Fairburn View Primary School, Castleford Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve pupils’ outcomes by:
  • implementing plans to improve the teaching of phonics, ensuring that more pupils get off to a better start in their reading
  • ensuring that good progress is sustained so that more pupils, including the disadvantaged and the most able, reach the standards of which they ought to be capable in reading, writing and mathematics by the time that they leave the school
  • giving pupils more opportunities to practise, in a range of subjects, the tricky mathematics problems that they get to attempt in mathematics lessons.
• Further improve leadership by:
  • making sure that leaders at all levels more precisely identify the specific impact of teaching on pupils’ learning to further improve pupils’ progress
  • filling all vacancies on the governing body with suitably skilled and experienced people who have no direct attachment to the school.
• Improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the range of cultures and faiths most represented in modern Britain.
• Improve attendance by reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent, especially disadvantaged pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, ably supported by the effective senior leadership team, has managed considerable challenges. These challenges have absorbed a great deal of time and energy since the new school opened. The headteacher has brought together the staff of two very different schools and has created a cohesive, dedicated, loyal and highly professional team. The headteacher has also managed the heavy demands that the construction of a new school building has created, while leading the infants and juniors on separate sites. These challenges slowed the rate of improvement. Improvement has accelerated substantially over the last year.
• Leaders have addressed any inadequate teaching left over following the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools. They have improved the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good. As a result, the progress of most pupils currently in the school is good. Attainment, which has been low, is rising quickly.
• Senior leaders have identified leadership potential in a largely young teaching team, and they have trained up middle leaders who are increasingly effective in their roles. Middle leaders have made a growing contribution to improvements in teaching over time. For example, the leader for humanities identified the need for greater challenge for pupils. Teachers responded. This is evident in the good quality work that inspectors saw in history and geography workbooks. The leader for English, under the direction of senior leaders, introduced a writing strategy that has proved to be highly effective in accelerating pupils’ progress in writing over the last year.
• The regular checks that leaders at all levels make on the quality of teaching have resulted in great consistency in the delivery of effective teaching strategies. Leaders have appropriately emphasised teachers’ compliance with school polices and the impact on pupils’ engagement. However, this monitoring does not often enough identify the specific impact of teaching on what pupils know, understand and can do.
• Leaders have been remiss in not tackling inconsistency early enough in the teaching of phonics. Consequently, too many pupils do not reach the required standard. However, leaders are acutely aware of where the weaknesses remain in pupils’ outcomes. They are now taking effective action.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has successfully identified a number of pupils, including some of the youngest children in Nursery, who now benefit from additional funding. The SENCo ensures that teachers plan well to help pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities to learn effectively alongside their classmates. The progress of this group has consequently quickened.
• The spending of pupil premium funding has been largely effective. For example, spending on speech and language therapy has boosted the language development of several identified pupils. The funding of an additional Nursery teacher has enhanced provision for the very youngest children. However, there remains a considerable difference between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally.
• The highly skilled leader for physical education (PE) ensures very effective use of additional government sports and PE funding. The leader checks that the needs of key groups, such as disadvantaged pupils, boys and girls are met. Pupils’ participation in sports has increased terrifically over the last few years. Consequently, their PE skills have improved. The sports and PE programmes make a big contribution to pupils’ physical well-being.
• Subject leaders have worked under the guidance of the curriculum leader to plan a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. Subject leaders check that their colleagues teach the agreed curriculum content in an appropriate way. As a result, pupils acquire broad knowledge in a wide range of subjects. This varied diet is enhanced by visits to places of interest that broaden pupils’ experience, such as visits to Magna Science Museum, Sherwood Forest, the local fire station and the theatre.
• The local authority has an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. More recently, the local authority has worked more closely with the school to offer increased challenge and support. The school benefited last year from working in partnership with other effective schools.

Governance of the school

• The few governors in post have the right skills and experience for the role. They are knowledgeable and perceptive. They understand the strengths and weaknesses in the school. They know, for example, how the pupil premium is spent and where this has been more and less effective.
• Last year, the governing body took the initiative with an external professional from the local authority to undertake a review of their work. The review identified several improvement priorities that governors have acted on. For example, governors have requested information of leaders in a format that helps them to be increasingly more challenging of leaders. Governors make no excuses for underperformance.
• There are a few unfilled vacancies on the governing body. There are too few governors who do not have direct links with the school, and this weakens accountability.

Safeguarding

• Safeguarding is effective. Leaders ensure that safeguarding checks are carried out on adults before they are employed in the school. Although all checks have been made, leaders, during the inspection, had to make corrections to omissions in the central record of these checks.
• Staff are vigilant in looking out for, and reporting, signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Leaders keep a meticulous record of these concerns. They record, in detail, all decisions and discussions with parents, pupils and external professionals so that they can be sure that everything possible is being done to help pupils in need. They are persistent in seeking external help where it is not forthcoming.
• Many staff are trained in first aid. Leaders diligently assess risks of all kinds before pupils take part in activities. Regular checks are made on fire equipment. Practice fire evacuations take place regularly. The site and building are safe and secure.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved substantially since the school opened, bringing about a quickening in the rate of pupils’ progress. Some teaching is very strong indeed. Across the school, teachers set high expectations for pupils’ learning.
• Exceptionally positive relationships between adults and pupils, along with energetic, engaging teaching, secure full involvement, concentration and hard work from pupils.
• Teachers ask questions that help pupils to think hard. They vary their questioning for pupils of different abilities. Most teachers check pupils’ learning systematically in lessons so that they can identify where pupils are struggling.
• Teachers are adept at planning for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Teachers provide extra resources and support the pupils in a way that helps them work independently, rather than always relying on help from an adult. As a result, these pupils are making good progress.
• Although teachers mostly plan work that is not too hard or too easy for pupils, sometimes they do not give the most able pupils work which is challenging enough. As a result, the proportion of pupils reaching above-average standards is variable across the school.
• Despite effective teaching in Year 5 and Year 6, resulting in the good progress of pupils over the last year in most subjects, teaching has not enabled some pupils who have fallen behind due to earlier, weaker teaching to fully catch up. Pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 are in a much better position to reach expected standards by the time that they leave school because their progress from earlier starting points has been more consistently strong.
• Teachers use a range of strategies to help pupils learn in ways that are appropriate for different subjects. For example, pupils have many opportunities to explore and investigate in science and to compare and contrast in geography. In art, pupils get to learn and practise a range of techniques using a variety of materials. Specialist PE, music and dance teaching means pupils learn well in these subjects.
• The teaching of phonics is not consistently effective in key stage 1. Despite this, an increasing proportion of pupils are making faster progress in their reading by the time they leave Year 2. Improvements in the teaching of reading in key stage 2 are now bringing about quicker progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• All adults are single-minded in helping to create a ‘can-do’ culture. They celebrate achievements and build pupils’ self-esteem and confidence. Pupils develop resilience and independence. They take pride in the presentation of their work.
• Pupils enjoy school. They are welcomed warmly each day by the staff and all are invited each day for breakfast. The day gets off to a positive start and everybody is ready to learn.
• Pupils learn how to stay safe, including when online. They know how to protect themselves from the sun and how to be safe near roads. All pupils and parents who contributed their views during the inspection are unanimous in their view that bullying is infrequent and that adults deal with it well.
• Leaders promote the spiritual, moral, and social development of pupils effectively. Pupils have some insight into how democracy works through the work of the school council. Pupils with whom inspectors spoke knew about the contributions of inspirational leaders such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Pupils largely show open-minded attitudes to different ways of living. However, too many pupils show a limited knowledge about diverse cultures and faiths represented in modern Britain.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Routines and rules are well established. All adults manage behaviour exceptionally well. Adults are consistent in the way that they enforce the rules and use sanctions. They reward pupils for good behaviour and attitudes.
• Adults actively promote positive behaviour. They behave in a way that they want pupils to behave. Consequently, pupils smile and exhibit good manners. They say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and hold doors open for each other.
• Adults are adept at working with pupils who present challenging behaviour. Staff are well trained in how to de-escalate challenging situations. The number of serious behaviour incidents is low.
• Because pupils enjoy school, most attend every day and miss very little school. Leaders work tirelessly to improve the attendance of those pupils who are persistently absent. Even so, a larger than average number of pupils miss school too often, especially those who are disadvantaged, and the school’s overall attendance rate remains below the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Teaching over the last year has brought about good progress and consistently rising attainment. However, outcomes are not yet good. This is because too few pupils have reached expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6, over time. In addition, too few pupils reach expected standards in phonics by the end of Year 1. The good and better teaching is now moving pupils’ outcomes quickly towards good.
• Attainment has been below average by the end of Year 2, but has risen year on year since the school opened. This year, attainment has risen yet again and is drawing closer to the national average in reading and writing. In mathematics, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard this year is in line with the 2017 national average. Across the school, quickening progress is resulting in rising attainment.
• Pupils are making consistently strong progress in their writing because of the effective whole-school writing strategy that is used exceptionally well by almost all teachers. Pupils are confident in composing and orally rehearsing sentences so that when they write they are adept at using a range of sentence types. Pupils in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2 have largely learned to write with accuracy and fluency. Pupils in Years 5 and 6, despite making great strides because of effective teaching, are hampered in their progress because they have not developed these skills earlier in their schooling.
• Pupils produce in their humanities, RE and science books the quality of writing that they produce in their English books. Pupils’ handwriting is universally well developed and legible. Pupils present work neatly in all their workbooks because teachers expect this of them.
• Pupils currently in the school are making good progress in mathematics because teachers help them to develop fluency with numbers and calculations. Most teachers give pupils of all abilities opportunities to develop their mathematical reasoning skills and to attempt challenging problems in mathematics lessons. However, teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to practise and apply mathematics in other subjects such as science and geography.
• The degree of challenge for the most able pupils in mathematics, science and the humanities is not always as strong as it should be. As a result, the proportion of pupils achieving above-average standards varies across the school.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities mostly make good progress because of the effective support that they receive in daily lessons across the curriculum.
• There is no trend in the achievement of disadvantaged pupils throughout the age range. In some year groups and subjects, disadvantaged pupils do as well as, or better than, other pupils. In other year groups and subjects, they do less well. There remains a considerable difference between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in the school and other pupils nationally by the end of Year 6.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders know where the strengths and weaknesses are in the early years and take effective action to improve provision. They have created an inclusive setting where they nurture, and manage well, some particularly vulnerable children with complex challenges.
• Children settle well when they join the Nursery because leaders work hard to develop a positive relationship with parents. This helps them to find out what children can and cannot do and what their interests are.
• Leaders work hard to involve parents. During the inspection, an ‘inspire’ afternoon, which involved parents busily doing activities with their children, was exceptionally well attended.
• At the beginning of each day, children settle well because adults welcome them warmly and because routines are well established. Children learn to get on well together. They behave well, following instructions for example. They are safe and they feel safe.
• Leaders have created a quality, stimulating learning environment, especially in the Nursery. Resources are arranged creatively, and children sustain interest, concentrate and challenge themselves. They choose from a range of activities that encourage them to practise reading, writing and counting.
• A strong emphasis on language development helps children to build confidence in talking. They enjoy rehearsing sentences. Adults build children’s vocabulary and ask questions that get children to think and discuss. This helps children to make good progress in communication and language from very low starting points on entry.
• The vast majority of children enter the early years with skills, knowledge and understanding below that which is typical for their age. Most children make good progress. Nevertheless, the proportion of children reaching an overall good level of development by the time they leave Reception, though generally improved over time, remains below the national average.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141961 Wakefield 10048351 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 477 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Claire Fisher Margaret Brownlee Telephone number 01977 558 350 Website Email address www.fairburnview.co.uk mbrownlee@fairburnview.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Fairburn View Primary School is an amalgamation of the former Redhill Junior School and Redhill Infant School. The school was formed as a new school in September 2015. A new building was completed in November 2016.
• The school is a larger than average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Very few speak English as an additional language.
• The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum standards of achievement set by the Department for Education.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in every class at least once. With school leaders, they examined a selection of pupils’ workbooks alongside assessment information.
• Inspectors held discussions with senior and middle leaders. The lead inspector met with two governors and with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school improvement plan and the school’s written self-evaluation. Governing body documents, notes of leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching, and safeguarding records were scrutinised.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils to find out what it is like to be a pupil at the school. They took account of the 45 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire. They observed pupils as they worked, played and had their lunch.
• Inspectors took account of the 15 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including seven written comments. Inspectors listened to the views of several parents at the beginning of the school day.
• Thirty-six responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire were considered.

Inspection team

Philip Riozzi, lead inspector Don Parker Judy Shaw Fiona Dixon Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector