Aldbrough Primary School

Aldbrough Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 10–11 January 2012 Inspection number 379479 Unique Reference Number 117823 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 379479 Inspection dates 10–11 January 2012 Lead inspector Andrew Swallow

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 114 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Clayton Headteacher Susan Ulph Date of previous school inspection 22 February 2007 School address Headlands Road Aldbrough Hull HU11 4RR Telephone number 01964 527422 Fax number 01964 529003 Email address aldbrough.primary@eastriding.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. Also, the inspector analysed 50 parental and carers’ questionnaires and others completed by pupils and staff. The inspector observed six teachers teaching 11 lessons, of which five were joint observations with the headteacher. Meetings were held with one group of pupils, members of the governing body and school staff, including senior and middle leaders. The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school development plan, the safeguarding and equality policies, and minutes of the governing body.

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Information about the school

This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportions of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals are below average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and pupils with disabilities is also below average. Almost all pupils are from of White British heritage. A small proportion are from traveller communities. The number of pupils who leave or join the school partway through their primary education is higher than that typically found and is increasing. The school has been above government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress, for the last three years.

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Information about the school

Among the school’s awards is Healthy Schools’ Status. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

■ This is a good school. It has sustained overall above average standards and good rates of progress for most pupils since the last inspection. The pupils, parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive and acknowledge the high standards of behaviour and excellent arrangements to keep children safe. The Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding. While most pupils make good progress in writing, not all higher-attaining pupils achieve as well as they should.

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Key Findings

■ Teaching is good across Years 1 to 6. It is outstanding in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school provides good quality individual support in lessons for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. As a result, these pupils make good progress. The small numbers of pupils from travelling communities also receive good support to enable them to achieve well while they are in school. Teachers and other adults motivate most pupils. As a consequence, they collaborate readily in their learning, and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Key Findings

■ Pupils’ behaviour is typically outstanding over time and they are very proud of their school. They make every effort to ensure that others learn and thrive in an atmosphere of respect and dignity. They show very high levels of engagement, courtesy, and cooperation in and out of lessons. Pupils from different backgrounds get on noticeably well with each other and bullying is rare. They all feel safe at school at all times. They understand very clearly what constitutes an unsafe situation and are highly aware of how to keep themselves and others safe.

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Key Findings

■ The headteacher has high expectations and is ambitious for all pupils. Senior staff know the school’s strengths and weaknesses well and constantly drive improvement. Teachers use information on pupils’ achievements increasingly effectively to sustain overall above average performance. Governors support senior leaders well and ensure that the curriculum contains stimulating activities that excite and enthuse pupils. The governing body fulfils its statutory safeguarding responsibilities in an exemplary manner.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Ensure all higher-attaining pupils make the progress and reach the standards of which they are capable in writing by:  extending the range of language and punctuation pupils use in different scenarios to create more sophisticated effects  maximising opportunities for pupils to exchange ideas and challenge each other’s thinking before writing  insisting on pupils’ careful planning and sequencing of all facts, events and viewpoints before writing  emphasising constantly the importance of pupils checking and editing written work.

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Achievement of pupils

Most children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with social, emotional and communication skills that are lower than those typical for their age. They make outstanding progress, because of the excellent teaching, to work securely within almost all of the learning goals by the time they begin Year 1. Across Key Stage 1, the vast majority of pupils make good rates of progress, reaching at least average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Consistently good teaching ensures that these levels of achievement are maintained, so that by the end of Year 6 a very large proportion of pupils attains above average standards, especially in reading and mathematics. Overall standards in writing are not as high, particularly for higher-attaining pupils. Specific strategies to encourage higher attainers to use a range of sentence structures and varied vocabulary to create more sophisticated effects are not yet fully embedded across the school.

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Achievement of pupils

Most pupils are happy to come to school and believe they learn a lot in lessons. An overwhelming majority of parents and carers are accurate in saying that their children make good progress, and confirm that the school meets their children’s needs well. Many pupils acquire knowledge quickly, and are increasingly secure in their understanding, due to the frequent opportunities provided for them to collaborate in small groups, and to share and extend each other’s ideas and views. In many subjects they are regularly challenged to think and work things out for themselves. Assessment information is used effectively to identify and provide targeted support in lessons for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. As a result, they achieve just as well as other pupils, and attain higher standards than seen nationally. Equally thoughtful support is provided for pupils from traveller communities who also make good progress during their time in school.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is predominantly good throughout the school. In most lessons, teachers use stimulating resources and ‘real life’ scenarios to motivate all pupils and foster their curiosity. Maximum opportunities are provided for pupils to collaborate in small groups to deepen their understanding, discover things for themselves, share, extend and challenge each other’s emerging ideas. For example, in a Year 3/4 science lesson on the characteristics of rocks, pupils worked independently in small teams, finding out about the different types of rocks, enriching their vocabulary with specialist terms, comparing different textures with hand lenses and testing durability and permeability. Careful questioning by all adults stretched pupils of all abilities in their research. Across all years, and particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage, teachers and other adults enthuse most pupils to participate readily, promoting

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Quality of teaching

effectively their confidence and resilience when tackling challenging activities. Adults regularly listen to, and carefully observe, groups of pupils and individuals during lessons. They provide astute comments about how well pupils are doing and what they need to do to improve. Occasionally, opportunities are missed to reshape tasks to challenge higher-attaining pupils even more. This is particularly the case in writing, where there is still scope for more pupils to extend the range of language and punctuation used, talk about and plan more carefully their ideas before writing, and check and edit more assiduously their finished work. For the most part, however, effective teaching strategies and appropriately targeted support and intervention, match most pupils’ individual needs so that they learn well across the curriculum.

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Quality of teaching

The teaching of reading and mathematics, based on a well-planned curriculum, is a strength of the school. The vast majority of pupils are fluent readers, and are resilient in solving mathematical problems and applying their number skills confidently in a variety of situations. Parents and carers believe that teaching is good. Inspection evidence supports the confidence they show in all adults in enabling all pupils to make as much progress as they can. Pupils say how much they enjoy their lessons. They point out how well all staff work as a team to ensure that learning is exciting and demanding, and create an environment in which all pupils are encouraged to succeed. As a result, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is particularly strong.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils say overwhelmingly that they feel safe in school and that adults are always there for them. They have an excellent understanding of the risks to which they may be exposed, both within and outside of school. Attendance is above the national average and all pupils constantly arrive punctually to school and to lessons. Behaviour in lessons and around the school typically is exemplary over time. Incidences of bullying are rare and a very large proportion of parents, carers and pupils express confidence in the school’s systems for dealing with such occurrences, if they arise. Pupils are acutely aware of different forms of bullying and, through their work on the school council, and other responsibilities around the school, actively try to prevent it from occurring. They make an exceptional contribution to a safe, positive learning environment, and are highly adept at managing their own behaviour in the classroom and in the playground. Pupils make every effort to ensure that their

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

friends learn and thrive in an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation. For example, in assemblies they readily celebrate the achievements of others, and in lessons they willingly work in different groups and pairs, ensuring that no one feels left out.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher consistently communicates high expectations and aspirations on the part of all pupils. She leads by example, as a highly effective practitioner and, as a result, much of the teaching is consistently good. Key leaders and managers throughout the school model good practice and often refresh their expertise through links with teachers in other schools. They have focused successfully on the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Stability in staffing and a sharp focus on planning, tracking progress and setting challenging targets have enabled the school to sustain above average standards of attainment and good rates of progress over time. Nonetheless, teachers are not complacent. Staff work effectively as a team so that everyone has an accurate view of the quality of teaching and knows what needs to be improved. Consequently, strategies are already in place to improve outcomes in writing for higher-attaining pupils, but these are at an early stage of

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Leadership and management

The impact of the curriculum on pupils’ outcomes is good and their needs are well met. A thematic approach to the teaching of key communication and mathematical skills, alongside more traditional English and mathematics lessons, ensures that pupils regularly apply key skills in a range of different settings and for different purposes, and thoroughly enjoy their learning. Specialist physical education coaches, artists, musicians and linguists regularly visit the school to complement the good quality daily teaching, and to inspire further all pupils with enlivening experiences. Carefully chosen visits to museums, theatres, the coast and local places of interest, bring to life the planned curriculum, and provide ‘hands on,’ purposeful learning opportunities. The wide range of extra-curricular activities includes gardening, judo, craft work, as well as many sporting, singing, musical and performing experiences.

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Leadership and management

As a consequence, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Leadership and management

The governing body holds the school to account well. It fulfils in exemplary fashion all safeguarding responsibilities. Governors challenge senior managers about the achievement of pupils to ensure a continued impetus on improving the attainment and progress of different groups . This maintains a firm commitment to equal opportunities. The school identifies very well pupils with special educational needs and those with disabilities. It knows the circumstances of all of its pupils very well and takes great care to match provision to their changing needs. Any potential discrimination is tackled vigorously. As a result, pupils and adults work together in a harmonious setting.

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Leadership and management

The school’s accurate self-evaluation and well chosen priorities for the continuous raising of standards, in particular the need to accelerate rates of progress in writing for higher-attaining pupils, highlight the overall good capacity for sustained improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its childrens' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its children well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its children. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its children. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes ( see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the childs' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school's efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well children acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which children are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the children' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Aldbrough Primary School, Hull, HU11 4RR

 Thank you for your very warm welcome when I inspected your school. I really appreciated your help and enjoyed chatting with you and listening to your views. I was particularly impressed to hear how well you read, and how many of you read regularly outside of school. This letter is to let you know what I found out.

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Inspection of Aldbrough Primary School, Hull, HU11 4RR

You should be really pleased because I agree with your views and judge your school to be good. You should also be proud because you are very polite, extremely well behaved, and very supportive of each other. Adults look after you so well that you feel very confident to ask them for help at all times. You told me that lessons were really interesting and, for the most part, I agree with you. You learn a lot from all of the visits and visitors to school that your teachers plan for you, and you make good use of all of the school’s high quality resources, including computers, to enhance your work. Your headteacher leads your school well with the support of all the staff and the governing body. They make sure you are happy and make good progress. You make an outstanding start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and across Years 1 to 6 you work hard. As a result, you attain above average standards in reading and

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Inspection of Aldbrough Primary School, Hull, HU11 4RR

in mathematics, and overall average standards in writing, by the end of Year 6.

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Inspection of Aldbrough Primary School, Hull, HU11 4RR

However, not all of you attain the highest levels in writing of which you are capable. I have therefore asked your headteacher to ensure that teachers take extra care in planning writing opportunities for you to do so. You can all help in sustaining the good education that Aldbrough provides by continuing to attend regularly, reaching your targets and supporting each other. I wish you every success in the future.

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Inspection of Aldbrough Primary School, Hull, HU11 4RR

Andrew Swallow Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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