Sharrow Nursery, Infant and Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Extend and deepen work in subjects other than English and mathematics to make sure that pupils build and apply age-appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding.
• Further improve the quality of teaching and learning across the school, by:
  • making sure that the most able pupils are provided with work that challenges them to achieve as well as they can
  • improving comprehension skills through developing pupils’ understanding of a wide range of vocabulary in different contexts.
• Ensure that a greater proportion of pupils attain the expected standards for their age at the end of each key stage in reading, writing and mathematics.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders have sustained a good quality of education over time. They have a strong, clear vision for the future of this inclusive school. Leaders are very ambitious and have high expectations for the pupils in their care. Self-evaluation is thorough and is used well to select priorities for further improvement. These priorities are addressed through a series of clear action plans.
• Leaders are keen to share and develop their expertise through their work with other schools as part of the Sheaf Cooperative Learning Trust. Leaders at all levels work collaboratively with leaders in other schools in the trust on a regular basis.
• Leaders make regular checks on the quality of teaching and learning by observing lessons and looking at pupils’ work. Strengths and areas for development are identified and teachers are given feedback to help them further improve their work. Areas for development are also collated to help leaders to plan for future coaching sessions and training sessions in staff meetings.
• In mathematics, leaders have made sure that teaching strategies have been carefully considered and developed. These have been demonstrated and explained to teachers so that these approaches are the norm across the school. Outcomes in mathematics are improving across key stages 1 and 2.
• The leader for English has a strong subject knowledge and can show the impact of recent actions on pupils’ writing, especially for the most able. Reading has been identified as an area for improvement and although there is an action plan in place, there is a lack of clarity about how to judge effectiveness in this subject area.
• Staff, including those in the early stages of their careers, feel valued. They say that leaders use professional development well to encourage, challenge and support their improvement. Staff say that they are trusted to take risks and innovate in ways that are right for the pupils.
• The school’s curriculum ensures a broad coverage of subjects and provides pupils with a range of first-hand experiences. However, there is little evidence of the development of skills, knowledge and understanding in subjects other than English and mathematics.
• Teachers promote British values and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well. Pupils have regular opportunities to discuss topics such as gender stereotyping and to debate questions such as, ‘Does money make people happy?’
• The leadership of SEND is very effective. Staff have been coached and are skilled in identifying the nature of pupils’ needs. A range of effective interventions is in place, which results in good progress for these pupils.
• Leaders consider research findings to help inform teaching for pupils, supported by pupil premium funding. Learning is carefully planned to meet the needs of each individual, resulting in a positive impact on outcomes for pupils at the end of key stage 2.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport funding has been used effectively. Pupils engage enthusiastically with a broad range of clubs and competitive sporting opportunities.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is an extremely strong, effective team. Governors know the school well and can list its many strengths. They know what the school is working on to bring about further improvement. They use their regular visits to help them to check the impact of leaders’ actions.
• Governors support school leaders in many ways. For example, a governor leads the parent council to help parents to engage with the school. Governors also provide effective challenge. For example, they challenged leaders to make sure that opportunities for collaboration with other schools included all staff and governors.
• Governors are clear about their responsibility to ensure that the school uses the pupil premium funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. They make regular checks to make sure that spending has the maximum impact on the pupils that it is designed to support.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All policies and procedures are fit for purpose.
• Staff are well trained. Leaders have created a culture where staff are confident to report any causes of concern, no matter how small, to the designated safeguarding leader. Records show that all concerns are logged and that appropriate actions are taken in a timely manner.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school and know they can get help and support by speaking to trusted adults or by putting a note in a ‘voice box’.
• Parents and carers say that staff demonstrate a genuine commitment to pupils’ welfare and have created a safe environment where pupils thrive. One parent stated that their child is, ‘cared for to the highest standard and feels loved, safe and secure.’

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have good subject knowledge and try to use the correct terminology for each subject in their lessons. Teachers give clear explanations and use questioning well to check on pupils’ understanding and to provide challenge. Most teachers are able to anticipate pupils’ misconceptions and address them quickly.
• Pupils have some opportunities to apply their English and mathematical skills in other subjects. However, activities in many subjects across the wider curriculum lack depth and provide limited opportunities for pupils to extend their knowledge, skills and understanding.
• Pupils say that they enjoy homework tasks that are linked to the books that they are reading.
• Phonics lessons are well structured. Adults insist that pupils articulate the correct sounds. Pupils are given regular opportunities to apply their developing phonic skills by reading and writing words and sentences. Books are well matched to pupils’ phonic ability.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ conduct. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and take pride in their work. They respond to suggestions for improvements made by their teachers and carry out corrections diligently. Most pupils show resilience and persevere with challenging activities.
• Parents say that they are given the right level of information about the progress that their children are making, the standards that they reach and the things they need to do to improve further.
• Pupils are taught higher level reading skills such as inference and deduction. However, the effectiveness of this work is limited by pupils’ lack of understanding of a wide range of vocabulary. In some classes, unfamiliar words are explored and taught before books are read. This helps pupils to read with understanding. This is not consistent across the school.
• Staff work very closely together in year-group teams. Teachers and teaching assistants know their pupils well and are keen to cater well for their individual needs. Support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND is effective in helping them to progress as well as their peers. Most work is pitched at the right level for different groups of pupils in English and mathematics. However, in some classes, the level of challenge for the most able is too low. This prevents this group of pupils from making the progress of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Senior leaders ensure that the well-being of everyone in school is a key priority. The school is an integral part of the community and leaders know pupils and their families very well. The school has a true open-door policy, inviting pupils and their families into school each morning for free bagels. As a result, the school is extremely well placed to provide effective help and support whenever it is needed.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe from a very young age. They can talk confidently about how to stay safe in different situations, such as when riding their bikes, crossing the road or using the internet.
• Vulnerable pupils are exceptionally well supported. For example, a group of key stage 2 girls are invited to become ‘Adventure Girls’. They are then able to take part in a range of activities and visits designed to build their self-esteem and confidence.
• Pupils say that there is no bullying in their school, but are confident that adults in school are there to listen if they had any concerns. There is a culture of respect which permeates through the school, helping to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Some pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities, such as representing the views of their peers on the school council. Representatives are elected, giving pupils an understanding of the democratic process through first-hand experience.
• Pupils have a wealth of knowledge about healthy lifestyles. They can talk with understanding about how the breakfast club promotes healthy eating and how after-school sports clubs and a holiday club give them extra opportunities to be active.
• The curriculum is enhanced by a range of visits, visitors and experiences which are used to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well. Some pupils stated that they will never forget the fantastic day they spent as pirates, saying that they even ate seaweed.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. During the inspection, pupils’ conduct in lessons, at breaktimes and around school was impeccable.
• Pupils are polite, well mannered and friendly. They show respect for adults and each other.
• Behaviour logs show that the very few incidents of difficult behaviour are dealt with swiftly by staff.
• In lessons, pupils show high levels of concentration. They cooperate well with their peers to complete shared tasks and to support each other’s learning.
• Leaders use a range of strategies to promote good attendance. As a result, attendance levels compare favourably with the national averages for the previous year. Few pupils miss school frequently.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Good teaching and the strong ethos of care enable pupils from all year groups to make good progress from generally low starting points. By the end of key stage 2, progress rates in reading reflect those seen nationally, while in writing and mathematics, progress has been above average for the last two years. This good progress is contributing to rising standards.
• Attainment in mathematics at the end of key stage 1 is steadily increasing and the proportion of pupils reaching the greater depth standard in 2018 was above the national average. However, attainment in reading and writing has declined over three years.
• At the end of key stage 1 in 2018, the proportions of pupils reaching expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics remained below average, though in mathematics this was less marked and greater proportions reached the greater depth standard than seen nationally.
• At the end of key stage 2 in 2018, an average proportion of pupils reached the expected standard for their age in writing, while in mathematics, attainment at both the expected and higher standards was above average. By contrast, however, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading was below average.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the required standard in phonics in Year 1 has increased over time and has been above the national average for two years. In 2018, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching the required standard was very close to that of other pupils nationally.
• Senior leaders carefully track the progress of all individuals and groups of pupils in school through regular meetings with teachers. If any pupil is found to be making slower than expected progress, they are then given additional support to help them catch up.
• The good teaching and care for pupils with SEND help them make good progress in line with that of other pupils. Those pupils with the most complex needs make slower progress from their different starting points.
• The attainment of disadvantaged pupils is sometimes above that of other pupils in the school. In 2018, at the end of key stage 1, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics was above that of other pupils in the school. In 2018, at the end of key stage 2, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard and higher standard in reading and writing was close to that for other pupils nationally.
• Pupils have opportunities to read widely and often, and most say that they enjoy reading. One key stage 2 pupil said, ‘Reading is a hobby… I can indulge in a book.’ However, many pupils have difficulty understanding the meaning of words, especially in different contexts. Pupils are able to use their phonic knowledge to sound out words, but in some cases this is rather laboured and leads to over-mechanical reading that limits understanding.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders are enthusiastic and have high expectations of what children can achieve. They know the strengths and weaknesses of the children in their care and strive to provide for their individual needs. Adults are quick to react to steer learning in supportive and appropriately challenging ways.
• Adults work together well as a cohesive team. They all have opportunities for professional development and constantly analyse their practice to search for more effective ways of doing things.
• Relationships between adults and children are strong. As a result, children’s behaviour is excellent. At whatever stage children enter the setting, they quickly learn to understand the class routines and the behaviour that is expected of them. Children learn how to listen to adults and to each other. This is clearly demonstrated by the way they share equipment when playing together.
• There are rich opportunities for learning, both indoors and outside. Children are engaged in their learning and sustain concentration, whether they are working in adult- led groups or on child-initiated tasks. Adults use questioning well to provide challenge.
• Phonics is taught systematically. Adults have good subject knowledge and identify children’s misconceptions quickly. Children have opportunities to practise and apply their phonics skills daily in reading and writing. Adults carefully model letter formation and encourage children to check their work carefully.
• Parents explained that they always feel welcomed and supported by staff. The school helps parents in many ways, including running workshops to help with practical issues such as toilet training and the use of dummies.
• All statutory welfare requirements are met. Staff have a clear understanding of policies and procedures and are confident in reporting any concerns they may have. Staff share safety reminders with children, and through their questioning, alert them to risks and how to manage these.
• Children, in general, enter early years with skills, dispositions and attributes below those typical for their age. By the end of Reception, almost all children have made good gains in their learning. Leaders have selected priorities for further development by analysing assessment information thoroughly. Current action plans focus on identified weaknesses in children’s outcomes in mathematics and speaking. Improvement strategies correctly focus on ensuring that more children are well prepared for the next stage of learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 134302 Sheffield 10053768 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 Foundation 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 512 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Emily Pickles Evelyn Abram 0114 255 1704 www.sharrow.sheffield.sch.uk info@sharrow.sheffield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6 February 2018

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school was in the top 20% of all schools in 2018 for the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The school has 14 out of a possible 17 ethnic groups.
• The proportion of pupils known to be disadvantaged is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is similar to the national average.
• The school runs breakfast, after-school and holiday clubs.
• The school works collaboratively with other schools as part of the Sheaf Cooperative Learning Trust.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups. Some of the observations were undertaken jointly with leaders.
• Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books alongside senior and middle leaders.
• An inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair.
• A range of documents were scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation document, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings, records of checks on teaching and learning, and attendance and safeguarding information.
• Inspectors met formally with groups of pupils and heard pupils read.
• Discussions took place with staff about the support and professional development that they receive.
• Inspectors considered the views of parents by meeting informally at the start of the school day and through 31 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

Inspection team

Chris Cook, lead inspector Mark Randall Christine Turner

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector