Otley All Saints CofE Primary School

Otley All Saints CoE Primary School Lisker Drive, Otley, West Yorkshire, LS21 1DF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The majority of pupils make good progress over time and learn well in many subjects.  The dip in standards in 2011 has been largely recovered and in 2012 national test results for Year 6 rose to well above average.  Pupils’ progress in reading is especially strong so that, from expected starting points on entry to the school, most pupils reach well above average levels by the time they leave Year 6. Teaching and learning over time are good across the school and some current teaching is outstanding, especially in the Reception class and in Year 6.  Pupils enjoy being in school immensely and their behaviour and attitudes to each other and to learning are exemplary. Attendance is consistently well above average. Pupils say they feel very safe and highly valued as individuals and there is a delightfully warm and positive atmosphere within the school.  The headteacher has led the school through a

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

difficult period of staffing with skill and determination, very ably supported by the governing body. After a little slippage in 2011, pupils are now doing as well as in the past, and better in some classes. Staff morale is high and the school’s ability to sustain further improvement is good.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The headway that pupils have made over time has been variable and teaching has not always been as effective as it might have been. There has been inconsistency.  The role of staff who lead different sections of the school needs further development and aspects of the school’s plans for the future need strengthening.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons, of which one was a joint observation with the headteacher. In addition, the inspection team made a number of other short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, parents, representatives of the governing body and the school’s senior staff and teachers. A telephone interview was conducted with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 56 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the school’s own surveys of pupils’ and parents’ views of the school, one parental letter and 13 staff questionnaires in planning the inspection.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documents, including data on pupils’ progress, plans for the future, information from checking the effectiveness of the school’s work and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements.

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Inspection team

Nigel Cromey-Hawke, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jonathan Yodaiken Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils with learning needs supported through ‘school action’ is well below average. The proportion of pupils supported at ‘school action plus’ or with a statement of special educational need is average.  The number of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average.  There are currently no pupils in local authority care.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage with none whose first language is not English.  The school has undergone significant staffing change over the last two years, particularly within the senior leadership team.  The school meets the current government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise pupils’ achievement by improving the small amount of weaker teaching and learning by: - ensuring that in all lessons there is sufficient pace and challenge, especially through the effective use of questioning by teachers to extend pupils’ understanding - sharing the good practice seen in many English and mathematics lessons in marking and advice to all classes and in all subjects, especially with Years 1, 3 and 4, so that all pupils know what they have to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: - developing the way those with responsibilities check how well things are working, so that they have a better understanding of the quality of what is being done within their areas of responsibility and good practice is more easily shared - sharpening the focus of current planning for the future so that it more clearly indicates what needs to be improved and the checking of the impact of innovations is more meaningful.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with basic skills that are broadly those typical for children of their age. Children make good progress in all their learning, especially in literacy, as a result of imaginative and well-focused teaching, the good use of assessment to identify their changing needs and high levels of care and support.  Over the last three years pupils’ standards in English and mathematics on leaving the school in Year 6 have been above average overall but varied, with a relative dip in 2011 but a rise to well above average last year. This reflects changes in staffing over this period. Attainment in reading follows a similar pattern.  Pupils’ progress from their starting points is better than that expected nationally, but over time has varied. There is evidence of no better than expected progress being made last year in Years 3 and 4, as a result of weaker teaching in the past. However, there is also evidence of very good

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress being made in Years 2, 5 and 6 during that period.  Currently, most groups of pupils are making better than expected progress and many are making rapid progress. As a result, the vast majority of pupils acquire knowledge and develop their understanding quickly and securely across a wide range of subjects. They also develop a good range of skills in reading, writing, communication and mathematics that ensure they are well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Different groups of pupils now make equally good progress from their starting points: boys do as well as girls and those with special educational needs make good headway. The progress of the very small number of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is also better than expected. Weaknesses in mathematics in Year 3 have been rectified.  As a result of the drive to raise the quality of teaching, the vast majority of pupils across the

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The achievement of pupils is good

school are on track to meet the challenging targets the school has set.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching over time is good, with some outstanding teaching being witnessed during the inspection in both the Reception class and Year 6. The majority of current teaching is lively, interesting and challenging and pupils clearly enjoy their learning as a result. However, some teaching still requires improvement. New ways of working introduced over the last two years have yet to be operated consistently to overcome the legacy of past weaker teaching.  Good assessment of pupils’ progress informs lesson planning so that teachers or teaching assistance can attend to individual pupils’ needs. Targets for individual pupils often help them to get on without adult support.  Through a recent focus upon writing across the school, teachers have developed interesting opportunities for pupils to develop such skills. Speaking and listening skills are also well developed in many lessons, with outstanding learning being evidenced in one Year 6 class, for

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The quality of teaching is good

example, when pupils explained visual images to blindfolded partners to extend their descriptive vocabulary.  The teaching of reading skills is good throughout the school, with well-structured lessons on letters and sounds and sessions where reading is guided to give pupils the skills to move their learning forward. Good use is made of the library and of technology within lessons to extend pupils’ understanding of the wider world. Teaching supports pupils’ ability to work by themselves and promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development especially well.  Marking and the advice given to pupils are generally good, especially in English and mathematics lessons and contribute much to pupils’ understanding. In weaker lessons, however, this rigour and level of support is lacking, especially in other subjects and overall within Years 1, 3 and 4, so that these pupils are not as clear as they should be about how to improve their work. The use

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The quality of teaching is good

of questions by teachers to explore and deepen pupils’ understanding is also not as focused as it could be in some lessons, with the result that pupils in these situations are not sufficiently challenged and the pace of their learning slows.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Excellent relationships between pupils and adults within the school and pupils’ exemplary attitudes to learning are distinctive characteristics of the school. Pupils demonstrate their pride in the school through their consistently well above average attendance and punctuality to school and to lessons. Staff are highly supportive of the school, as are parents who expressed their views through Parent View, with one parent also writing separately that she ‘cannot praise the school and its staff highly enough.’  Pupils’ behaviour within lessons and around the school is outstanding, helped by the consistently high expectations of all adults within the school in relation to this. Pupils are polite, cooperative and sensitive to the needs of others and the values of the school. Inspectors witnessed frequent instances where pupils willingly and appropriately helped manage the behaviour and learning of others within the classroom.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Many pupils also help each other around the school as buddies, monitors, through the active school and eco-councils and through a wide range of other responsibilities they eagerly take upon themselves. This reflects the schools’ awards in this area and helps build pupils’ confidence and maturity.  The curriculum provides very good support for pupils’ understanding of how to stay safe. It makes extensive use of the public services to develop in pupils a high level of awareness of safety in the use of computers and other electronic communication methods, any potential danger from strangers and those they know, and the dangers of roads, railways, substance misuse and other circumstances. All groups of pupils say they feel very safe in school as a result.  Bullying at the school over time is almost unknown, due to its strong culture of consideration and respect for others. Despite this, pupils have a very good understanding of the different

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

types of bullying, especially cyber-bullying and bullying related to different forms of prejudice. On the extremely rare occasions when low-level bullying has occurred in the past, pupils are clear that it has been dealt with rapidly and appropriately, often through the involvement of other pupils in a peer mentoring approach and the guidance provided by the adult learning mentor.

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The leadership and management are good

 The experienced headteacher is driving improvement forward with determination and skill. He has used checks on the work of staff and the appointment of new staff to good effect in reshaping responsibilities within the school and bringing about improvements in the quality of teaching and standards. Staff morale is high and they are wholly in support of the improvement programme. All pupils, whatever their ability or background, have equal chances to find success.  Evaluation of the school’s effectiveness clearly identified reasons behind the 2011 dip in performance and resulted in a programme of support and challenge by senior staff. This involved light-touch support from the local consortium of schools and from the local authority. The impact of this is seen in the considerable improvements made in outcomes in 2012, although the legacy of past weaker teaching remains in Years 3 and 4.  Comprehensive observation and evaluation of lessons by senior staff means that they have a

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The leadership and management are good

good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. However, the role of those with responsibility for particular aspects of the school’s work is underdeveloped. This means that, with the work that they manage, they are not able to have as full an understanding of the quality of teaching and general provision as they should do and the many examples of good practice witnessed during the inspection are not yet being fully shared across the school.  The school has devised good plans to drive forward improvements in the past, but current forward planning is still in formulation and lacks a sharpness of focus about what exactly needs to be improved, making future evaluation of the impact of actions less precise.  The curriculum is rich, varied and provides a wide range of experiences for pupils to extend their learning. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the outdoor residential opportunities, the provision of

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The leadership and management are good

French studies and the extensive opportunities to develop skills in sport and the arts, especially music, which is a real strength of the school.  The school engages very well with parents, who enthusiastically attend the regular presentation events, such as the harvest festival celebration witnessed during the inspection, which featured songs written and performed by Year 6.  Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and are a high priority for the school, as reflected in the levels of pupils’ behaviour and safety.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a well developed understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and is highly involved in its daily life through visits and meetings.  The governing body provides good levels of support and challenge for the school’s work, as evidenced through their involvement in recent staffing changes and in helping lead the drive

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 133555 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 403655

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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 Voluntary Controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 249 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Allan Boddy Headteacher Ian Thomson-Smith Date of previous school inspection 28 April 2008 Telephone number 01943 464703 Fax number 01943 464703 Email address otleyallsaints@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 .

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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, please

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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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