Carlton Primary School

School report Carlton Primary School New Road, Carlton, Wakefield, WF3 3RE

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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 Good 2 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 or better progress during their time at school whatever their starting point.  By the time they leave school at the end of Year 6 pupils reach levels in English and mathematics in line with national standards. This represents good achievement and progress for the majority of pupils.  Teaching is good overall. This is because teachers have high expectations of how well pupils can achieve in lessons and monitor their progress carefully.  Pupils’ attendance is above average. This is because pupils enjoy coming to school and say they feel very safe. They behave well in lessons and show very caring and respectful attitudes.  School leaders and the governing body have successfully maintained the school’s performance and improved pupils’ attainment in reading despite significant changes to the school’s leadership team. Their continued commitment to ensuring every child makes as

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

much progress as possible shows their ability to make the school even better in the future.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching has some minor inconsistencies between classes. Teachers do not make sure that older pupils know the level at which they are working and what they need to do to improve.  Standards in writing are not as good as reading because tasks are not always exciting enough to capture pupils’ imagination and increase their enthusiasm for writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons and parts of lessons taught by 11 teachers. Joint lesson observations were undertaken with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The inspection team also listened to nine pupils read from Years 1, 2 and 6 and examined the quality of work in the books of pupils from across the school.  The inspection team held meetings and had discussions with 18 pupils, senior leaders, members of the school staff, four members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Fifty parents made their views known to the inspection team through the online questionnaire (Parents’ View).  The inspection team studied health and safety documentation, teachers’ curriculum planning, documents relating to the performance management of staff and the school’s system for checking pupils’ progress.

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Inspection team

Marian Thomas, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Stephen Goldsmith Additional Inspector Michael Cooper Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average primary school.  Since the last inspection there have been changes to the leadership with the appointment of a new deputy headteacher and two middle leaders.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British origin with just a small number from other ethnic backgrounds.  A lower than average number of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority).  The proportion of pupils identified with special educational needs through school action is close to average levels for similar schools.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also close to average.  By Year 6, the school meets the current floor standards set by the government for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a before- and after-school club that is not managed by the school’s governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is all good or better by making sure that tasks always match pupils’ ability and that older pupils are more aware of the levels at which they are working and know how to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ writing skills to match the quality of their reading skills by making writing tasks more exciting and including opportunities to report on visits and activities to raise pupils’ enthusiasm for writing and improve their skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good and pupils leave school at the end of Year 6 with attainment that is now in line with that expected nationally in English and mathematics. The majority of pupils across the school are now making good progress which is better than that expected nationally.  Since the last inspection pupils’ achievement has continued to rise, but not consistently. A dip in achievement at the end of Key Stage 2 was quickly recognised by school leaders. Improvements to checking on pupils’ progress and identifying and supporting any that are not making as much progress as they should has successfully reversed this downward trend.  Many children start in Nursery with social and language skills below those expected for their age. They benefit from the good teaching and wide range of activities provided by the staff. As a result, many develop early reading, writing, mathematical and social skills close to the expected

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The achievement of pupils is good

level and this prepares them well for Key Stage 1.  Parents appreciate the good start that the school’s Early Years Foundation Stage offers their children and the views of one sum up the feelings of others: ‘My child only started in September but already he has settled in and just loves coming. He is learning something new each day.’  Progress from Year 1 to Year 6 is good. Although attainment in writing is broadly average, it is not as strong as reading because pupils lack the enthusiasm to write and their work lacks interest and imagination. This is because, although pupils are given opportunities to write in many different ways across the curriculum, they are not always given sufficiently exciting experiences both in and away from school to stimulate their imagination and enable them to write more creatively.  The newly refurbished and restocked library has made a direct contribution to achievement in

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading because pupils read more often. As one young pupil commented: ‘It’s just brilliant because I can borrow new books every week’. Detailed reading record books help parents to support their children to learn new reading skills. Pupils who fall behind are given extra support in developing their phonics skills (knowledge of letters and sounds). This helps them to read unfamiliar words more fluently and improve their reading skills. The success of this has contributed to the vast majority of pupils reaching the expected level in reading and an increase in those reaching above this level.  The majority of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve equally as well as other pupils because of the good support they receive in lessons and the high expectations that teachers have for their progress.  The majority of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium make good progress in

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The achievement of pupils is good

comparison to similar groups of pupils across the country. The very small numbers of pupils who are from other ethnic groups make equally good progress because of the school’s continuous commitment to equality of opportunity for all its pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Overall the quality of teaching is good across the school. Teaching observed during the inspection was good or better with few instances of teaching requiring improvement.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and children benefit from a wide range of activities both in the classroom and in the outdoor area. At the time of the inspection children were learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali. They clearly enjoyed recreating the story of Rama and Sita and took great pleasure in conducting a survey to establish their favourite characters. These activities offered good opportunities to improve children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding as well as their mathematical development.  In the best of lessons in Key Stages 1 and 2, teachers make learning fun and engaging and expect the very best of all pupils. An example of this could be seen in a mathematics lesson

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The quality of teaching is good

where pupils were set the task of deciding on which table to sit in order to get the largest share of a chocolate bar. The teacher made the experience even more real by placing bars of chocolate on the tables. Pupils set to work exceptionally diligently in small groups and showed a marked reluctance to stop at assembly time. The majority made good and better progress towards solving the problem and were very keen to return to work, one or two offering to work through the problem at break. This clearly demonstrated their high levels of interest and enjoyment.  The majority of teachers are good at using the information about how well pupils are doing to plan future lessons. They regularly mark pupils’ books and provide useful guidance on how to improve. However, pupils, particularly those in Years 4, 5 and 6, do not always have a good enough knowledge of the standard of their work. For example, many are not able to say which

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The quality of teaching is good

National Curriculum level they are currently working within or what they need to do to reach the next level.  Teachers and support staff in all parts of the school work closely together to plan for the learning of pupils with disabilities or special educational needs. As a result, many gain in confidence as their work improves and become successful and independent learners who make good progress.  In the small number of lessons where teaching is less strong, teachers do not always plan activities sufficiently carefully and work does not match the needs of all pupils. Where this happens the pace of learning slows and pupils’ behaviour dips.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are clearly very proud to be members of their school community. A comment made by one summed up the feelings of many: ‘School is brilliant. I look forward to coming every day.’  The majority of pupils’ behaviour is good both in the classroom and around school. They consistently show polite and very caring attitudes towards each other, staff and visitors. However, in a very small number of lessons where activities do not match the needs of pupils well behaviour is less good.  Pupils spoken to during the inspection said they felt very safe. An assembly observed during the inspection had the behaviour of bullies as its focus. Pupils’ responses clearly showed that the majority had a good understanding of the different forms that bullying can take. They also made clear to inspectors that no type of bullying is common in school and when it occurs and is reported to staff, it is sorted out immediately.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average and has continued to improve each year for the last three years. The vast majority of pupils arrive at school on time because they are keen to come to start learning.  The school’s behaviour policy is rigorous and understood by pupils. It is consistently applied across the school and no pupil has been excluded during the last three years. Parents agree with their children’s view that staff take good care of them and appreciate the caring and approachable attitudes they show to pupils and their families.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and members of the leadership team share a clear view of how successful the school can be. Supported by the governing body, they have continued to improve the school’s performance since the last inspection. The areas in which the school needed to make improvement identified in the last inspection report have been successfully addressed and the school’s leadership has clearly shown that it is capable of continuing this improvement.  Despite recent changes in the management team, the headteacher and deputy headteacher have ensured there is an accurate view of the school’s performance and clear plans for making the school even better.  Senior leaders monitor the quality of teaching rigorously and regularly which has resulted in an increase in the quality of teaching overall. However, although some minor variation in quality remains the improvements identified for individual teachers are closely linked to training and

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The leadership and management are good

teachers’ individual development targets.  The introduction of a more thorough system for checking the progress that pupils make through the school has resulted in the faster identification of pupils who are not making the progress expected of them. Support for their needs is quickly identified and all groups make equal progress; clear evidence of the schools continued commitment to equality of opportunity for all its pupils.  Targets set for staff through management of their performance link directly to pupils’ achievement. Checks on the performance of staff are now more rigorous and the headteacher uses this information to make decisions on teachers’ pay. Careful planning by senior leaders and the recent appointment of a new middle management team has directly contributed to the recent rise in pupils’ achievement.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and offers a range of experiences which increase pupils’

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The leadership and management are good

spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. For example, all Year 5 pupils are currently learning the ukulele and classes in the school are named after varieties of rhubarb in celebration of the local rhubarb growing industry. However, pupils do not often have the opportunity to visit places of interest either locally or further afield. When they do staff do not always use these experiences to promote pupils’ writing skills and imagination.  The local authority has continued to effectively support the school through the recent period of change. This guidance ensured the school continued to run smoothly during the period of change.  The governance of the school:  A strength of the governing body is the diverse set of skills and knowledge of each of the members. This enables governors to offer a good level of support and challenge to the decisions made by school leaders. Governor training has enabled them to do more to help the

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The leadership and management are good

school improve staff performance. As a result, the achievement of pupils continues to improve. Governors frequently visit the school and are keenly involved in the school community. They are skilled at offering support and challenge to school leaders and are aware of the strengths and areas in need of improvement within the school. They are beginning to develop a better understanding of the use of data to monitor pupils’ progress and have worked hard with senior leaders to develop an effective system of performance management for staff which links directly with the achievement of pupils. Through the careful use of pupil premium the governing body has improved the quality of support offered to pupils whose circumstances may put them at risk. Support is also provided for families through the provision of a ‘bumps and babies’ parenting group which enables parents to offer more support to pupils learning at

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The leadership and management are good

home. The health and safety committee ensures safeguarding procedures meet current requirements.

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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 107830 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 403048

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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 332 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Fitzgerald Headteacher Julie Cooper Date of previous school inspection 5 March 2008 Telephone number 0113 2146316 Fax number 0113 2146317 Email address info@carlton.leeds.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, please

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School details

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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