Stradbroke Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that leaders continue to raise standards and further accelerate progress by: increasing opportunities for pupils to work at greater depth and reach higher standards, particularly in reading developing the provision in the outdoor areas in the early years, with a particular focus on improving progress for boys working effectively with pupils and their families to reduce the rate of persistent absence improving communications with parents and carers.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The experienced executive headteacher has provided stability for the school through a period of turbulence. His guidance and support for the acting headteacher and governors has meant teaching and learning has continued to improve.
• The acting headteacher is adept at developing accurate plans for improvement based on an excellent understanding of what the school needs to do next. He has carefully measured the impact of actions taken and made sure that staff and governors understand these plans.
• The acting headteacher provides effective support and mentoring for the relatively new middle leadership team. Middle leaders have good subject knowledge and know what is working well and what still needs doing. They approach their roles with enthusiasm and drive to provide the best learning opportunities and outcomes for the pupils.
• Staff morale is high and there is purposeful teamwork. Newly qualified teachers have rapidly improved their teaching as a result of effective support provided by leaders. One member of staff said: ‘our school really is like a big family’.
• The work done to support disadvantaged pupils has had a positive impact on improving the progress these children make. Leaders have used funding to raise engagement and achievement for all, for example with visitors providing expertise across the curriculum, and the purchase of rewards to encourage good attendance
• Effective use of the sports funding encourages all pupils to participate in a wide variety of activities. Experienced coaches lead a range of clubs and many children take part in competitions. Excellent participation in sports events resulted in an invitation for pupils to swim with a Paralympic champion earlier this year.
• Teaching has improved since the last inspection because of robust evaluation and the impact of clearly identified actions for improvement. In a few classes, where teachers are less experienced, the quality of teaching is more variable, but effective support is in place which is helping these teachers to improve.
• A broad and engaging curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to question, reason and work practically across a wide range of subjects. The teaching of science is investigative, resulting in children deepening their learning.
• A wide range of extra-curricular activities, as well as visits, enhance the curriculum. During the inspection, Year 2 pupils went on a trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park. This followed learning about different animals and their habitats, so that they could ‘impress the zookeeper with their knowledge’.
• Teachers and leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well and pupils know what it means to live in modern Britain. Philosophy lessons encourage pupils to think, speak and share their ideas openly.
• Parents are generally pleased with the school and say that their children enjoy school life. However, some are worried about the quick changes in leadership and many feel that they would like better communication. Parents are not always clear about how well their child is doing and how best to support them.
• Adults make sure children learn about life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to take part in events to further their learning. For example, pupils took part in a discussion and debate during the Brexit campaign, resulting in a mock vote. Pupils developed their knowledge of events in history and how these have an impact on our lives today, for example through their creation of a poppy garden to mark Remembrance Day.

Governance of the school

• Governors want the best for all pupils. They have worked with senior leaders to create high ambition across the school.
• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and the work taken to improve.
• The governing body provide effective challenge and support to leaders. They use information from senior leaders’ detailed reports to carefully check that outcomes for children are improving.
• Governors have a good understanding of how the pupil premium and school sports funding are used. For example, how targeted support for disadvantaged pupils in phonics has improved the progress they are making. The regular monitoring of the school improvement plan shows that governors challenge leaders about the way in which additional funding is spent and the impact it is having.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Vulnerable pupils are a priority. Staff meet weekly to focus on children’s individual learning and emotional needs to make sure they make progress.
• The school works effectively with other agencies and records concerns and actions carefully.
• Leaders have made sure that everyone understands safeguarding policies and procedures; these have become part of the school culture. Staff receive regular training updates.
• Pupils say they feel safe and 95% of parents in the parents’ questionnaire said that their children feel safe at school.
• A learning support mentor and the welfare officer have started to address the school’s concerns over persistent absence and punctuality, which is resulting in an improvement in overall attendance.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers effectively check on pupils’ learning during lessons and pupils’ work to make sure that they know how to improve.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Pupils make better progress in phonics than at the time of the last inspection as a result of thorough training for teachers and teaching assistants and the reorganisation of lessons.
• Effective phonics teaching has had a clear impact on pupils’ reading. Less-able pupils can decode new words well, which is helping them to read with greater fluency. Most-able pupils read confidently, with animation and expression, though their comprehension and reasoning about the books they read is less developed.
• The teaching of mathematics has improved over time. Pupils are productive in lessons and respond to teachers’ feedback. Teachers ensure that pupils have opportunities to deepen their understanding in carefully sequenced lessons. Regular practice each day engages pupils in testing out previous learning.
• In science lessons, pupils are encouraged to predict, test and reason through a variety of practical activities. This enables teachers to challenge and stretch pupils in their thinking.
• Teachers know the needs of their pupils well and use the school assessment systems accurately to ensure that their pupils make at least good progress. They address any differences in gender and ability well through their teaching, but in some classes there is not enough challenge for the most able pupils.
• Training has enabled teaching assistants to have a bigger impact on the progress pupils are making. Effective questioning from teaching assistants helps pupils rapidly improve their learning.
• The school encourages opportunities for all. Teachers understand the different starting points for boys and girls when they enter the Reception class. As a result of effective teaching, these differences are diminishing by the time pupils leave school at the end of key stage 2.
• Pupils have a positive view of homework. A variety of topic activities are set each term as well as regular spelling and reading tasks. Homework helps pupils to practise their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• A variety of lessons and activities ensure that pupils understand how to keep safe. Pupils say they feel safe and know what to do if they have a concern, for example regarding internet safety or the use of inappropriate or hurtful language.
• The school successfully promotes pupils’ aspirations. For example, pupils dressed as though they were in the job that they see themselves in as adults, as part of Children in Need. Some pupils received invitations to an awards ceremony with Sheffield Children’s University as a result of this work.
• Pupils say incidents of bullying are rare. They take part in anti-bullying activities in class and feel confident in the support given from adults.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils have a positive attitude to learning. In class, pupils are purposeful and on task.
• The school successfully places a strong emphasis on pupils taking responsibility for their own behaviour, as well as teaching them to encourage the best behaviour from others. Elected squad leaders in Year 6 are the first port of call for pupils who have minor problems or disputes. The squad leaders have a good awareness of when they need to seek adult support. Pupils are proud to be squad leaders and take their responsibility seriously.
• Attendance overall has improved and is now broadly in line with the national average, but the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent remains above average. The education welfare officer has worked successfully with the most vulnerable pupils to ensure that they attend regularly. Pupils in the integrated resource have fewer days off school than other pupils overall. However, a high proportion of pupils who receive support for special needs and/or disabilities are still absent from school too often. Not all pupils get to school on time, and this can affect learning at the very start of the day.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The progress pupils make from their starting points on entry to school has improved since the last inspection. Work in pupils’ books, lesson observations and the school’s own assessments and tracking show good progress over time in all subjects and key stages.
• At the end of each key stage in 2016, the attainment of pupils was in line with or better than national figures in every subject. Progress of pupils in reading and mathematics at key stage 2 was significantly above national average, though not as many more able pupils reached the higher standard in reading. In writing the progress of pupils was in line with the national average, though not as many pupils achieved the higher standard from their high starting points.
• At the end of key stage 1 in 2016, pupils’ outcomes were above national average. Pupils made good progress from their starting points, reflecting improvements in teaching and careful planning to meet individual needs.
• In phonics at the end of Year 1 pupils’ outcomes were in line with national average, an improvement for most pupils over the last two years. This is due to focused training resulting in improvements to teaching. Disadvantaged pupils did not do as well as other pupils nationally at the end of the year, but the progress of these pupils since then has been rapid.
• Teachers challenge most able pupils at key stage 2 to achieve higher standards through effective questioning in mathematics and science. This needs to be further developed in reading throughout school and in mathematics reasoning at key stage 1 so that more pupils can achieve higher standards.
• Overall, the difference in progress between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally has diminished significantly and at the end of key stage 2 these pupils made better progress than other pupils nationally in all subjects.
• Girls still do better than boys in early years and key stage 1, but boys make good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress from their individual starting points. This is due to strong leadership, well-monitored individual plans and appropriate learning activities.

Early years provision Good

• Most children start school with skills and knowledge that are below what is typical for their age. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception has increased and is now in line with that found nationally.
• Adults in ‘Little Teds’, the provision for 2 year olds, provide a very positive start to school life. They have created a welcoming and supportive environment where each individual’s needs are carefully addressed, resulting in strong progress.
• Highly effective teaching in Nursery means that more children are now entering the Reception classes in line with other children nationally. Adults constantly model the use of language, quickly impacting on pupils’ development of effective communication skills.
• Children make strong progress from their starting points. Boys have a lower starting point than girls on entry to Reception. Both girls and boys make better progress than that seen nationally by the end of Reception, but girls do so at a faster pace, meaning that the difference between boys and girls widens.
• Leadership of the early years is strong. The leader adapts the provision to meet the children’s learning needs. The early years pupil premium grant has been used effectively to support children in their start to school. This includes the organisation of a family den-building event. Adults also create packs of fun activities focused on basic skills for parents to do with their children at home.
• Classrooms in the early years are enticing. The indoor space is well organised and areas of learning provide a wealth of opportunities for children to develop their skills, including in English and mathematics. Carefully planned resources and activities address the learning needs of all children. The outdoor area does not provide the same opportunities for children to explore and extend their learning.
• Adults’ work successfully to engage parents in learning before their children start school, for example in the family den making project. Throughout Nursery, parents can access and add to their child’s detailed learning records. Children make progress because adults make regular checks on their learning.
• All adults in the early years create an environment which is safe, secure and nurturing. Children are confident to try new things and are not worried about making mistakes. They know adults will reassure them and support them in their learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107093 Sheffield 10019709 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 Maintained 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 487 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Acting headteacher of school Executive headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Hayley Wilson Mr John Sitch Mr Martin Fallon 01142 399320 www.stradbrokeprimary.uk enquiries@stradbroke.sheffield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 October 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Stradbroke Primary School is a larger than average primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium is higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The substantive deputy headteacher is currently the acting headteacher of the school.
• An executive headteacher supports the school.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics.
• The school has a nursery and a separate provision for 2-year-olds. Children attend these settings part time.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in a range of lessons or parts of lessons.
• Inspectors looked at pupil’s work in a range of subjects. Inspectors looked at English and mathematics books alongside middle leaders.
• Together with senior leaders, inspectors looked at pupils’ progress data, information about the performance of teachers, documents relating to behaviour and safety and documents relating to safeguarding.
• Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, the headteacher, middle leaders, the education welfare officer, representatives of the governing body, a representative from ‘Learn Sheffield’ and groups of pupils.
• Inspectors heard pupils read.
• Inspectors spoke to parents at the beginning of the day. They also considered the views of 38 parents on Parent View and 18 responses on Parent Text

Inspection team

Kate Rowley, lead inspector Lesley Butcher Andrew Soutar

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector