West Melton Junior and Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, particularly in key stages 1 and 2, so that it is consistently good or better in order to raise pupils’ attainment in reading and mathematics by:
  • having high expectations of all pupils
  • planning mathematics lessons so that pupils’ work is pitched at the right level of difficulty and provides appropriate challenge
  • ensuring that pupils acquire a wider vocabulary to develop their speaking and reading skills
  • checking that pupils are reading books at a suitable level to help them become fluent and confident readers
  • developing pupils’ reading skills so they can read, understand and talk about a text in depth and understand how they can become better readers
  • using assessment more effectively in the early years to identify what children need to learn next and plan more challenging activities.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • swiftly addressing the weaknesses in teaching
  • developing the skills and expertise of leaders so they improve their areas of responsibility and accurately measure the impact of the actions they take
  • establishing good levels of pupil attendance and punctuality and further reducing the persistent absence of a small minority of pupils
  • ensuring that the curriculum enables pupils to acquire the skills and knowledge they need in science and the foundation subjects.
• Improve the standards of behaviour for pupils by:
  • establishing good levels of pupil attendance and punctuality and further reducing the persistent absence of a small minority of pupils
  • ensuring that all pupils respect and follow the school’s rules for acceptable conduct.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Since the last inspection, the school has been working with a local academy chain, adopting its procedures, policies and processes with a view to amalgamation; this has been unsuccessful. There has also been considerable turnover of staff, including the absence of senior post holders as well as a change in many governors, including the chair. This turbulence has resulted in a loss of continuity in teaching. In turn, this has contributed to some pupils making weak progress in reading and mathematics from their starting points.
• The headteacher and her staff are totally committed to ensuring that pupils achieve higher standards and all recognise that the school still requires improvement. Despite two years of instability with a possible academy conversion and changes in staffing and governance, the headteacher has retained the loyalty and dedication of her staff, and this is reflected in the Ofsted staff questionnaire. While the school works closely with some families, a few parents and carers have lost confidence in the school during this unsettled period.
• Extensive professional development has been used to support teachers’ practice. With frequent changes in staff, this has not had enough impact to ensure that teaching is consistently good. Not all teachers fully understand how to implement new schemes and approaches so that pupils make good progress.
• The school has actively sought external verification of its own judgements. The impact of the advice which the school has followed and the implementation of new initiatives and approaches have not been accurately evaluated by leaders. Although there are frequent checks on the quality of teaching in lessons and the work in pupils’ books, there has been too little emphasis on judging whether pupils’ work is showing secure evidence of progress.
• The school has mapped out its curriculum for science and the foundation subjects. The teaching of these subjects is enhanced by visits, for example a trip to a coal mining museum and the Doncaster museum to learn about the Egyptians. While this helps to bring the curriculum alive, the quality of teaching and learning has not been monitored and evaluated well enough to ensure that pupils are acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge in these subjects for their age group.
• The school places great emphasis on developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. The Rights Respecting Council reflect pupils’ very good understanding of people from other backgrounds and with different beliefs and the importance of respect and tolerance and the rights of others. The school has recently won a silver award for its work and this has developed pupils’ good understanding of British values.
• Pupil premium funding has been used to provide additional teaching for the disadvantaged pupils, as well as specialist support for the many who also have SEND. For these pupils, intervention is well matched to ensure that they make good progress. In addition, this funding also ensures that these pupils have equal opportunities to access extra-curricular provision, including the school’s breakfast club.
• The leadership of SEND is effective. The pupils identified as requiring additional support are well catered for and this is clearly outlined in their individual learning plans. The funding for pupils with SEND is used effectively to ensure that this group of pupils receive good support for their welfare and learning needs.
• Leaders have successfully addressed some of the points for improvement following the last inspection. The teaching of phonics is now securely good and standards of attainment in writing have improved. Recent changes to the teaching of mathematics are beginning to have a positive impact but have yet to be reflected in outcomes at the end of each key stage.
• The primary school physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is used effectively to provide greater opportunities for pupils to access a wide range of sports, enter competitions and develop teachers’ skills. The Movement Club is particularly popular with pupils and is effective in encouraging pupils to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Governance of the school

• New governors bring to the governing body a sharper focus and commitment in addressing weaknesses than has been the case in the past. Governors have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in holding the school to account. They have recently commissioned a pupil premium review and have arranged a review of the school’s provision for pupils with SEND.
• The chair of the governing body regularly carries out monitoring visits to see the work of the school for himself. Governors have an overview of the quality of teaching and learning and understand that standards of attainment are not yet good enough.
• Governors are prepared to challenge the headteacher but have not so far been fully effective in speeding up the rate of improvements in the quality of teaching so that pupils achieve as well as they should.
• There is a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils in the school, many who have additional needs. Governors have directed funding to provide extensive support, with additional teaching in smaller teaching groups and/or specialist provision, including pastoral care. Overall, this has had a positive impact on the progress of these particular pupils. Governors are currently reviewing the expenditure of this grant to ensure that this level of support is sustainable.
• Governors are fully conversant with their legal duties for safeguarding, ensuring that staff are recruited with careful consideration.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school places great emphasis on safeguarding its pupils. The school has had to take robust action to protect some of its most vulnerable pupils and involve external agencies. It is vigilant in checking up that procedures are implemented to protect pupils. As a result, the school has created a culture of safety. Pupils inspectors spoke to, as well as those completing the online survey, said they feel safe in school.
• Staff and pupils understand their obligations for safeguarding. This is emphasised throughout the school’s work, as well as in lessons. Pupils talked to inspectors about how the work they had done in class on e-safety helped them understand how to stay safe online.
• All members of staff are checked for their suitability to work with children. The school ensures that all training for safeguarding and keeping pupils safe is accurate and up to date. Records of these checks are accurate and meticulously maintained.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching across the school is inconsistent. Teaching is good in the early years, and there is some other high-quality teaching in the school; however, in key stages 1 and 2, the quality of teaching requires improvement.
• Assessment is not always used effectively to ensure that activities are well matched to what pupils need to learn. Often, pupils are not engaged in clearly focused tasks designed to improve their progress at a good rate. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils could achieve.
• Frequent additional teaching in smaller groups is provided for pupils who are falling behind. Overall, this is having a positive impact on improving the progress that disadvantaged pupils make.
• Changes to the teaching of phonics has been effective in ensuring that pupils grasp the basic sounds that letters represent. All adults delivering phonics show a high level of expertise. Although pupils’ reading gets off to a good start, once reading their own books, these are not always well matched to develop their fluency and confidence. The teaching of reading in key stage 1 is not consistently good. Too much time is wasted on activities that do not develop pupils’ reading skills in any depth.
• Changes to the teaching of reading in key stage 2 mean that lessons are often focused on pupils’ comprehension of a text. However, pupils generally have a limited vocabulary and this is often hindering their understanding of what they are reading. Individual reading books for these pupils are not well monitored and they have limited guidance on what they need to do to improve and develop as readers.
• There is now a clear focus and approach to the teaching of mathematics which is helping pupils make better progress. Apparatus is effectively used, particularly in the younger classes, to help pupils understand mathematical concepts. Previous weak teaching means some of the older pupils still have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. This is not always accurately identified by teachers to plan lessons which help these pupils catch up quickly. There is also too little challenge for some pupils who could achieve higher standards.
• The quality of teaching in writing across the school has resulted in improved outcomes for pupils in key stages 1 and 2. In Year 6, inspectors observed pupils’ high levels of engagement in their learning about Haiku poetry. Effective questioning by the teacher and secure subject knowledge ensured that pupils grasped a good understanding of the technicalities of poetry writing.
• The teaching of other subjects such as science and some of the foundation subjects, is not thorough enough. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of science and geography are limited. Their enthusiasm for subjects such as art and history is reflected in the higher quality and amount of work in their books, but teachers’ coverage of all curriculum subjects in some year groups is patchy.
• Pupils with SEND are well integrated into the life of the school because their needs are well met. In most classes, teaching support is well used when clearly directed by the teacher and work is planned effectively. This supports these pupils in making good progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school places great emphasis on pupils’ physical and mental well-being. The support the school provides, particularly in pastoral care through its nurture group and use of counselling services, ensures that pupils’ mental health is a priority. This ensures that they can make the most of their time in school and are receptive to the teaching they receive. Pupils are keen to engage in physical exercise. They complete a ‘daily mile’ in the school grounds and the sports leader ensures that the most vulnerable pupils have access to extra-curricular sporting clubs.
• The school’s ethos promotes effective reflection on faith, culture and personal choices. Pupils are well informed about how people might choose to lead different lifestyles. Pupils have a good understanding of British values and are accepting and welcoming of people’s differences. These attributes prepare them well to be good citizens in modern Britain.
• Pupils have a good understanding of bullying, including bullying related to race and gender. They value the importance of friendship. Pupils showed a good insight into welcoming new pupils into school and making them ‘feel comfortable’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Although the school has worked hard to ensure that pupils attend school regularly, a small minority of pupils are persistently absent. Improved attendance rates have not been sustained and too many pupils turn up to school late.
• Pupils and parents have mixed views on the standards of behaviour in school and acknowledge that a small minority of pupils, especially in upper key stage 2, do not always comply with the school’s expectations or manage their own behaviour effectively, particularly when unsupervised. Inspectors agree.
• Teachers and staff manage pupils’ behaviour well. Pupils know there are consequences to bad behaviour and are confident that where there are incidents, these are dealt with swiftly. As a result, the school presents a calm and ordered place to work. The great majority of pupils conduct themselves well in and around school and they are polite and use good manners. In lessons, pupils have good attitudes to learning. They are enthusiastic about their lessons and talk positively about their teachers. .

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• In key stages 1 and 2, pupils’ progress, particularly in reading and mathematics, is variable. By the end of Year 6, standards of attainment in these subjects are low. In Year 6 in 2018, pupils’ attainment declined. A well below average proportion of pupils reached the expected standard. Very few pupils achieved the higher standards. Pupils’ progress from their starting point was weak. The wide gap in pupils’ attainment compared to the national average in reading and mathematics is not closing because pupils are not making good progress. This reflects the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching in key stages 1 and 2.
• Pupils’ attainment in phonics has been broadly in line with that expected for their age. At the end of key stage 1, in reading and mathematics, pupils’ attainment has been consistently below the national average. In key stage 1, pupils do not make good progress from their Year 1 starting points.
• There has been considerable improvement in pupils’ achievement in writing since the school’s previous inspection. In Year 6 in 2018, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected and higher standard was close to average. Improvement is also clearly evident in the work in current pupils’ books. The recent introduction of new exercise books has helped improve pupils’ handwriting and presentation of their written work.
• Pupils’ achievement in reading is inconsistent across the school. Some pupils are reading books which are not well matched to their needs and this is hampering their fluency. Older pupils have not developed the skills needed to be discerning readers. They are not confident in expressing opinions about their choice of books. Pupils have a limited understanding of authors’ styles of writing and how vocabulary is used to create impact and how they might use these techniques in their own writing.
• The school’s new approach to improving the teaching of mathematics is beginning to raise standards of attainment. Although behind where they should be, pupils in key stage 2 are now producing more work and are able to write simple explanations for their answers and set out their work clearly. Pupils are gaining confidence in using mathematical apparatus, for example to calculate division and multiplication and accurately record the calculations in their mathematics books.
• Pupils talk about some of the topics they learn which have captured their interest, such as learning about the ancient Egyptians or the Second World War. They talk about the different materials they have used to create artwork and show a secure understanding of different religions. In geography and science, pupils have limited knowledge and understanding. They struggle to use the correct terminology to explain science experiments they have carried out.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils overall is good, particularly where they have received additional support because they also have SEND. Pupils who have benefited from specific intervention, and where they continue to receive high-quality teaching, are now catching up and, in some cases, making better progress than their peers in school.
• The achievement of pupils with SEND is good. Although their progress in reading, like that of the other pupils, is not as good as in writing and mathematics. Those pupils with specific learning difficulties benefit from specialised support and this, alongside good support from teaching assistants, ensures that they make good progress.

Early years provision Good

• Most children enter the early years with skills and knowledge which are below those typical for their age, particularly in speaking and language skills. Nursery and Reception children happily work together and are happy, motivated and ready to learn. Children have good relationships with adults as well as with each other.
• Over time, the large majority of children leaving the Reception Year have achieved a good level of development and are adequately prepared for key stage 1. Last year, a large proportion of children had additional needs and, while they made good progress from low starting points, a below average proportion of children reached a good level of development.
• The two leaders of the early years are passionate and knowledgeable about this stage of children’s learning. They place a strong emphasis on developing children’s language skills. The teaching of phonics is good. Children learn the basic skills of reading and apply the sounds they have learned to their spelling. Children use these skills to write a simple description of Burglar Bill or a make a list, for example when taking orders in the café or writing recipes in the mud kitchen outside.
• The teaching of mathematics is focused on acquiring early number skills and children use things that they can touch and move around, known as ‘concrete apparatus’, to demonstrate groupings and simple calculations. However, children’s records and books show that their progress is slow in moving on from using concrete apparatus to simple recording.
• Teachers use assessment well and accurately measure children’s progress and record what they can do. Activities planned for children to choose are not always sharply focused on moving learning on from these starting points. As a result, some children do not reach their full potential.
• Learning in the classroom is taken outside, where there are good opportunities to read and write or develop their physical ability by practising their basketball skills. Children behave well in both the classroom and the outside area. Children cooperate with each other, for example when building outside with the construction bricks or when comparing their results when painting on the playground surface.
• Transition arrangements are good. Effective work with the various pre-schools ensures that children are well prepared for their start in school. Leaders ensure the welfare and safety of children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 106917 Rotherham 10059033 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 154 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Paul Carney Zowie Norris 01709 760538 www.westmeltonprimary.co.uk office@westmeltonprimary.org Date of previous inspection 14–15 September 2016

Information about this school

• West Melton Junior and Infant School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Children in the early years attend part time in Nursery and full time in Reception.
• Governors have appointed a temporary deputy headteacher, who took up post at the start of this term.
• Nearly all pupils are from White British backgrounds and very few speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is well above average and is in the top 20% of schools.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND, including those with an education, health and care plan, is well above average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons in all classrooms, and some with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, they observed the teaching of small groups of pupils.
• Inspectors scrutinised some pupils’ work and listened to some pupils read. They spoke with a number of pupils about their views of school and their opinions of behaviour and safety. There were 13 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey which were considered.
• Inspectors held discussions with staff and governors and took into account the seven responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.
• Inspectors considered a wide range of school documents. These included the school’s self-evaluation report and development plan, behaviour and attendance records, governing body documents and documents relating to safeguarding and the monitoring of teachers’ performance.
• Inspectors took into account the 36 responses to Parent View, as well as the 29 parents who submitted their views to the inspection team. An inspector also spoke to parents at the start of day.

Inspection team

Karen Heath, lead inspector Richard Knowles

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector