Hovingham Primary School

Hovingham Primary School Hovingham Avenue, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 3QY

p.1

Overall effectiveness Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because  Teaching quality varies from good to inadequate in Years 3 and 5. As a result, some pupils make slow progress and have a lot to catch up.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage do not make rapid enough progress in early communication, language and literacy skills.  The majority of pupils do not read well enough for their age.  The new senior leadership team has yet to be closely involved in checking the work of the school, to make sure that it continues to improve at a rapid rate.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

The school has the following strengths  Teaching quality is good and sometimes outstanding in Years 2, 4 and 6.  Pupils learning English as an additional language receive expert individual support which helps them to learn the new language quickly.  Pupils behave well. Pupils on the school and racial equality councils are good role models.  Computer-based learning at lunchtime plays a significant part in helping pupils to learn and practise new skills.  The school is a very harmonious community where different heritages and languages are celebrated.  It is regarded as the centre of the local community.  The school has good partnerships with parents and puts on a wide range of courses to help them.  Governors challenge and support the school well. They know the right questions to ask.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 28 lessons or parts of lessons. They heard pupils from different year groups read.  They held meetings with groups of pupils, staff and senior leaders. They also met with representatives from the local authority and the governing body.  The inspection team took account of parents’ views. They met parents informally during the school day and took account of telephoned comments. There were no responses to the online Parent View.

p.2

Inspection team

Lesley Clark, Lead inspector Additional inspector Sarah Quinn Additional inspector Prywen Elfed-Owens Additional inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Hovingham Primary School is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  Over 95% of pupils are from minority ethnic groups.  The proportion of pupils learning English as an additional language is above average. Currently, 29 different home languages are represented in school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.  A significant number of staff, including senior leaders, have changed since the last inspection.  The school meets the current government floor standards.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the consistency of teaching quality and the pace of learning in Years 3 and 5 by: - making sure that teachers use information about pupils’ prior learning to teach lessons that enable pupils to build on what they know and move on to new learning quickly - explaining to pupils what they are going to learn and what they need to do to succeed so they are involved in checking their learning - giving pupils of different abilities suitably different and challenging tasks - deploying teaching assistants more effectively to help different ability groups - giving pupils more opportunities to work together, ask questions and find out for themselves.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the rate at which children in the Early Years Foundation Stage learn early communication, language and literacy skills by: - ensuring that all adult interactions with children develop children’s use and understanding of language so that they build a wide vocabulary - ensuring teachers and teaching assistants use learning resources extensively to promote language development.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ achievement in reading across the school by: - implementing a systematic programme for teaching phonics (how letters and sounds link together) so pupils know how to read unfamiliar words - ensuring that pupils read regularly and often so they learn to read expressively and with greater understanding - ensuring pupils have access to a wide range of up-to-date fiction and non- fiction.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to sustain recent improvements, involve the new leadership team in checking the work of the school through: - closely monitoring teaching effectiveness to ensure a systematic approach to teaching reading and mathematics throughout the school and children’s language acquisition in the Early Years Foundation Stage - coaching colleagues and demonstrating good quality lessons.

p.3

Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils requires improvement  Pupils’ achievement shows steady improvement over the past three years. The very large majority of pupils make the progress expected in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Pupils make the best progress in Years 2 and 6. Achievement is not yet good because pupils spend too much time catching up on previous underachievement caused by weaker teaching in some year groups and so their progress is erratic.  Attainment is below average overall in English and mathematics. However, the trend in the school’s results in national tests is steadily upwards. Attainment in mathematics has improved, with an increasing number of pupils each year exceeding expected levels.  Most pupils tend to write more accurately than they read. This reflects the school’s current focus on developing writing skills.  Younger pupils struggle to read unfamiliar words because they do not have the

p.4

Inspection judgements

strategies to help them decode letter-patterns and sounds. Instead, they rely on pictures and adults telling them. Pupils do not read regularly or often enough and so they do not read fluently. They do not read out loud sufficiently often and so they read without expression, hurrying over words and phrases.  Pupils have a limited range of books to choose from in classrooms and in the library. Older pupils say, ‘We would like more fantasy books, some plays, pop-up and comic books and more information books.’ A very small proportion of pupils are beginning to access books online as part of their computer-based learning but this is at an early stage.  Children’s starting points in the Early Years Foundation Stage are generally low. The children make good progress in their personal, social, emotional and physical development but slow progress in acquiring early communication, language and literacy skills.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Staff miss opportunities to talk to children and help them to learn and use new words. As a result, children have a limited vocabulary to explain their thinking. This holds back the learning of all children but particularly the more-able children. Learning resources, such as the alphabet, are positioned too high up for children to read. Writing resources are not extensive.  Pupils who are supported through school action, school action plus or who have statements of special educational needs make slightly better progress than other pupils, especially over the last six months. This is due to more effective assessment of their needs, swifter intervention and more accurate tracking of their progress. For the same reasons, there is a similarly improving picture for pupils in receipt of the pupil premium.  Pupils who are learning English as an additional language make swift progress in Years 2 to 6 in acquiring a new language because they have very effective support.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 The recent improvements in achievement confirm that the school promotes equality of opportunity well. It fosters good relations and tackles discrimination effectively. The quality of teaching requires improvement  While the majority of teaching is good, inconsistencies in teaching methods and teachers’ expectations hold back pupils’ learning in some classes.  In Years 3 and 5, teaching quality varies too widely. This results in pupils making uneven and sometimes inadequate progress. Teachers do not all set suitably different tasks to challenge pupils of different abilities and so they tend to do the same work. Opportunities are missed for pupils to work independently or with a partner. They spend much of the lesson listening to the teacher rather than learning and practising new skills.  There is variability in how teachers explain to pupils what they are going to learn and what they need to do to succeed. In less effective lessons, these explanations

p.4

Inspection judgements

are unclear and not in child-friendly language and so pupils find it hard to check how well they are doing. In the best lessons, pupils confidently check their own progress.  The use of teaching assistants varies from class to class. They are generally underused in terms of supporting different ability groups such as more-able pupils, for instance, but they often give very good support to pupils with special educational needs.  Across the school, teachers do not prioritise pupils’ reading and so they miss opportunities to give pupils regular and frequent reading practice. ‘Guided reading’ lessons vary in quality and the amount of time for pupils to read individually.  Teachers manage behaviour well. Most use interactive technology well to make teaching points clear. Where this is underused, pupils’ attention sometimes slips as they find it hard to read teachers’ handwriting.  Teaching is most effective in Years 2, 4 and 6. In these classes, pupils learn well

p.5

Inspection judgements

because teachers use assessments of their prior learning to shape what they teach. This means that pupils build on what they know and understand, and become confident learners. Pupils agree, ‘Maths is good because teaching makes you think.’  In the best lessons, pupils work together pooling ideas; their curiosity excited by new learning that makes them think. For example, Year 4 pupils were bursting with questions about bone structure as they tried to construct and label a skeleton, checking the large plastic skeleton to see, for instance, how many bones are in the hand and where exactly shoulder blades fit in.  Staff who teach pupils who are learning English as an additional language, skilfully use pupils’ home languages to help them to learn English sentence construction and vocabulary. They make rapid progress as a result, comparing similar words in Czech, Urdu and Polish, for example.

p.5

Inspection judgements

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good  Pupils are keen to arrive on time so they do not miss out on learning. The vast majority of pupils attend well. In particular, the older pupils have good rates of attendance. The school has successfully worked with families to improve younger pupils’ attendance and to discourage extended holidays during term time.  Before- and after-school clubs are well attended and make a good contribution to pupils’ education. Best of all, pupils enjoy ‘Mathletics’, a form of computer-based learning designed to enhance pupils’ numeracy skills and language usage. They are proud that theirs is the first school to achieve the gold award for ‘Mathletics’.  Pupils feel very safe. They are knowledgeable about e-safety and readily explained the strict guidelines for ‘blogging’ on the school’s website.  Pupils are confident that there is no bullying and, if there were any, then staff

p.5

Inspection judgements

would sort it out instantly. They distinguish between different types of bullying such as ‘pushing, fighting and name-calling’ as distinct from ‘persistent bullying.’  Pupils agree that pupils on the school and race-equality councils have a good impact on school life. Councillors discuss incidents, concerns and worries that have been brought to their attention and have systems for talking to and supporting pupils who need help. The behavioural and racial incident records confirm pupils’ sensible and socially responsible behaviour.  Pupils behave with consideration and respect for others. Older pupils take care of younger pupils and are good role models. Boys and girls from a wide range of different cultural heritages and with many different home languages play and work together harmoniously.

p.6

Inspection judgements

The leadership and management requires improvement  The local authority provides effective support for this school as seen in the improved national test results in 2012. There is strong evidence of an accelerated pace of change in recent months. The school is clearly improving as appreciably more pupils each year reach nationally expected levels in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Informal partnerships with other schools, as well as extensive training, are beginning to have an impact. Systems to ensure that these improvements are sustainable are in place but progress has been slowed by unavoidable staffing issues.  Leadership and management require improvement because the new leadership team is only just fully operational. It has yet to be involved in closely checking teaching quality in literacy, numeracy and the Early Years Foundation Stage and to use this information to ensure that pupils make good progress in every class.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 Regular lesson observations and spot-checks give senior leaders clear information as to where the weaknesses in teaching lie. Their recommendations for improvement are pertinent and, as a result, there is substantial evidence to show improvement in teachers’ practice.  The school continues to take effective action to improve or remove weak teaching, using performance management, appraisal, salary progression and salary reduction successfully. However, there is more to be done to ensure that teaching is consistently good or better in all classes.  Members of the new leadership team provide good role models in terms of their own practice. They have yet to use this extensively to coach colleagues and demonstrate good quality teaching or to ensure a systematic approach in their subject or key stage. The leadership of teaching, therefore, while largely effective has room to improve further.  Pupil-progress meetings are used well to ensure that staff are held accountable for

p.6

Inspection judgements

the progress their pupils make. Assessments of pupils’ progress are accurate but not all staff use them well enough to help them to plan and teach good lessons.  Accurate self-evaluation underpins the school’s actions and future plans. These are focused firmly on the areas requiring improvement. The school is systematically tackling a legacy of underachievement but there is still some way to go.  Pupils follow an interesting curriculum that engages them and promotes their enjoyment of different subjects. Frequent educational visits and visitors to school raise pupils’ aspirations for their future lives. The school is especially good at providing positive role models and images that challenge cultural and gendered responses.  An area of strength is the school’s engagement with parents who see the school as the centre of their community. They attend different courses at the school and feel they can approach any staff member should they have any questions or concerns.

p.6

Inspection judgements

 The governance of the school:  Governors play an active role in ensuring that leaders and managers secure effective school improvement. They ask challenging questions and hold the school fully to account.  Governors clearly understand the school’s strengths and areas of weakness. They are not afraid to make difficult decisions if they are in the best interest of the pupils.  Governance keeps a close check on the efficient managment of financial resources, to see that the pupil premium money is used effectively, for example.  Governance provides good stability and support. It is knowledgeable and sets the headteacher exacting targets.

p.7

What inspection judgements mean

School Grade Judgement Description Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

p.8

What inspection judgements mean

A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 107926 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 400948

p.9

School details

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

p.9

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 504 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nik Adams Headteacher Janet Spence Date of previous school inspection March 2010 Telephone number 0113 248 9537 Fax number 0113 216 5141 Email address spencejd03@leedslearning.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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 .

p.9

School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

p.10

School details

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

p.10

School details

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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

p.10

School details

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10