South Elmsall Carlton Junior and Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning in writing by ensuring that:
  • pupils are taught how to form letters correctly and develop a confident style of handwriting
  • written work is well presented and words are accurately spelled
  • pupils are encouraged to check the accuracy of their work
  • staff always provide an accurate model of spoken and written language
  • planned writing activities do not limit the opportunities for most-able pupils to write at length
  • assessments are accurate and reflect the increased national expectations for the end of each key stage.
• Improve the attainment of boys, in particular disadvantaged boys, in reading and writing, by:
  • providing more interesting reading books and a clear purpose for writing that appeals to both boys and girls
  • tracking more carefully the attainment and progress of boys so that any slowing of progress is spotted and addressed more quickly
  • making sure that planned interventions for boys have the desired impact on reading and writing.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, supported by the deputy headteacher and governors, has secured important improvements since the last inspection. The most important are in the behaviour and safety of pupils, in the quality of teaching and in leadership.
• Together, senior leaders have successfully managed the growth of the school and created a learning environment where all pupils are well cared for and valued. Consequently, the school is a calm, welcoming and orderly learning environment, where good behaviour is the norm.
• The capacity for further improvement is strong and demonstrated in the trend of improving teaching and outcomes in the early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2. Actions taken have been well thought out and have secured improvements in teaching and learning. Teachers, including those at the early stages of their careers, receive appropriate training. A particular success has been in mathematics. Training in the national requirements for teaching mathematics and ways to add challenge for all abilities has improved the quality of teaching. Leaders correctly identify that the impact of training on the quality of teaching in writing has not been as fruitful.
• Leaders have an accurate view of what is working well. Plans for improvement indicate the main priorities and actions are clear. Success is emerging in many areas, especially in mathematics and early reading. The school’s commitment to equal opportunities is reflected in the fact that leaders have identified the need to narrow the differences in the outcomes for boys and girls.
• The system to set teachers targets based on their performance is sound and identifies the skills that teachers need to improve their work. Leaders check on the quality of teaching regularly and take action if it falls short of what is required. Underperformance is challenged and training and advice are linked to teachers’ needs so that teaching is improving. Previously identified weaknesses, including some inadequate teaching, have been eradicated.
• Leaders and managers monitor the performance of each pupil and different groups of pupils. This is starting to close gaps in attainment between the different groups of pupils and raise achievement. Leaders have correctly identified that their assessment and tracking in writing need a little more fine-tuning.
• Pupil premium funding is appropriately used to support improvements in progress and attainment for disadvantaged pupils. The work of learning mentors and the nurturing programme have helped to improve attendance and reduce persistent absenteeism. Additional adults are used effectively to work with small groups of pupils to improve their fluency and understanding in reading. Some disadvantaged boys do not always make as much progress as their peers in reading and writing.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Recent changes to include more visits are helping to add interest and purpose to learning. British values are promoted well through assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons as well as religious education lessons. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong.
• Pupils speak positively about the range of sporting opportunities available to them. They are enthusiastic about sport and understand the importance of regular exercise to healthy lifestyles. The additional money provided to improve sporting opportunities is used well and has increased participation in sport. Older pupils, for example, talk about trying hockey and netball.
• The skills of middle leaders have improved. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Where they are responsible for particular subjects, they have a clear view of strengths and areas where improvement is needed. As a result, improvements are being made to provision and outcomes.
• Senior leaders have engaged well with other local schools and the local authority. The local authority school improvement partner knows the school well and works closely with leaders to evaluate the impact of planned improvements. For example, she worked with senior staff to scrutinise the impact of training on writing across the school.
• Although the parents who spoke to inspectors had very positive views of the school, the responses to the online questionnaire showed some parents to have criticisms of the school. To some extent these reflected the findings of the inspection; that some things have improved but there is more to do.

Governance of the school

• Governors are supporting and challenging the headteacher well. They visit regularly and ask challenging questions to gain a good understanding of the work of the school and how effective it is.
• They have supported the headteacher well through a period of rapid growth. Governors understand pupils’ progress data and are ambitious for the pupils. Governors have approved the use of pupil premium funding to provide additional support for pupils and are clear about its impact.
• Governors provide both support and challenge. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities and are not afraid to ask difficult questions. In evaluating the impact of leaders, they were invited to review a selection of pupils’ written work; they were quick to demand a wider sample of work to reflect the work of all groups and not just those doing well.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff receive regular training and use this to ensure that they stay vigilant in spotting any concerns. Where needed, referrals are made promptly to the local authority and are followed up with appropriate reports.
• Leaders understand the dangers that pupils might face in the local community. They ensure that staff follow agreed routines that are designed to protect children. For example, at break- and lunchtimes, staff supervise areas effectively inside and outside. Staff qualified in first aid are available and pupils said that this helps them to feel safe.
• The ratio of staff to pupils is high. Pupils value this as they said that it helps them stay and feel safe. Pupils said that there is always someone close by to help if they have any difficulties.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Although more teaching is effective, the teaching of writing is inconsistent in its impact on pupils’ learning and progress. For example, the teaching of handwriting is variable and does not ensure that all pupils form letters correctly, and as a consequence they are not confident when writing at length.
• Not all teachers insist that written work is of a good standard. Although some teachers have high expectations and communicate these very clearly, this is not consistent. Sometimes work is of poor quality, messy and with inappropriate use of capital letters. Pupils sometimes make careless errors, such as incorrectly spelling common words that are displayed around classrooms. These errors are at times not picked up by staff, even when they are sitting next to pupils.
• The school’s planned sequence for teaching writing is largely sound. For example, pupils study a new type of text to identify its features before they go on to draft their own writing. They are encouraged to talk about the features of different types of text. However, the most able, who often quickly identify the key features of a particular style of writing, are sometimes not allowed to write when they are ready to do so. They often have to wait until other pupils have also grasped the main ideas. Although most teachers have secure subject knowledge, not all teachers and adults model the correct use of spoken and written English for pupils.
• Teachers regularly assess pupils’ writing. However, assessments are sometimes inaccurate. Although the school’s own assessments show an improving trend, this is not fully supported by the work in pupils’ books. Assessments are not securely helping teachers to identify pupils who are falling behind with their writing.
• In line with the school’s chosen approach, teachers spend time writing encouraging comments about the content of writing and often identify ways that pupils could improve their work. However, these do not securely lead to improved written work.
• Leaders have correctly identified that the learning and attainment of some boys continue to lag behind those of girls in writing and reading. Plans are being developed to address this. However, some of the actions already taken, such as providing extra resources, are not securely having a positive impact on the attainment of boys. The boys who spoke to inspectors about their work indicated that some of the books in school did not interest them and they did not understand the purpose of many of their writing tasks.
• The teaching of mathematics is effective. Work is pitched at the right level and adaptations are made to ensure that the most able are challenged and the lower ability pupils are helped with new concepts. Pupils, particularly boys, say that they like the way that challenges are presented to them.
• Good relationships between staff and pupils are used well to ensure that classrooms are calm and orderly. The expectations of pupils’ behaviour are clear and, as a consequence, pupils say that their learning is rarely disturbed by any inappropriate behaviour.
• Teachers’ questioning is mostly effective. Teachers use questions to check on pupils’ understanding and then ask further questions to deepen their thinking. This is particularly effective in mathematics lessons in key stage 2.
• Teaching of reading is effective. Teachers and other adults use their secure phonics knowledge to teach early reading skills well. Daily phonic lessons effectively develop pupils’ reading skills. Across the school, lower ability readers use their phonic skills well in order to work out unknown words. The most able readers are able to read fluently with expression and good understanding.
• Additional adults are largely used well. They make a particularly strong contribution to the teaching of early reading and the reading of lower ability pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils say that they feel safe and secure in the classrooms, around the school and outside. Pupils know that any inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with promptly. This ensures that they are able to concentrate on their learning.
• Pupils recognise that the school has improved and they identify that staff help everyone, including the pupils who sometimes find it difficult to concentrate because of issues unrelated to school. The use of the nurture room and the well-structured programme of guidance and support for vulnerable pupils is particularly effective at engaging reluctant learners. This has contributed to improved attendance, which is now average.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare. Although a few pupils confuse falling out and disagreements with bullying, they are confident that staff respond to their concerns. Older pupils talk with confidence about the need to treat everyone equally and fairly. They have discussed sensitive subjects within their lessons. For example, they discussed incidents of racism along with the recent referendum on leaving the European Union.
• Pupils have a good understanding of British democracy. This was helped by a recent visit from the mayor of Wakefield. As a consequence, pupils are familiar with the role of mayor and have some understanding of politics.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders have ensured that policies are clear and well understood. Consequently, over the last two years, behaviour has improved. Exclusions are rare and pupils say that the school is a happy place to learn and play.
• Pupils enjoy playing in the playground because they are well supervised and there are activities for them to do, such as skipping and playing football. They develop good social skills.
• Pupils move around the school safely. Breaktimes and lunchtimes take place at differing times for different parts of the school. It is a credit to all that when they are in lessons, pupils are not distracted by the movement of other groups into or out of the playgrounds or the dining room.
• Pupils’ attendance has improved over the past two years. The attendance rate for all pupils is now similar to the national average. Although persistent absence rates remain above average, the school’s work has led to a decline in such absence. Overall, all of the different groups of pupils attend well, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are effective in supporting parents to ensure that their children are punctual and attend regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• From their different starting points, pupils’ progress and attainment are inconsistent. Although improving, progress and attainment in writing lag behind progress and attainment in reading and mathematics. Pupils’ variable skills in writing mean that they are not well prepared for their next stage of education. Pupils currently in key stage 2 still have gaps in their writing skills as a result of weaker teaching in previous years. This means that they still have ground to catch up in order for them to reach the required standards at the end of their time at the school.
• Written work is not always well presented. Pupils do not secure a legible style of handwriting by the time they are in key stage 2. In part this is because in the early years and key stage 1, the teaching of handwriting has not securely led to all pupils being able to form letters correctly.
• Although there is a clear trend of improvement across the school, the attainment and progress of boys lag behind those of girls. This is particularly the case in writing and to a lesser degree in reading. Although this has been identified and each phase of the school has an action plan to tackle the differences in outcomes between the genders, improvements have been less rapid for boys.
• Outcomes in the early years have improved year on year over the last three years so that most children leave the Reception classes with a good level of development. They make particularly strong gains in their personal and social skills. Despite these improvements, boys do not do as well as girls, particularly in reading and writing.
• Outcomes in the Year 1 national phonics check on pupils’ skills at recognising letters and the sounds associated with them have improved over the last two years because of improvements to teaching. A scheme to teach systematic synthetic phonics is being followed and has contributed to the improved outcomes. However, some boys do not do as well as girls.
• Outcomes for pupils at the end of Year 2 have shown steady improvement but with some differences between boys and girls.
• Over time, disadvantaged pupils have made similar and sometimes better rates of progress as their peers. However, when compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally, they have not attained as well. Few disadvantaged most-able pupils attain well in reading or writing. Although numbers are small and this reflects these pupils’ often very low starting points, leaders know that more needs to be done for this important group.
• Pupils are now making much better progress than in recent years, with progress in reading and mathematics the strongest. Effective teaching of early reading has led to pupils securing the reading skills they need to read often and widely in key stage 2. This has enabled them to gain more information from their reading in other subjects, such as history, geography and science. As a result, pupils generally progress well in these subjects.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress in reading and mathematics, but their progress and attainment in writing require improvement, reflecting the issues in the school as a whole. The support pupils receive with emotional, social and behavioural needs is particularly effective within the nurture programme. Similarly, the targeted support for pupils falling behind with their phonic skills is effective. When working with individual pupils, staff are highly skilled at modelling the correct pronunciation of sounds and insisting on the correct reading of words.
• The attainment and progress of the small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language mirror those of other pupils at the school. Consequently, their reading and mathematics tend to be better than their writing.

Early years provision Good

• Children get a good start to their education and are well prepared for the next stage of education. The early years unit is well led and managed and teaching is effective. The early years leader ensures that children settle well into routines and all of the staff foster good relationships with children and their parents.
• Teachers and other members of staff provide a stimulating and safe learning environment for children. Resources are well planned and activities chosen to develop all children. For example, the introduction of more activities designed to improve children’s hand–eye coordination means that they are able to undertake both fine tasks using pencils as well as large tasks using the hands. However, not all children are able to form letters correctly.
• Improvements to the curriculum, including a sharper focus on early reading skills, have contributed to further improvements in outcomes for children. From their well-below typical starting points when they join, children make good progress and most secure a good level of development ready to start in Year 1. Assessments of children when they join are accurate and are used to identify any children with specific needs, such as speech or language development delays. Although the progress of all groups of children is good overall, girls tend to do better than boys in reading and writing.
• Relationships with parents are strong. Parents who spoke to inspectors had only praise for the staff and all were entirely positive about their children’s experiences and progress. Children are safe and happy in the unit; they enjoy coming to school and display increasing concentration.
• The early years leader has a clear understanding of the strengths of the unit and has developed an action plan to improve the provision and outcomes for boys. For example, staff have provided more activities to appeal to boys. However, sometimes these activities do not sustain children’s interest or lead to improved writing.
• Staff’s use of open-ended questions requires children to think and answer questions. However, some staff do not provide sufficient time for children to answer questions and there is a tendency of some staff to allow girls to answer the majority of questions. ‘Learning journeys’ document the progress made by each child during their time in the unit. These show accurate observations and assessments of children’s progress.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 130866 Wakefield 10019745 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 436 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Wendy Evans Craig Mills 01977 643129 www.carltonjandischool.co.uk headteacher@carlton.wakefield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 18 September 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school has grown rapidly over the last two years. It is larger than the average-sized primary school. The very large majority of pupils are of White British heritage, with a small proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is above that found nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to the national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school provides a daily breakfast club for pupils.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited 16 lessons or parts of lessons, three of which were observed jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They looked at a range of pupils’ work and conducted a detailed scrutiny of written work accompanied by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Displays around the school and in classrooms were also examined. Inspectors heard a number of pupils from Years 1 and 3 read.
• Meetings took place with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff, groups of pupils, the chair of the governing body, other governors and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors observed playtime and lunch breaks and attended a whole-school assembly. Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s data on pupils’ progress and records relating to pupils’ behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.
• Inspectors took into account 24 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also spoke informally with some parents. Inspectors took into account a small number of letters written to inspectors by parents. The views of staff and pupils were also considered.

Inspection team

Amraz Ali, lead inspector Andrew Soutar Mary Lanovy-Taylor

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector