Knighton Fields Primary School and Community Centre

Knighton Fields Primary School and Community Centre Knighton Fields Road West, Leicester, LE2 6LG

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This inspection: Requires improvement 3

Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 The teaching requires improvement because there is not yet enough that is of consistently good quality to ensure all pupils make sufficient progress.  Many pupils do not reach the levels expected for their ages although standards in English and mathematics are rising.  Standards in writing are rising more slowly than those in reading and mathematics.  The quality of pupils’ learning has been inconsistent in recent years leading to some underachievement. Although this has been addressed some pupils are still not always actively involved in lessons and do not always understand how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve.  Some of the underachievement is due to parents and carers not taking a full part in school life or ensuring their children attend school regularly enough.  Leadership and management require improvement because, although there have been many changes for the better, these have not yet had time to make a sufficient

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The school has the following strengths

 The school has a warm, welcoming and friendly feel. Pupils are kept safe and well looked after. Their behaviour is better than it has been in the recent past.  Teaching has improved through a range of approaches including further training.  The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a good start to the youngest children’s education.  The headteacher, together with senior staff and the governing body, has identified and rapidly tackled many of the school’s weaknesses, especially in teaching.  The school’s plans for improving are detailed and well thought out. They provide a good basis for making sure things continue to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 Eighteen lessons or parts of lessons were observed.  Meetings took place with the headteacher, staff, pupils, members of the governing body and two representatives of the local authority.  A number of pupils read to the inspectors and talked about their work. Samples of pupils’ past and current work were scrutinised.  Six parents made their views about the work of the school known through the Parent View website.

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Inspection team

Geof Timms, Lead inspector Additional inspector Joanne Sanchez-Thompson Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Knighton Fields is a broadly average-sized primary school.  An above average proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported by school action.  An above average proportion of the pupils are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  A well-above average proportion of the pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  At the time of the inspection the headteacher had been in post for one year.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more of the teaching consistently good or better by:  ensuring pupils are more actively involved and participating in all lessons  ensuring the feedback given to pupils is effective in helping them understand what they need to do to improve and that they are given time to respond to this  making sure pupils are clear about the purpose of what they are doing and how it will help them achieve their targets  ensuring all small-group or one-to-one work is closely focused on pupils’ identified needs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing, so that more pupils reach the levels of which they are capable, by:  providing more opportunities for talk, drama and role play  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length and for different purposes  improving pupils’ handwriting, punctuation and spelling.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase parents’ and carers’ participation in school life so they become more active partners in their children’s learning and ensure children’s full attendance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most children start in the Nursery class with knowledge and skills that are below those typically expected for their ages. Their speaking skills are particularly poor. Progress through the Nursery and Reception classes is good. Even so, by the time they are ready to start Year 1, many of their communication and number skills remain below those expected.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Years 1 and 2, progress has been uneven in the past but is currently good. Standards, especially in reading and mathematics, have risen. The teaching of sounds and letters is more structured and teachers’ skills have improved. However, early writing skills are at a lower level than expected. In one lesson in Year 1, there was a clear improvement in pupils’ number skills during an activity where they estimated and counted numbers of objects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The current progress in Years 3 to 6 is good. The school’s results in the last national test for Year 6 were the best they have been for a long time, although still below average. The best progress is currently being made in mathematics, as this has been a focus for improvement throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although good progress is also evident in reading, it is less secure in writing, partly because of poorer basic skills such as spelling, punctuation and handwriting, but also because pupils do not have enough opportunities to write longer pieces or in different styles.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The current good overall progress seen throughout the school is due to improvements made to the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers are better at matching activities to pupils’ prior attainment and the skills they have already acquired.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Leaders are aware that poor attenders make less progress and they are vigilant in trying to ensure this is kept to a minimum. The school is using its pupil premium money appropriately to provide better liaison with difficult to reach families and to narrow any identified gaps in achievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who find learning more difficult are well supported and because of this they make progress that is in line with their peers. Support for mathematics has clearly had a positive impact on standards. However, some of the work with small groups of pupils or on a one- to-one basis, including some of the work on sounds and letters, is not as well-matched to the needs of the individual pupils and so progress is more inconsistent.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The headteacher has had a clear focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning since she was appointed and this continues. The use of appraisal and performance management, supported by appropriate professional development, has had a positive impact. The current team of teachers and teaching assistants is working hard to raise standards. However, the teaching requires improvement because too few lessons are consistently good or better.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The best teaching ensures pupils’ full participation and keeps them actively involved in their learning. For example, in one outstanding session the teacher used an imaginative role play that kept all pupils completely engrossed in the task of devising vocabulary to describe actions and objects. However, this excellence is rare and insufficient opportunities for pupils to talk, act and role play in a range of activities hinder their progress in writing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers usually deal with those pupils who have behavioural difficulties effectively and this ensures there is little disruption to learning for the majority. Work is often targeted at different groups because of assessments made of their previous learning. When it is done well this leads to teachers identifying pupils’ individual learning needs for the next lesson.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are times when the work is too easy or too difficult and does not lead to effective learning. In some lessons, pupils are not as actively involved in their learning, or do not understand the purpose of what they are doing well enough, to support good progress. This is also sometimes the case in small-group or one-to-one interventions. Even so, the support is often targeted well. This happens, for example, in Year 6 where a group of pupils needing extra help to achieve the appropriate level in mathematics receive targeted support.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school has worked to improve the effectiveness of marking and the feedback given to pupils. This work is at an early stage and is yet to have a full impact consistently in all year groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The improved behaviour of pupils has been a significant focus for the headteacher since she was appointed. This has been very effective in creating a calmer, more purposeful environment. Exclusions and incidents of poor behaviour have been carefully monitored, and have reduced significantly over the last twelve months.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour in lessons and outside still requires improvement as there are occasions when low level disruption causes the pace of lessons to drop and some pupils to become distracted. A number of the pupils find it difficult to interact positively with others. Even so, such incidents are less common and the school has a more consistent way of dealing with them if they do occur.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils say they feel safe at school and that if any bullying occurred they are confident it would be dealt with well by adults. This is supported by the parents’ and carers’ views. However, the small number of responses to Parent View reflects the difficulty the school has in engaging with parents and involving them in their children’s learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have growing opportunities to work cooperatively and collaboratively in lessons, and to develop their social skills. The arrival of newly-hatched chicks was greeted with delight by pupils and the caring for the school’s fully grown hens supports their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Attendance remains a significant issue for the school as it is well below average. Although the school has worked extremely hard to reduce the number of persistent absentees, using local authority support and the courts when needed, it remains a barrier to some pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since her appointment, the headteacher has worked closely and very effectively with staff from the local authority to address the weaknesses identified. The local authority has provided effective support and challenge. This has had an impact on the rapid improvements now being made.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s view of its work is accurate. This is helping staff recognise areas of weakness and to make the improvements needed. In addition, there is a willingness to seek outside support and expertise as required. For example, the school works closely with another local school to share and spread good practice in leadership and in classroom teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The current senior staff team are working very effectively, with the headteacher to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching and learning. Subject leadership in English and mathematics is strong. Good monitoring activities include talking with pupils and scrutinising their work as well as working alongside staff to spread good practice.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although there have been significant improvements to all aspects of the school’s work, many of these are recent and have yet to become fully embedded in day-to-day practice. However there is a shared vision and all staff are working together as an effective team to make the improvements needed. They all say they are proud to be a member of staff at Knighton Fields. One illustrated this team effort by writing, ‘I love making a difference to these children’s lives.’

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum provided for pupils is broad and balanced but the school is at an early stage of reviewing this and has identified that there are gaps, especially in the opportunities provided to write at length and in different subjects.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  has improved since the last inspection and is now providing the school with good support  has improved the monitoring of the school’s work so governors have a better understanding of strengths and weaknesses  has well-structureded committees with regular visits to school and meetings with the headteacher.

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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 120066 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 401902

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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 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Clark Headteacher Helen Tarokh Date of previous school inspection 5 July 2010 Telephone number 0116 233 0666 Fax number 0116 233 0666 Email address htarokh@knightonfields.leicester.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

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’.

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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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