Parklands Primary School

Parklands Primary School Dufton Approach, Seacroft, Leeds, LS14 6ED

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Pupils often join school at times other than the beginning of the school year. Despite this disruptive start for some, most make good and better progress. By the end of Year 6 standards in English and mathematics are close to national expectations. Results are improving year on year.  Children start in the Reception class with very low levels of skills and understanding for their age. Because of the good and outstanding teaching they receive just over half start Year 1 in line with other children nationally. This represents excellent progress.  Teaching is good overall. This is because teachers have high expectations of how well pupils can achieve in lessons and monitor their progress carefully.  Behaviour is good. Most pupils behave very well in lessons and show polite attitudes towards each other and visitors. Pupils clearly enjoy school and attendance has risen since the previous inspection.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school leadership team has undergone several changes since the previous inspection. They have successfully continued to improve the school’s performance, including pupils’ attainment, particularly in reading. Their continued commitment to ensuring every pupil makes as 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 in the lower part of Key Stage 1 is not as good as it should be. As a result, pupils, particularly the most able, do not make as much progress as they could.  Attainment in mathematics is not yet as strong as in English because pupils spend less time learning mathematics. Also, pupils in Key Stage 2 have too few opportunities to develop skills for solving mathematical problems.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons and parts of lessons taught by eleven teachers. Joint lesson observations were undertaken with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The inspection team also listened to nine pupils from Years 1, 2 and 6 read and examined the quality of work in the books of pupils from across the school.  The inspection team held meetings and had discussions with 12 pupils, senior leaders, members of the school staff, four members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspection team had discussions with 18 parents. No parents made their views known to the inspection team through the online questionnaire (Parent 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 Barbara Martin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  Since the previous inspection there have been changes to the leadership with the appointment of a new deputy headteacher and two other senior leaders.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British origin with a small number from other ethnic backgrounds.  A much higher than average number of pupils is known to be 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 twice the national average.  By Year 6 the school meets the current floor standards set by the government for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this school

 On the school site there is also a 12-place specialist resource base which caters for pupils with complex learning needs. This unit currently has 10 pupils on roll who are educated in the unit for part of the day and join classes in the afternoon.  The school also runs a small nurture provision which supports pupils who have behavioural difficulties.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to be consistently good or better by:  ensuring work is set at the right level for pupils  ensuring higher-attaining pupils are given hard enough work to make them think.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve attainment in mathematics so that it matches that in English by:  increasing the time allocated to mathematics in the school curriculum  ensuring pupils, particularly in Key Stage 2, are given more opportunity to develop their skills for solving mathematical problems.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since the previous inspection achievement has improved. The vast majority of pupils arrive at school with lower and often much lower than expected levels of skills and knowledge for their age. The majority leave school at the end of Year 6 with attainment that is close to that expected nationally in English and mathematics. This represents good achievement overall.  Children often start school with only the social and language development expected for a child of eight to 20 months. They benefit on arrival from the good and often outstanding teaching and wide range of activities provided by the staff. As a result, a significant number develop early reading, writing, mathematical and social skills close to expected levels and this prepares them well for Key Stage 1.  Progress overall from Year 1 to Year 6 is good. However, attainment in mathematics is less strong than in English. This is because the school has recently and very successfully focused on

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The achievement of pupils is good

improving pupils’ reading and writing skills. As a result, many pupils have spent extra time on reading and writing activities and less time has been dedicated to improving pupils’ mathematical abilities. Senior leaders recognise this and have planned extra mathematics lessons across the school from next term.  The school recognises the importance of developing pupils’ reading skills. The recent purchase of a large number of reading books which pupils can take home and enjoy has improved achievement in reading. 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 has also contributed to the sharp rise in achievement in reading.  Pupils who attend the specialist provision spend time learning together in the morning. In the afternoon, supported by staff from the base, they join classes in the main school. This enables

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The achievement of pupils is good

them to make good progress academically and socially. Other disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve equally well because of the good support they also receive in lessons and the high expectations that teachers have for their progress.  The majority of pupils who attend the school are supported by the pupil premium. Overall, they make good progress in comparison to similar groups of pupils across the country. Since the previous inspection there has been a rise in attainment for this group. This demonstrates that the gap is closing between the attainment of this group and others in the school.  The very small numbers of pupils who are from other ethnic groups make equally good progress because of school’s continuous commitment to equality of opportunity for all its pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Teaching observed during the inspection was good or better, with very few instances of teaching requiring improvement.  However, teaching in Key Stage 1 is less good than in other areas of the school. In a few lessons learning slows when tasks are either too easy, particularly for higher-attaining pupils, or too hard.  The great majority of teaching in Key Stage 2 is good or better because staff have very high expectations of pupils and are skilled at planning work which inspires pupils in lessons. An example of this could be seen in a guided reading session. A group of pupils working with the teacher examined pieces of the cover of a book made into a jigsaw. Through carefully structured questions the teacher drew suggestions from the pupils: the lead character was a witch; the tale was dark and mysterious. When first the preface and then the first chapter were revealed the

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils were excited to find out whether their predictions were correct. This skilful approach promoted pupils’ enjoyment of reading exceptionally well.  However, the teaching of mathematics is not always as good, as pupils, particularly in Key Stage 2, are not always offered sufficient opportunities to improve their skills in solving mathematical problems.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and often better. Children benefit from a wide range of exciting activities both in the classroom and in the outdoor area which enable them to explore and discover through play. This approach enables them to improve their social skills as well as making good or better academic progress.  Most teachers are good at using the information about how well pupils are doing to plan future lessons. They regularly mark pupils’ books and provide good guidance on how to improve, which pupils are encouraged to reply to. As a result, pupils are clear about the next steps needed to

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The quality of teaching is good

improve their work.  Teachers ensure, through the lively and interesting curriculum, that pupils are offered many opportunities to use their literacy and numeracy skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils clearly enjoy coming to school and are proud to be members of the school community. Those spoken to during the inspection said they felt their opinions were listened to and acted upon by school leaders.  The vast majority of pupils behave well both in the classroom and around school. During the inspection pupils showed polite attitudes towards each other, staff and visitors. Parents spoken to during the inspection felt that pupils generally behaved well at school and that staff often helped them to improve their children’s behaviour at home. Scrutiny of behavioural records shows that behaviour is good over time too.  However, a few parents shared their concerns with the inspection team about racist remarks made to their children both inside and outside school. Through the analysis of school records and through discussion with school leaders it is apparent that they are aware of the problem and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

are working closely with pupils and their families to resolve these issues .  Attendance has improved since the previous inspection and is close to average for primary schools. This is the result of the school working closely with other agencies, for example the children’s centre, other schools in the area and the local police. However, attendance at the time of the inspection was low, due in part to an outbreak of chicken pox and a further outbreak of the winter vomiting virus.  Through the work of the school’s learning mentors and a continuous focus on preventing bullying, pupils are clear about the different forms of bullying and what action to take should it occur in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders have a clear vision of how successful the school can be. With the support of the governing body they have continued to improve the school’s performance since the previous inspection. Consequently, the school has moved from being satisfactory to good.  All areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection report have been successfully addressed and the achievement of pupils has improved. These successes clearly demonstrate the ability of school leaders to bring about further improvement.  The rigorous approach taken by senior leaders to the regular monitoring of the quality of teaching has ensured standards have improved since the previous inspection.  The successful support for pupils’ needs and different abilities ensures all groups make good progress. This demonstrates the school’s continued commitment to equality of opportunity for all pupils.  Many parents spoken to appreciate the good start that the school’s Reception class offers their

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The leadership and management are good

children. A comment made by one summed up their feelings well, ‘This school has helped me a lot with my child’s behaviour. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. My child just loves coming.’  Targets set for staff through management of their performance link directly to pupils’ achievement and the school’s development plan. Checks on the performance of staff are now more rigorous and the headteacher uses this information to make decisions on teachers’ pay.  The school’s curriculum is exciting. The newly introduced learning challenge curriculum offers pupils of all abilities a wide range of experiences. These increase well pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. For example, pupils recently undertook a visit to Leeds and were introduced to the city’s cultural heritage. Spotting carved owls on local buildings was described by one pupil as ‘brilliant’.  The local authority has helped the school to improve by offering school leaders both support and

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The leadership and management are good

challenge through regular monitoring visits.  The governance of the school:  Governors attend training regularly. They also have a good range of skills and experience which they have successfully deployed to support and challenge the decisions made by school leaders. This has enabled them to improve staff performance and pupils’ achievement. Their good understanding of the use of data to monitor pupils’ performance has enabled them to recognise the strengths and areas in need of improvement within the school. In partnership with senior leaders they have developed an effective system of performance management for staff which links to pupils’ achievement. Careful use of pupil premium funding has enabled the governors to give support to pupils whose circumstances may put them at risk and increase the levels of attainment and progress of this group. 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 107943 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 400951

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 245 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Graham Hyde Headteacher Catharine Hindmarch Date of previous school inspection 5 May 2010 Telephone number 0113 293 0282 Fax number 0113 203 0586 Email address hindmac01@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

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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