Oulton Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching in key stages 1 and 2 so that it is at least consistently good and leads to good outcomes for all groups of pupils by ensuring that:
  • teachers use assessment information skilfully to plan suitably challenging work for all groups of pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils
  • teachers and support assistants overcome pupils’ misconceptions and errors quickly, especially in writing and mathematics
  • staff use skilful questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding of what is being learned and to increase the pace of learning, especially in reading
  • greater opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in a wide range of subjects are provided
  • staff have high expectations of what pupils produce to make sure handwriting and presentation are of a good standard.
• Improve the provision in early years by:
  • setting challenging work for all groups of children
  • ensuring that children make good progress so that a larger proportion attain expected and exceeding standards.
• Improve the impact of leaders, including governors, by ensuring that:
  • senior and middle leaders increase their expectations of staff and pupils to make sure the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress are at least good across the school
  • the additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils leads to these pupils catching up with other pupils nationally
  • there is consistently good teaching of phonics and early reading skills so that at least average proportions of pupils attain expected standards by the end of Year 1
  • literacy and mathematical skills are developed effectively across the school
  • plans for improvement are crystal clear about how actions will develop and improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes
  • governors have a comprehensive understanding of the school’s target-setting process for pupils’ achievement so they can increase their challenge to leaders.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have not made sure that the quality of teaching is consistently good and that pupils’ progress is good across the school. Consequently, leadership and management require improvement.
• Leaders have not set high expectations for staff and pupils. Clear attainment targets are set for pupils and these are known by teachers. However, they are not aspirational and if met, but not exceeded, will lead to broadly average progress, which is not good.
• Senior and middle leaders check the quality of teaching regularly using a wide range of information. They are clear about what needs to be improved, but have not been successful in ensuring that teaching is consistently good.
• Plans for improvement identify the key priorities for the school and appropriate actions to be taken. However, measures for success do not show clearly how much improvement is expected in teaching and pupils’ learning because of the actions being taken. As a result, leaders are not clear how quickly the school is improving.
• Additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils is not used effectively to increase their progress quickly to ensure that attainment is close to average. It has been used successfully to improve the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils to make sure they are ready to learn. Barriers to learning for pupils are identified and appropriate actions are planned to support pupils. However, leaders’ expectations of what these pupils are capable of are not high.
• Pupils study a wide range of subjects. They participate in many activities that support their good understanding of British values and what makes a good citizen. There are wide-ranging opportunities for pupils to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. Religious education, history and art promote good spiritual and cultural understanding. The school’s samba band and steel pan band are enjoyed by pupils and their support is given at charity events. However, the curriculum does not contribute sufficiently well to the development of good reading, writing and mathematical skills.
• Extra funding for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is used well. Leaders make sure these pupils have effective support in school and extra specialist support from external agencies when necessary.
• There is good use of the primary school sports funding. There is a good range of sporting activity, good engagement in a wide range of after-school clubs and opportunities for competitive sport. Sport is promoted well. The school’s houses are named after Yorkshire sporting professionals. An international athlete who attended the school has spoken to pupils about her sport. The school takes part in sporting events for disabled pupils.
• Staff morale is high. Leaders have made sure staff are aware of the key priorities for the school. There are regular opportunities to take part in professional development. However, these opportunities have not led to consistently good teaching.
• The local authority has supported the school by providing an external review of governance and externally auditing the school’s safeguarding procedures. More recently, the local authority has provided an external review of the use of the pupil premium funding to support the school. They provide professional development activities for staff to meet the needs of the school.

Governance of the school

• Governors are keen to make sure they fulfil their role effectively. Recently, they commissioned a review of governance to check their skills and effectiveness and developed an action plan. Governors are underway with improving their effectiveness.
• Governors check the finances of the school and the additional government spending for pupils with SEND and the physical education and sports funding, which are both used well. They are clear about how the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent, but they have not ensured that its effect has led to strong progress for these pupils. Governors are developing their understanding of how the pupil premium funding is influencing the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors are aware they need to increase their knowledge of the school’s target-setting system for achievement so they can provide greater challenge to improve reading, writing and mathematics outcomes. At times, some leaders have not been precise about the achievements of all groups of pupils and this has limited governors’ ability to challenge leaders. Governors have increased their challenge to leaders, including middle leaders, to hold them to account more thoroughly. They have supported the headteacher in improving attendance for pupils over time.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding records are of high quality. They exhibit, clearly, the school’s commitment to keeping children safe, particularly the most vulnerable children. There are strong links with parents and carers as well as external agencies. School leaders are tenacious in making sure safeguarding issues are dealt with swiftly and appropriate action is taken.
• Leaders have had a sharp focus on safeguarding children, including the most vulnerable and those who are looked after by the local authority. Staff are well trained, knowledgeable and vigilant about safeguarding matters. The school’s safeguarding team and staff are passionate about making sure children are kept safe from harm. Staff and pupils know what to do should they have any concern relating to safeguarding matters. There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school.
• Governors are keen to keep checks on the school’s procedures. They commissioned the local authority to provide an independent audit of the effectiveness of safeguarding to make sure it is of a consistently high standard.
• Appropriate checks are made to ensure that all staff are fit to work with children and the school’s single central record meets requirements.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistently good and requires improvement.
• Assessment information is not used well by teachers to plan work that helps pupils make good progress. Leaders have acted to make sure teachers know pupils’ starting points at the beginning of each year. However, this information and pupils’ previous learning is not used well by teachers to set challenging work for pupils, including the most able pupils and disadvantaged pupils. Pupils told inspectors that work set in subjects can be too easy and they gave mathematics as an example.
• Teachers and support assistants see a range of pupils’ work during lessons. However, they are not spotting errors in pupils’ work or checking out misconceptions well enough. As a result, the quality of pupils’ work varies and is not good overall. When adults point out errors and misconceptions, pupils are keen to adjust their work and learn well.
• Teachers’ expectations vary. Work set is not consistently challenging pupils and slows the pace of learning for some pupils. Variable expectations lead to pupils producing some untidy work with poor handwriting and, at times, pupils do not complete their work at an effective pace.
• When questioning is used skilfully, pupils are keen to engage and answer in detail to deepen their learning. Some questioning is superficial and does not measure how much pupils are learning or how much they understand what they are reading. A lack of challenging questioning and, at times, pace that is too slow prevent pupils from developing high standards of vocabulary and a deep understanding of what they are reading.
• Current pupils’ work shows them using teachers’ feedback to improve their spelling and to improve the quality of their writing. However, there are times when redrafting their writing, they simply copy out incorrect work without adjusting or improving the quality of writing. There are times when inaccurate mathematics is not adjusted. This leads to repeated errors and misconceptions. Therefore, progress and standards in writing and mathematics are not improving strongly. In a wide range of subjects, writing is not of a consistently good standard and there are too few opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical skills.
• Good resources have been developed by leaders and teachers to support pupils’ learning in a wide range of subjects. When suitably challenging tasks are set, pupils make strong progress. For example, in history and geography, pupils were excited and keen to find out more information to ensure that they learned well.
• Good relationships exist between pupils and staff and lessons are not interrupted.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils listen to each other and show respect for each other and adults. They are welcoming to visitors, confident, well-mannered and polite. They enjoy sharing ideas with each other during lessons.
• Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy being in school. Pupils told inspectors they are safe in school and said, ‘Staff look after me.’ Should they have any worries, anxieties or concerns, they know that staff will support them. Pupils attending breakfast club enjoy the sessions and are well cared for.
• Leaders have established good systems to support pupils’ emotional well-being. There is a school counsellor and a learning mentor who focus strongly on the development of pupils’ emotional well-being. At the start of school, they check that pupils, including some children looked after, are ready for learning and well cared for.
• There are good opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles, such as school councillors. Pupils vote for the school council and learn about democracy, liberty and the law. At lunchtime, older pupils enjoy socialising with, and helping, younger pupils to develop good dining skills in a ‘family dining’ environment. Pupils know they are listened to. They are asked their opinions on how well the school is providing for their needs.
• In lessons and assemblies, pupils learn how to stay safe and keep safe. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet. Pupils know that staff will resolve any issues of bullying, should they occur. School records indicate bullying is infrequent.
• Pupils are keen to please their teachers and listen well in class. However, there are times when pupils’ handwriting and presentation slips. This can lead to some untidy work. There are good examples of pupils responding to teachers’ feedback and improving their work, but this is not consistent across and within classes.
• Parents and staff are highly confident that children are safe and well looked after in school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils know what is expected of them. They follow the school rules and enjoy the rewards they receive for good behaviour.
• Behaviour is good in lessons and pupils conduct themselves well around school. From time to time, a few pupils lose concentration in lessons or are not as productive as they ought to be. This occurs when the pace of learning slows. However, they do not disturb others.
• Pupils play well together at breaktime and lunchtime. They are very active and enjoy using the multi-use games area to play sport. There are good opportunities for pupils to use a wide range of equipment, including a trim trail, to play well together and socialise. Pupils said, ‘Staff are really good at organising games, so we don’t get bored.’
• Leaders present certificates for good attendance and most improved attendance. These incentives, along with holding parents accountable for their child’s attendance, have helped to improve attendance over time. Currently, attendance is above average. Exclusions have reduced over the past three years. There are very few exclusions from school because behaviour is good.
• The school is a calm and purposeful place. Pupils keep the school tidy and litter-free. They respect the good displays in class and along the corridors.
• All staff, and most parents, believe behaviour is good in school.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Variations in the quality of teaching, over time, have led to broadly average progress for pupils in both key stages 1 and 2. Pupils are not challenged consistently well by the work set for them. Consequently, they do not make strong progress and outcomes for pupils require improvement.
• Published information and current school information show that broadly average progress is not good enough for pupils to attain average standards overall by the end of key stage 2. Currently, teacher assessment of pupils’ work shows pupils working below age-related expectations across both key stage 1 and key stage 2.
• From their starting points, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in mathematics, reading and writing is well below average by the end of key stage 2. Differences between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally are wide. School information shows that currently these differences are not closing consistently well. As a result, these pupils do not make strong progress or achieve at least average attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.
• From 2017 to 2018, overall attainment for pupils at the end of key stages 1 and 2 increased, although progress in both key stages remained broadly average. Despite the increase, attainment in reading and mathematics remained low at the end of key stage 1 and below average in combined reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 2, especially for disadvantaged pupils.
• When checking pupils’ work, inspectors found teachers’ expectations are variable. There is not enough challenge for pupils, including the most able pupils, in mathematics and writing and there are variable handwriting skills.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress. Leaders’ precise analysis of the needs of these pupils assists teachers and support assistants to help them well. Some have very complex needs and the support they receive enables them to participate fully in lessons.
• Inspectors checked the progress of children looked after by the local authority and determined that these pupils make good progress.
• The school is promoting reading well and encouraging pupils to read at home regularly. For those not doing so, adults listen to them in school, both in class and in additional sessions. The school is focusing on developing higher-level skills in reading although there is still work to do to strengthen pupils’ vocabulary and a full understanding of the texts they are reading.
• There is variability in the teaching of phonics. Inspectors noted some teaching that was helping pupils to begin to develop good skills. However, there were times when the quality of teaching was inconsistent, and pupils did not progress quickly enough.
• Over the past three years, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in phonics, by the end of Year 1, has been well below average. Improvements are noted by the end of Year 2, but still some pupils do not attain the standard in phonics.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Over time, leadership has not ensured consistently good teaching across the provision. As a result, more needs to be done to ensure that most children make better than typical progress from their starting points to achieve and exceed the early learning goals.
• The interim leader has effective plans to strengthen the provision. However, these plans have been recently implemented and have not had the impact needed to accelerate progress for all groups of pupils.
• Children are keen and settle well to their learning. They cooperate well with adults and work well together. They enjoy the opportunities that adults plan for them. Mostly, children’s behaviour is positive, as is their personal development and welfare.
• Overall, adults support children’s learning effectively. Now and again, the most able children and the disadvantaged pupils are not challenged to do even better than they should. Occasionally, tasks are too easy for them.
• The interim leader has ensured that the curriculum provides good opportunities for children to engage in reading, writing and mathematics. There are good opportunities for children to develop a wide range of appropriate skills, both indoors and outdoors. The curriculum supports children’s good personal development, welfare and behaviour.
• Records of children’s learning are maintained well. The next steps are shared with the team through regular planning meetings. Parents are starting to contribute to children’s learning by keeping records of what their children are doing at home. They support reading and celebrate events in the provision. Parents are positive about the work that is being done with their children.
• Children are well looked after, safeguarding is effective and all the appropriate welfare requirements are in place for early years.
• There is more to do, however, to ensure that at least an average proportion of children are sufficiently well prepared for learning in Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107842 Leeds 10059087 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 372 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Lee Elliott Richard Horton 01132 821 344 www.oultonprimary.co.uk hello@oulton.leeds.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3 December 2014

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The number of pupils has increased year on year for the past three years.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is well above average. Four in ten pupils are disadvantaged.
• Most pupils are White British. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have support for SEND is below average.
• The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is well below average.
• Children attend part-time in Nursery and full-time in Reception.
• The school manages a breakfast club for its pupils.
• There have been changes to leadership since the previous inspection. The headteacher took up post on 1 April 2017 and, soon after, a new deputy headteacher was appointed.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed a range of teaching and learning throughout the school. Some observations took place with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• During the two days of the inspection, inspectors spoke with pupils, both individually and in groups, about learning and safety.
• Inspectors reviewed pupils’ work in lessons and analysed samples of work in pupils’ books. Inspectors listened to some pupils reading.
• The lead inspector held a meeting with the chair of the governing body and three other governors. An inspector held a meeting with the school’s improvement adviser from the local authority. An inspector held a telephone conversation with the person responsible for promoting the educational achievement of all the children looked after by the local authority.
• Inspectors also held meetings with senior leaders and other staff.
• Inspectors looked at the school’s review of its own performance, its development and improvement plans, several school policies and the minutes of meetings of the governing body. They considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors analysed the 38 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents (Parent View). They also analysed the 28 responses to the Ofsted pupil questionnaire and the 35 responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire.
• Year 6 pupils were not in school during the second day of the inspection as they were taking part in an educational visit.

Inspection team

Jim McGrath, lead inspector Rebecca Clayton Lee Haynes Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector