Ley Top Primary School

Ley Top Primary School Avenal Road, Allerton, West Yorkshire, BD15 7PQ

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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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 The quality of teaching, although improving, is inconsistent across the school. In Key Stage 2 in particular, teachers sometimes direct learning too much. As a result, pupils do not take enough responsibility for their own learning and progress.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics in Key Stage 2 is below that in reading and writing. Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to practise their mathematical skills in all the subjects they study and their calculation skills are underdeveloped.  The school knows itself well, but senior leaders do not always use the information about performance sharply enough to set specific targets for improvement. They do not emphasise clearly enough to staff the impact of teaching on achievement.  Members of the governing body are not fully aware of the school’s strengths and areas for development and, therefore, do not ask questions of the leadership with sufficient rigour.

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The school has the following strengths

 The Early Years Foundation Stage gives children a good start to their education. Children have many opportunities to learn and play together and the area is bright, vibrant and welcoming to all. The good progress they make in Nursery and Reception classes continues in Key Stage 1, and pupils’ skills in reading and writing in Years 1 and 2 are improving.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and they display positive attitudes to learning and to each other. They feel safe and speak highly of the adults who work with them.  Pastoral care from teachers and support staff in all key stages is very good and ensures that pupils develop well personally. As a result, relationships across the school, between pupils and between pupils and staff are impressive.  Senior leaders and members of the governing body demonstrate a strong commitment to improving teaching and achievement, which is now being translated into action. Progress

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The school has the following strengths

and attainment in Key Stage 2 are beginning to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons or part-lessons, taught by 13 teachers. These observations included visits to the Nurture Group and Inclusion Room.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, three members of the governing body, the senior leadership team, the coordinators of English and mathematics, and other staff, including teaching, support and administrative staff. They also held a meeting with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the four responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and also of the comments made during a meeting requested by two parents.  They observed the school’s work and looked at a variety of documents including internal and external pupil progress data, school development planning and the school’s evaluation of its own performance. They also scrutinised documentation in relation to attendance, behaviour and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

James Kidd, Lead inspector Additional inspector Kathy Thompson Additional inspector Peter Mather Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is almost twice the national average.  The percentage of pupils supported at school action is high and is a quarter of the school population. The percentage supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above that usually found and almost a third of pupils across the school speak English as an additional language.  The percentage of pupils who join or leave the school other than at the usual times is above average and increasing over time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations of learning and progress.  Ley Top Primary is a nationally accredited Healthy School, has been awarded the Active Mark for its work in physical education and holds Eco School status. It is also a member of the

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Information about this school

Bradford West Learning and Achievement Partnership.  The Child’s Play Neighbourhood Nursery shares the school site, but is not administered by the governing body. It receives a separate report, which is available on the Ofsted website.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality and consistency of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2, by:  reducing the amount of teacher-talk in class to allow pupils to take more responsibility for their own learning  ensuring that challenge in lessons, particularly for the more able pupils, is consistently good across the school  ensuring that pupil progress data is shared more rigorously within and across key stages, so that lessons are planned to meet pupils’ individual learning needs more closely.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress and attainment in mathematics in Key Stage 2 by:  raising the profile of numeracy across the school, thus ensuring that pupils are given more opportunities to reinforce their mathematical skills in all areas of the curriculum  developing pupils’ skills in calculation, to promote higher levels of achievement in problem- solving  improving pupils’ understanding of specific mathematical language.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership and management at all levels on promoting pupils’ better achievement by:  using school self-evaluation more sharply and more rigorously to inform specific targets for improvement  using performance management more effectively to move teaching forward, thus ensuring that staff see the link between the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement more clearly  improving communication across the school to ensure that staff are more aware of the breadth of skills their colleagues have and how these skills may be better used to enrich the curriculum  ensuring that the governing body has a wider knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, to enable them to challenge the leadership with more rigour. 4 of 9

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Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 Children generally enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills which are well below the expectations for their age. As a result of good teaching, they make good progress in their studies in Nursery, Reception classes and in Key Stage 1. However, inconsistency in the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 means that pupils’ progress slows, particularly in mathematics. Attainment by the end of Year 6 is below average overall, but closer to average in English.  Although progress and attainment in mathematics by the end of Year 6 improved in 2012, pupils’ achievement in this subject is still below that in English. Mathematics is often studied in isolation and pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to reinforce their numeracy skills across the curriculum. Moreover, their calculation skills are not as good as they should be and, as a result, they approach mathematical problem-solving and the understanding of mathematical

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Inspection judgements

language with difficulty.  Pupils’ skills in writing, an area for improvement at the time of the previous inspection, are improving steadily and pupils comment that they enjoy the many opportunities they have to write stories and discuss their ideas with their classmates. As a result of the school’s strategies to promote pupils’ writing skills and also to encourage them to read widely, all groups of pupils in Year 6 made at least expected progress in English in 2011 and the majority did so in 2012.  Pupils’ skills in reading are average overall but are variable across the school. Pupils certainly see the value of reading. They comment that the school does much to encourage them to read at home and ensures that they take part in private reading, or even reading aloud, during each school day. Weaker readers are determined to succeed and even volunteer to read aloud to visitors, commenting, ‘I know how to split words up when I am finding them difficult to

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Inspection judgements

pronounce; this also helps me to understand what I am reading!’  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the same satisfactory progress as their peers. On occasions, and as a result of effective one-to-one and small group support, pupils supported at school action plus make good progress.  Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium benefit from activities within the curriculum, residential visits and educational trips for example, which are designed to offer them experiences they would not normally have. They too make the same satisfactory progress as other students.  The increasing numbers of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, many of whom are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language, receive good support from teachers and other staff. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and, recently, pupils of Pakistani origin have demonstrated good progress in their studies, often better than their White

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Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 The quality of teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. However, because of staff turnover and an insufficient emphasis on the inextricable link between teaching and achievement, it is inconsistent across Key Stage 2. Teaching overall, therefore, requires improvement.  However, there are examples of good teaching in Key Stage 2, which is sometimes the result of sharply-focused strategies from school leaders to identify how teaching can be improved. In lessons where teaching is good, the pace of learning is rapid and pupils are challenged to think for themselves. In such lessons, pupils of all levels of ability are fully involved in everything the sessions have to offer.  In lessons where pupils make good progress, a Year 5 mathematics lesson for example, 5 of 9

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Inspection judgements

disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are encouraged to contribute their ideas for the benefit of their classmates. Pupils work well in groups, enjoy supporting their classmates and thoroughly enjoy the activities.  In lessons where progress is less than good, pupils are not always as engaged in their learning as they should be. This is often because there is too much teacher talk and pupils are not required to take enough responsibility for their own learning and progress. They sometimes have to listen to lengthy teacher introductions and do not begin their assignments quickly enough.  Similarly, although challenge for all groups of pupils is generally realistic, it is on occasions not high enough for the more able pupils. This has a negative impact on their learning as they are not always required to aim for the highest standards and sometimes lose interest in the activities.  Assessment is accurate and pupils have a good understanding of the National Curriculum levels

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Inspection judgements

at which they are operating. They value the pupil-friendly level descriptors in their exercise books and comment that they refer to them during lessons, to make sure they know what to do to improve their work. However, the assessment of pupils’ progress is not always shared well enough within and across key stages, to ensure that activities in lessons meet pupils learning needs closely.

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Inspection judgements

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

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Inspection judgements

 Pupils are proud of their school and feel safe within it because, in their words, ‘The staff and our friends look after us.’ They value the well-attended breakfast club and the inclusion room, to which they can always go if they are feeling unhappy. The nurture group is another most effective initiative and staff work skilfully and with considerable success in this area to promote pupils’ emotional development.  Staff are good role models and the talented team of support assistants in particular fosters pupils’ self-esteem well. The well-planned assemblies encourage pupils to think more deeply about the world around them and they reflect upon the importance of treating others with respect and of always looking for good in their classmates. As a result, the school is a racially harmonious community in which pupils value the contribution of all.  Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Indeed, there are examples in all key

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Inspection judgements

stages of outstanding behaviour and engagement in learning. Pupils are proactive in their support for others and they treat visitors with the utmost dignity and respect. Their work for charity is well known and they raise considerable funds for Children in Need annually.  Pupils have an untypically wide perception of different forms of bullying, including that which is based on prejudice, homophobic bullying, for example. They say that bullying does exist but that when it occurs it is dealt with rapidly and effectively by the school. Parents believe the school is a welcoming place for their children.  There is an active school council which puts forward ideas on how the school can improve further. The ‘buddy’ system ensures that no-one is lonely at break and lunchtime and the ‘friendship bench’ brings pupils together. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including residential trips, and pupils celebrate a variety of cultural festivals, Chinese New Year,

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Inspection judgements

for example.  Attendance is broadly average and is beginning to improve as a result of effective strategies to promote it. These strategies, including the celebration of exemplary attendance, begin as early as in the Nursery class. 6 of 9

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Inspection judgements

The leadership and management requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 Senior leaders are committed to ongoing school improvement and the perceptive headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher and senior team, lead by example and are regarded highly by teaching, support and administrative staff.  The school has an accurate understanding of its performance, but information from self- evaluation is not used sharply enough to set targets for improvement. For example, although performance-management arrangements are in place, there is insufficient emphasis on the acceleration in pupils’ achievement and how improvements in teaching can bring this about.  Nonetheless, staff speak positively about the emphasis senior leaders place on improving teaching and they give examples, confirmed by inspection evidence, of where individual coaching has improved its quality. They are equally as positive about the opportunities they have for professional development and point to the establishment of an in-house ‘phonics

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Inspection judgements

group’, the result of the outcomes of an externally-led course attended by a member of staff.  Communication systems across the school are not as effective as they could be and do not always lead to a greater awareness of the different skills which staff possess. Teachers and support staff are positive in their views that they would like to offer more to enrich the curriculum and to benefit their pupils.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well, fosters good relations between pupils of all levels of ability and from all cultures. There is zero tolerance for any form of discrimination. Safeguarding and child-protection arrangements are fully in place, regularly reviewed and meet statutory requirements.  The local authority supports the school effectively, in relation to provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The Learning and Achievement Partnership, too, has

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Inspection judgements

been instrumental in improving achievement in writing and in promoting better teaching of mathematics.  The governance of the school:  members of the governing body provide strong support for the school, through individual links with classes and attendance at extracurricular activities; the Asian Women’s Group, for example, is supported well by the vice-chair  thus far, there is an insufficient understanding amongst the governing body of the strengths and weaknesses of the school; as a result there is not enough challenge to the senior leadership.

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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. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

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.

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School details

Unique reference number 107241 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 405089

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School details

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

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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 314 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Robertshaw Headteacher Jan Pollard Date of previous school inspection 13 January 2011 Telephone number 01274 541554 Fax number 01274 546945 Email address jan.pollard@leytop.bradford.sch.uk 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 .

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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.

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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

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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,

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School details

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School details

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

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