South Kirkby Common Road Infant and Nursery School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in both the early years and key stage 1 so that pupils make good progress, particularly in mathematics and writing, by making sure that:
  • assessments of children’s skills on entry to the early years accurately record what children can do and are used effectively to track progress through the school
  • information from assessing pupils is used consistently well to match activities to the varying needs and abilities of different groups of pupils, especially to challenge the most able pupils in mathematics
  • expectations of what pupils can achieve and of pupils’ presentation of their work are consistently high
  • pupils’ basic use of English grammar, punctuation and spelling and the standard of handwriting are improved
  • pupils are given more opportunities to use and apply their phonic skills in their work across the various curriculum subjects.
• Improve the impact of leadership and management by making sure that:
  • information from tracking pupils’ attainment and progress is used effectively and rigorously to accurately evaluate the school’s performance, especially how well different groups of pupils are doing
  • plans for improvement detail precisely how leaders and governors intend to measure the impact of their actions on improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes
  • the pupil premium funding is used effectively so that differences in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally diminish quickly
  • the skills of the governing body are strengthened further so that it is able to more effectively hold leaders to account for the school’s performance
  • pupils’ attendance improves, especially those who are regularly absent. An external review of the pupil premium should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, considerable turbulence in staffing has had a detrimental impact on the quality of education provided. This has slowed the school’s rate of improvement. Although some improvements are evident, there is still much to do to ensure that teaching is consistently good and that pupils make good progress in both the early years and in key stage 1, especially in writing and in mathematics. Leaders are also yet to ensure that pupils attend school regularly enough and show consistently good attitudes to their learning.
• Leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching have not resulted in consistently good teaching. They have not accurately used information from assessing pupils, to find out how well different groups of pupils are doing. As a result, leaders’ evaluations of the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils have been overgenerous. Although systems to check teaching and track pupils’ progress are improving, they are not yet effective.
• Leaders and governors know what needs to improve. However, the school’s plans for improvement lack the necessary detail to pinpoint precisely how and when this will be achieved and how the impact of their work will be measured, such as on outcomes for pupils.
• Leaders and governors have not ensured that the pupil premium funding has been spent effectively. As a result, progress of disadvantaged pupils lags behind other pupils nationally and, overall, disadvantaged pupils are not achieving as well as they should. Leaders are yet to ensure that differences in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally are narrowed quickly.
• Additional funding to support pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is spent appropriately. However, the quality of support is variable between classes and, therefore, progress is not consistently good.
• Leaders ensure that the primary PE and sports funding is used well to provide a range of sporting activities, including football and fitness. Pupils understand the importance of being fit and healthy and enjoy regular physical activity, including the active breakfast club. They have a wide range of healthy snacks available during the day, including fresh fruit and water.
• The curriculum incorporates all of the subjects that it should. Educational visits and the use of visitors to school add moments of inspiration and engagement within the wider curriculum, which captures pupils’ imagination. There is a very strong emphasis within the curriculum on developing pupils’ reading and writing skills. However, there are still some gaps in pupils’ skills in these areas that need further improvement. For example, pupils do not have enough opportunities to use and apply their phonic skills in their work across the various curriculum subjects.
• The school draws on a range of external support, with growing success. This includes frequent visits from the local authority school improvement partner, support for governors and moderation of early years and end of key stage assessments. Local authority reports identify clear and accurate priorities for improvement but this is yet to result in teaching and outcomes that are consistently good.
• Over half of the parents who responded to the online questionnaire indicated that they would not recommend the school. Some expressed concerns to inspectors about the impact of the large number of staffing changes in recent years on the quality of education offered. However, most parents are confident that their children are safe and happy at school. Inspectors agree.

Governance of the school

• Over time, governors have not challenged school leaders effectively to ensure that they have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance. They have been too reliant on information provided by the headteacher, which has been overgenerous in its evaluation.
• Following the publication of the findings of a recent governor review, governors now have a better understanding of what needs to be improved and are committed to driving these improvements with advice and support from external partners. Effective support and training from the local authority, for example, is helping governors to strengthen their skills further so that they carry out their clearly defined roles and responsibilities fully effectively.
• Governors are well aware that pupils’ attendance is too low and that outcomes by the end of Year 2 are below average. They now have a better understanding of the variances in achievement of different groups of pupils, such the weaker performance of boys and most able pupils. They are also well aware that, over time, the pupil premium funding has not had an effective impact on improving the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. However, they are yet to effectively hold the school to account for making sure gaps in the achievement of these different groups are closed quickly.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have established a strong safeguarding culture and take care to ensure that every pupil at South Kirkby Common Road Infant and Nursery School is kept safe.
• Leaders make sure that the school’s physical environment is orderly and safe, with all adults entering through a secure entrance. Adults’ identity is checked at reception as they enter the school, and the site is secure.
• Leaders make sure that checks on staff are carried out and recorded carefully in a timely manner. Leaders ensure that staff receive up-to-date training in all aspects of safeguarding. Consequently, they are knowledgeable about the signs to look for that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Regular visitors to the school could also explain the procedures if concerned about the welfare of a child or adult at the school.
• Staff spoken to during the inspection also showed a good understanding of what to look for that may raise concerns. Pupils’ records show that leaders are rigorous in following up any issues with external agencies where necessary. The behaviour for learning manager is working hard with some parents to improve their children’s attendance; however, with some, this is having limited impact.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• There has been too much variability in the quality of teaching over time. Consequently, too few pupils have made the progress necessary to bring their standards in mathematics and writing up to national expectations by the end of Year 2. Although the quality of teaching is now improving, leaders acknowledge that historic weak and inconsistent teaching has held the progress of some pupils back. Inconsistencies in teaching remain.
• In the early years, arrangements to assess children’s skills when they start school have not been fully effective. They have not provided teachers and leaders with reliable information about what children know and can do, and to be able to accurately measure their progress in their learning through the year groups. While actions to address this are underway, further work is needed.
• In both the early years and in key stage 1, information from assessing pupils is not used consistently well to ensure that tasks match the varying needs and abilities of different groups of pupils. For some pupils, especially the most able, work lacks challenge. Pupils repeat what they already know or can do. Pupils are not able to develop the skills necessary to enable them to meet the higher standards they are capable of. This is particularly the case in mathematics.
• Expectations of pupils’ presentation in their writing or mathematics books are not always high enough. Some pupils do not take enough pride in their work and do not present it to the standard they are capable of. Pupils’ writing books, for example, show that the school’s agreed approaches for referring to a ‘writing checklist’ and ‘non-negotiables’ are not adhered to by all staff.
• The quality of teaching of English grammar, spelling and punctuation and handwriting is variable. Pupils receive helpful guidance on how to include language to make their writing more interesting. However, there are too few resources to assist or prompt pupils to extend their vocabulary and improve their spelling further. Samples of writing showed that pupils, particularly those who are not yet working at the expected standard for their age, have gaps in knowledge and skills in the basic use of punctuation, and the standard of handwriting is not yet high enough.
• Reading has a high profile throughout the school. There are numerous ways in which the school encourages pupils to read, such as choosing stories that appeal to pupils and encouraging regular reading at home. As a result of this focus on reading, outcomes are typically in line with the national average.
• In phonics sessions, pupils are given many good opportunities to read, write and say letters and their sounds. However, opportunities to reinforce their phonic skills and learning when pupils are undertaking work in their reading and writing, as well as in other subjects, are sometimes missed, as pupils lack the confidence to use these skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• The school offers opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles such as playground buddies and librarians, which they enjoy. They also vote for and elect school councillors, which is a good introduction to democracy. Pupils, however, do not always persevere with their work, giving up too readily. They lose concentration and there are times when this slows learning. The quality of work pupils produce is not always the best it can be, as pupils do not always take pride in what they are doing and this is not consistently reinforced by adults.
• The school is generally a calm place to learn. Although interruptions do occur in class, they are usually managed effectively by staff. Overall attitudes to learning require improvement.
• The school is inclusive and generally provides a caring environment for pupils. Pupils say that they feel safe at school. They are able to name whom they would turn to if they had a safeguarding concern. Pupils are usually happy and polite, and most know how to keep themselves safe in and around the school, including when they use computers.
• The school’s work with outside agencies is effective and there are well-established systems in place to offer help and support to pupils and their families. This is helping to improve the school’s work to address the welfare needs of pupils who require support.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Attendance, overall, is declining. The school, including the behaviour for learning manager, are working hard to promote attendance by working with families and providing regular updates in newsletters. However, although attendance is improving for some, a higher than average proportion of pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, are persistently absent, thus impacting on progress and outcomes.
• Pupils say that instances of bullying do occur, although they are infrequent. They understand and can talk about the different forms of bullying, and they know they can trust adults to ‘sort this out’. The use of ‘worry bins’ helps children pass on their worries to adults.
• There have been a number of exclusions this academic year, and exclusions over time have been higher than nationally, which would indicate that behaviour is not good. Any exclusions have been dealt with in line with the statutory guidance.
• A number of parents and staff expressed their concern at pupils’ standard of behaviour and some had concerns about incidents of bullying. Comprehensive checks of records were made and, while there are recorded incidents, these are dealt with appropriately, in accordance with school policy and statutory guidance.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• From their starting points, children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 do not make good progress, especially in mathematics and writing. By the end of Year 2, standards of attainment are average in reading but are below average in mathematics and in writing. In these subjects, too few reach or exceed the expected standards. Leaders accept that pupils’ progress has been held back by a lack of continuity in teaching and a legacy of weak teaching over time.
• The most able pupils do not reach the standards they are capable of achieving, especially in mathematics. Tasks set are not challenging enough to enable these pupils to reach their full potential.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported sensitively by the individual and additional adult support they receive. However, this support is not sufficiently focused on improving the progress these pupils make and, as a result, these pupils do not achieve well.
• Published outcomes, the school’s own records, and inspection evidence, show that disadvantaged pupils do not make good progress. Over time, the pupil premium funding has not been used effectively enough to bring about rapid improvement in their achievement.
• Outcomes in mathematics and writing require improvement. A below-average proportion of pupils reach or exceed the expected standard by the end of Year 2 in these subjects. A new approach to teaching mathematics has been recently introduced in order to improve outcomes; however, this has not yet had a full impact. Too often, work in mathematics lacks challenge. Opportunities to develop pupils’ mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills are sometimes overlooked.
• In writing, some pupils’ skills are underdeveloped. Standards in the basic use of English grammar, punctuation and spelling and their handwriting are not high enough. Samples of writing show that pupils, particularly those who are not yet working at the expected standard for their age, are not making good progress. Pupils do not always present their written work to a good standard.
• Pupils do better in reading and for many, from their starting points, progress is good. By the end of Year 2, most reach the expected standards of attainment and the proportion doing better than this is similar to the national average. However, in 2017, a below-average proportion of pupils met the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. This requires improvement.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Many children enter Nursery with skills and abilities below those typical for their age and development, particularly in speech and language. While children develop well in some aspects of their learning, progress in the key learning areas of reading, writing and number is not good. The proportion reaching a good level of development overall by the end of the Reception Year is below average. Too few children leave the early years having made better than expected progress. Progress needs to be accelerated to enable more children to access key skills in learning in Year 1.
• Over the last few years, there have been some wide gaps in achievement between different groups of children. For example, boys have made less progress than girls from their starting points in almost all areas of learning. Outcomes for boys have been improving and, in 2016, they were similar to girls. However, in 2017, boys did not achieve well. Their skills lagged considerably behind that of the girls. Gaps also exist between the achievement of disadvantaged children in comparison with other children nationally. Variances in the achievement of different groups of children are not closing quickly enough.
• Children do not make good progress because the quality of teaching is not consistently good. Systems used to assess children’s skills, knowledge and understanding when they start school, and to record their progress, have been evolving. Work is still needed to ensure that these assessments reflect accurately what children can do and can be used as a reliable baseline on which to track children’s progress through the early years and into key stage 1.
• Teaching does not always meet the needs of the most able children. Expectations for those who can achieve more highly are sometimes too low. For example, some children revisit skills they already know and can do, such as writing their name. Furthermore, often, planned tasks lack challenge. As a result, these children are hindered from making good progress.
• Children make good progress in their personal development. They generally behave well, respect one another and engage positively in activities. Children settle quickly, sitting patiently, and enjoy being part of small group activities. They listen respectfully to one another and cooperate well when sharing resources.
• Parents make an effective contribution to children’s learning by providing evidence of what their children are doing at home, as well as supporting sessions in the provision. Parents are generally positive about the provision and the work that is being done with their children.
• Safeguarding is effective. Staff training is up to date and staff assess the potential risks to children, by, for example, checking the safety and any risks of the outdoor provision. Risk assessments are in place to keep pupils safe in and outdoors. All welfare requirements are met assiduously.
• The provision for two-year-olds provides a good start for these children. For example, they are very regularly exposed to spoken language and they are encouraged to develop independent skills. As a result, most children talk, listen, respond to instructions, behave and concentrate in a way appropriate for their age.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 130864 Wakefield 10037702 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Nursery/Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 2 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 243 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr Alister Nicholl Mrs Deborah Batty Telephone number 01977 651918 Website Email address wwwcommonroadschool.org.uk office@commonroad.wakefield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 28–29 November 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is similar in size to the national average for primary schools.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with the national average. A small number of these pupils have an education, health and care plan.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils – that is, those pupils who receive support through the pupil premium funding – is just above the national average.
• The school has a provision for two-year-olds, provides part-time places for children in the Nursery and full-time places for children in the Reception classes.
• Leaders are receiving support from the local authority.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited 26 lessons or part-lessons across the school to observe teaching and learning. A number of these were conducted jointly with senior leaders.
• Formal and informal discussions took place with senior leaders, including governors, and also with subject leaders, staff, pupils, parents and a representative from the local authority.
• Documentation relating to the school’s website and safeguarding, including the single central record of recruitment checks, was scrutinised.
• The school’s self-evaluation, plans for improvement and analysis of pupils’ attainment, progress, behaviour, exclusions and attendance were evaluated.
• Pupils’ work in different subjects was scrutinised alongside senior and middle leaders.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed by inspectors in lessons, during break and lunchtimes, during assembly as well as before school in the breakfast club.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils about their work informally during lessons, and met with groups of pupils to discuss their learning and listen to their views about their school. There were no responses to the online pupil survey.
• Inspectors took into account the 31 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 20 responses from staff to the online survey. Inspectors also took into account the responses to the school’s own surveys of parents.

Inspection team

Nicola Shipman, lead inspector Jim McGrath Andrew Soutar Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector