Heaton Avenue Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the impact and effectiveness of leaders at all levels by:
  • developing subject leaders’ skills so they take increasing responsibility for raising standards in subjects beyond English and mathematics
  • more robustly analysing information about attendance so that attendance improves and persistent absence reduces for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • providing governors with analysis of the impact of each leader’s actions so governors are able to challenge leaders with even greater rigour
  • sharing the most effective teaching, learning and assessment practice that exists in school so there is even greater consistency in pupils’ outcomes and an increasing proportion reach a greater depth of understanding by the end of key stage 1
  • continuing to diminish the difference between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils nationally, more quickly
  • increasing parental engagement in the early years, especially for vulnerable families.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have secured rapid improvement in the last academic year, following a drop in standards in 2016. The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher, has spurred into action to halt the declining standards. They have successfully developed a new-found ambition and uncompromising desire to enable every individual to succeed. Current pupils have made more rapid progress this year and have achieved well at the end of each key stage.
• Leaders have instilled a collective responsibility for pupils’ outcomes and have raised teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve. A strengthened leadership team and the introduction of change teams to champion the development of reading and mathematics have been successful in driving improvement. New approaches to teaching in these subjects are allowing a sharp focus on helping pupils to succeed in every lesson, at the point of learning, and means that teaching is very responsive to pupils’ specific needs.
• Leaders’ careful tracking of individual pupils ensures that funding for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is targeted appropriately. Progress for these groups of pupils has quickened as a result.
• Leaders make effective use of the links within the multi-academy trust and local schools. For example, by working collaboratively, they have made sure that teachers’ assessments are more reliable and accurate. Support from the local authority is also providing development for middle leaders who lead subjects in the wider curriculum, beyond English and mathematics. These leaders, many of whom are new to their roles, are now beginning to take greater responsibility for raising standards in their area of responsibility.
• Staff have received effective training and development opportunities, which have contributed to the improvements seen in the quality of teaching and learning this year. Leaders ensure that staff who are new to the school have access to a comprehensive training and induction package. As a result, staff feel well supported, held to account for the outcomes of their pupils, and morale in school is high.
• Leaders work with determination to improve behaviour and attendance and cater very well for pupils’ welfare. Leadership in this area has been strengthened in response to the increasing pupil numbers and the needs of vulnerable families. However, leaders are not able to fully evidence the impact of their actions on improving behaviour and attendance.
• The curriculum offers a range of subjects taught through themes that pupils find interesting and, at times, challenging. It is underpinned by a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and sporting opportunities.
• The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and moral education is strong. Pupils are given roles and responsibilities in school and are keen to develop themselves further through the ambassador scheme. A culture of respect for others permeates the school and helps to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. The school has recently been awarded the PSHE Association Quality Mark for personal, social, health and economic education.
• School leaders use the primary school physical education (PE) and sport funding well to offer a range of sporting equipment and activities. Participation levels are high in the competitions and clubs which are on offer, such as boxing, archery and cheerleading. This is supporting pupils in developing a healthy lifestyle.

Governance of the school

• As a result of effective strategic direction and robust challenge from the trust and governors, the school has been on a journey of rapid improvement and is now securing improved outcomes for pupils.
• Governors do not receive enough detailed information from school leaders, for example about outcomes for current pupils in all year groups. This would support governors in being able to hold school leaders even more rigorously to account for pupils’ outcomes and would engage leaders in routinely evaluating the impact of their actions.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have created a positive culture and ethos where safeguarding is an important part of everyday life. Appropriate checks are made on staff who work at the school. All staff have received appropriate training in all aspects of safeguarding and are able to spot possible signs of concern.
• Safeguarding records are very detailed and thorough. They show a close and effective working relationship with other agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment have improved rapidly this year. Consequently, a greater proportion of current pupils are making strong progress and are reaching the expected standards.
• Teachers use assessment information to plan tasks which build on pupils’ prior learning. This is helping pupils to consolidate their skills and develop greater understanding.
• A new approach to teaching mathematics, combined with increased subject knowledge, is particularly effective in supporting pupils to make faster progress. This is enabling an increasing proportion of the most able pupils to exceed the expected standards, particularly in Year 6.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning behaviour. As a result, pupils are developing the resilience needed to overcome mistakes when they are learning something new. Teachers involve pupils in self-assessing their learning. Pupils know how to improve their work and they are encouraged to take greater responsibility for their own learning and development. Pupils also work supportively together, for example when pupils in Years 1 and 2 buddy read with each other.
• Teachers’ questioning is enabling pupils to think more deeply. This challenges pupils’ thinking and allows teachers to check how secure pupils’ understanding is.
• Teachers and teaching assistants anticipate and address pupils’ misconceptions effectively. They quickly intervene and provide verbal feedback to move pupils’ learning on. On the rare occasions where teachers do not notice pupils’ errors as quickly, pupils do not make as rapid gains with their learning. By sharing the most effective teaching, learning and assessment practice that exists in school, leaders are eager to maximise the progress made by all pupils.
• Adults sensitively make adjustments to learning activities to support and include all pupils. This is particularly helpful in enabling pupils who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities to succeed.
• Teachers consistently encourage pupils to use precise vocabulary. This is noticeable across the curriculum, where pupils use subject-specific vocabulary appropriately.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. There is a strong commitment by school leaders to develop pupils as rounded individuals. Consequently, pupils’ physical and emotional well-being is well supported. Pupils feel valued and supported to become confident and self-assured learners.
• Pupils have good attitudes to their learning and take pride in working hard and cooperating with others. This is helping them to make better progress. High expectations from staff and an effective curriculum for pupils’ personal, social and emotional development are contributing well to pupils’ understanding of safety and tolerance of others.
• Pupils are aware of the importance of keeping fit, eating healthily and being physically active. The school’s sports and healthy lifestyles council is instrumental in bringing about improvements throughout the school in this respect.
• An increasing proportion of pupils have social, emotional and mental health issues. Their needs are supported very effectively. For example, the use of support plans and individual pupil risk assessments is successful in helping pupils to manage their emotions.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding to enable vulnerable pupils to attend breakfast club free of charge. This has helped vulnerable pupils to be punctual and more able to start the school day in a settled and positive way.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and that bullying is rare. They know how to respond should they have any concerns and are confident that staff will listen and take their concerns seriously.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Relationships between staff and pupils are built on trust and mutual respect. Pupils are polite and well-mannered to staff, visitors and each other. Pupils behave positively in lessons and around school, including at break and lunchtime. Pupils are clear about the expectations of their behaviour and are motivated by the reward systems in place. They particularly enjoy their parents and carers being informed about their success on a regular basis. Signs and displays around school are also effective in reminding pupils to use their manners, follow the rules and to treat each other with respect.
• Pupils demonstrate self-discipline and manage their own behaviour well. Responsibilities such as being an ambassador, a representative on the school council or representing the school in a local sporting competition are examples of how self-discipline are promoted effectively by leaders.
• Attendance was above the national average overall in 2016 but has dropped slightly this year. Attendance has remained below average for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. A range of whole-school approaches are taken by leaders to improve attendance for these pupils. However, they are not having a strong enough impact on improving attendance for these groups.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Current pupils in all year groups have made more-rapid progress this year. By the end of key stages 1 and 2, pupils are achieving better outcomes than those seen in 2016 in reading and mathematics.
• Leaders took effective action when, in 2016, reading and mathematics progress fell below floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. As a result, standards in reading and mathematics have risen and are now more in line with the successful writing standards seen throughout the school.
• The proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has increased substantially over the last three years. By 2016, the figure was very close to the national average and for the current Year 1 pupils there has been a further increase. All of the Year 1 pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding met the phonics standard this year.
• School leaders promote a love of reading. The well-stocked library, high-quality books studied and additional reading interventions are successful in supporting pupils’ reading development. Pupils enjoy reading regularly at home and school, taking pleasure in books with exciting stories or interesting information. Boys’ reading, which was of a lower standard than that of boys nationally in 2016 at the end of key stages 1 and 2, has now improved. An increased proportion of boys are now meeting age-related expectations by the end of each key stage.
• A new approach to the teaching of mathematics has been instrumental in improving the rate of progress for all pupils in school. Pupils move through a unit of work at the right pace to enable them to develop a thorough understanding of the concepts studied. In key stage 1, though, pupils are sometimes hindered by incorrect number formation when completing mathematics activities.
• Leaders have used pupil premium funding effectively. Disadvantaged pupils are making more rapid progress throughout the school in reading, writing and mathematics this year. The faster progress made by these pupils, in Year 6 in particular, is helping to more quickly diminish the difference between their attainment and that of other pupils nationally. Leaders acknowledge the need to continue this improvement even further.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities usually make good progress. Progress for pupils with more complex needs is not always as rapid in academic subjects. However, in these cases, pupils are often gaining increased confidence and independence in their learning.
• Over time, pupils have begun key stage 2 with high starting points. The proportion of pupils achieving beyond the age-related expectations has improved for the Year 6 cohort in 2017, compared to the 2016 cohort in reading and mathematics. This represents better progress across the key stage for the most able pupils. The proportion of pupils achieving beyond the expected standard is not as high by the end of key stage 1 though. Leaders are keen to sustain the increased rates of progress seen this year, to enable a greater proportion of key stage 1 pupils to reach even higher standards.
• Pupils achieve age-appropriate standards across the wider curriculum, beyond English and mathematics. They take great pride and care in the presentation of their work. Displays around the school show examples of high-quality outcomes across the curriculum.

Early years provision Good

• The proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception has continued to gradually improve over time so that outcomes are now in line with national figures. Progress is strong, given children’s starting points, in all aspects of learning. Leaders’ actions have resulted in continually improving progress. Consequently, children are becoming increasingly well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• Leaders have taken action to make sure that disadvantaged children receive effective support. As a result, disadvantaged children are making good progress from their starting points, especially in writing. The proportion of disadvantaged children who are meeting the early learning goals in reading, writing and number is in line with other children in the cohort.
• The gap between boys’ and girls’ achievement has narrowed substantially in 2017. A similar proportion of boys and girls reached a good level of development.
• Leaders ensure that the curriculum provision links children’s interests to the topics studied. For example, following a visit to a railway museum, children were enthusiastically making a train and engaging in role play using the enticing resources that staff had set up.
• Adults provide a rich variety of activities to stimulate children’s learning, both indoors and outside. As a result, children make keen use of all the areas, sustaining concentration well and developing their independence. Staff reinforce key vocabulary effectively and are skilful in helping children develop the skills of negotiation. They model how to share and play, resulting in high levels of engagement and positive behaviour. The early years leader, along with the early years staff team, ensure that the statutory welfare requirements are met.
• The proportion of children exceeding the early learning goals has remained steady this year. Leaders are keen to increase the proportion of children who exceed the goals so that even more children are able to begin Year 1 at a higher starting point.
• Parents recognise the level of care provided by staff and speak positively about their children’s progress. Parents of children in Reception, who made their views known, would welcome more opportunities to come into school so they can understand how reading and phonics are taught, in order to better support this at home. Establishing positive links with more vulnerable families is an area of priority for leaders.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141904 Kirklees 10025487 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 433 Appropriate authority The academy trust Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr Vic White Ms Michelle Lee 01274 028613 www.heatonavenuepri.kgfl.dbprimary.com head@heatonavenue.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is a larger than average-size primary school.
• The school converted to become an academy in 2015 as part of the SHARE multi-academy trust. Since the predecessor school was inspected, the school has extended the age range of pupils from three to nine to three to 11, substantially increasing the pupil admission number, and has moved to a new location.
• The headteacher is a national leader of education (NLE).
• The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards.
• The multi-academy trust have brokered the support of the local authority and a range of consultants in its drive to improve standards.
• The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with the national average.
• There are less pupils from minority ethnic groups than the national average and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also below the national figure.
• The school holds the Investors in Pupils award, the Healthy Schools Gold Award and the PSHE Association Quality Mark.
• The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching in every year group. Most observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors listened to pupils read. They talked to pupils about their school and evaluated the quality of work in a sample of pupils’ books.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and the early years leader. They also met with a representative from the local authority, the chief executive officer of the trust and representatives from the governing body.
• A range of documentation was considered, including the school’s self-evaluation, records of the monitoring of teaching and learning, the school improvement plan, the school’s performance data, information on the progress of particular pupil groups, information relating to attendance and behaviour of pupils, safeguarding and child protection records, and minutes from governing body meetings. Documents outlining the arrangements for the use of pupil premium funding and the primary school PE and sport funding were also considered.
• Inspectors spoke to parents informally at the start of the school day in order to seek their views about the school.

Inspection team

Kirsty Godfrey, lead inspector Ella Besharati Lee Haynes Peter Heaton

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector