can excel.
• Staff are highly vigilant about the safety of children in the setting and hold appropriate first aid certificates. They conduct daily health and safety checks on outdoor equipment, and all aspects of the setting have been assessed for potential risks to children.
• Provision both outdoors and inside is highly stimulating and is helping children to develop reading, writing and mathematical skills. Teachers are quick to use children’s interests to help them learn well. For example, cake baking was speedily arranged to capitalise on a child’s joy at their parent having a birthday. Social and creative skills are fostered equally well so that children’s behaviour is very good. Children are happy in school, demonstrating resilience and motivation in attempting new activities. During the inspection they were particularly enjoying negotiating the ‘telly tubby hill’ in the rain, wearing wet weather gear and wellies.
• The work done by the early years staff to promote partnerships with parents is very successful and is helping pupils to make an excellent start in school. Information given to parents prior to, and during, their child’s time in the early years is of a high standard. Parents are invited each week to ‘stay and play’, to share books and read with their child. Parents are encouraged to contribute to their child’s assessment information and can see how well their child is developing through an online system. Parents expressed a high degree of satisfaction with their child’s early experiences at school, praising the work of teachers. One parent said ‘They always make time for you.’

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140437 Kingston upon Hull 10019283 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 Number of pupils on the school roll Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed 474 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Kevin Billany Michael Dodd 01482 825 279 www.cleeve.hull.sch.uk/ admin@cleeve.hull.sch.uk Date of previous inspection

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its Not previously inspected website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• Cleeve Primary School is larger than the average primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium is much higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• Over 95% of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• 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 class attend part time.
• Three teachers at the school are specialist leaders in education, offering support to other schools in the teaching of English, the early years, special educational needs and governance.
• The school holds awards for e-safety and physical education. They have attained the basic skills quality mark, governor mark and the international schools award.

Information about this inspection

• Together with the headteacher and deputy 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 27 parts of lessons, some alongside senior leaders.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed pupils’ learning in small groups. They spoke with pupils in lessons, at lunchtime and at playtimes and met with groups of pupils from all classes.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, class teachers and members of the governing body. A conversation was also held with the school improvement partner.
• Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day. They considered the opinion of 40 parents through Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents).
• Inspectors took account of 13 online responses returned by members of staff.

Inspection team

Lesley Butcher, lead inspector Beverley Riddle Victoria Johnson Marianne Young Julia Norton Foulger Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector