Knowleswood Primary School

Knowleswood Primary School Knowles Lane, Holmewood, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 9AE

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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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.  Although recent changes in senior leadership have led to rapid improvements in teaching, this has not yet had enough time to lead to good achievement. The progress pupils make is not yet consistently fast enough to raise attainment, particularly for boys in writing.  Teachers do not always provide hard enough work to make pupils think. In some lessons they do not have high enough expectations for what pupils can achieve. In particular, they do not plan sufficient opportunities to extend pupils’ writing skills in a range of subjects.  Pupils are not always encouraged to be more independent in their own learning and are at times overly reliant on their teachers.  Pupils do not always know how well they are doing in relation to targets set by their teachers. This is because of inconsistencies in teachers’ marking and assessment of their work.  Subject leaders are developing their roles and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

skills. They are, however, not yet skilled at evaluating the impact of their work or in setting appropriate actions for further improvements.  The governing body does not collect enough of its own evidence of the school’s performance so it can take swift action to improve it. It has been too reliant on reports given by school leaders.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher has quickly gained the confidence of staff, pupils and parents. Through his drive, standards are beginning to rise across the school.  Children make a good start in the Nursery because of the excellent team work of the staff.  Staff care for and nurture pupils to become successful. They are highly committed to improving the school.  Pupils demonstrate good social and communication skills. They are keen to learn, enjoy school and play safely together.  Behaviour is typically good. There is a culture of mutual respect between pupils and staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons, of which three were jointly observed with senior leaders. Inspectors attended one assembly, the Key Stage 1 nativity performance and observed pupils during play time. They also visited a breakfast club.  In addition, inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons and observed teaching assistants working with small groups. They looked at a wide sample of work completed by pupils. They also heard pupils reading.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils, members of the governing body, and senior and middle leaders. Inspectors also spoke with the local authority’s school improvement advisor. They took account of 15 responses to a staff questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at school planning, monitoring and evaluation documentation, including the school’s own data and analysis of pupils’ progress from when they joined the school, performance-management information, safeguarding information and records relating to

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Information about this inspection

behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors took account of four responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and met with parents.

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Inspection team

Paul Delbridge-Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christine Addison Additional Inspector Steve Rigby Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Knowleswood is a larger than average sized primary school. The school also provides two breakfast clubs in partnership with the co-located children’s centre, which are managed by the governing body.  A new headteacher took up his position in September 2012.  Most pupils come from White British families.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above the national average. The school receives additional income, the pupil premium, for these pupils and those looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards of attainment and improve achievement so it is at least good, through ensuring consistently good teaching by: - giving pupils, particularly boys, more chances to develop their writing skills in all subjects - making sure there is continuity of learning for pupils of all ability as they move into new year groups, particularly between the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 - making sure teachers’ planning consistently recognises and provides for the different starting points pupils make in their lessons, and challenges pupils to think - ensuring marking and assessment are consistently helpful and routinely give guidance so that pupils know and understand how well they are doing in relation to their targets - providing greater opportunities for pupils to reflect on how well they have done, as well as that of each other, so they can take an even greater responsibility for their own learning

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of leadership and management by making sure that:  subject leaders and governors routinely check on the effectiveness of the actions they take and use their findings to set more sharply focused actions for further improvement  there are good policies for promoting literacy and numeracy and that they are coordinated well by leaders and implemented by all teachers  the checking of the quality of teaching takes enough account of the progress made by pupils  leaders benefit from appropriate professional development and training which is specifically focused on the leadership of learning and teaching  the governing body take a central role in supporting school leaders to raise attainment and progress and in checking the impact of the work of leaders and managers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since the arrival of the new headteacher, school leaders have successfully focused on improving teaching and learning, and setting more ambitious targets. As a result, pupils are now beginning to make accelerated progress in their learning.  Attainment remains below average but continued improvements in teaching and learning means pupils are now making better progress than previously because of the higher expectations set by leaders and managers. There is more to do. Changes are recent and so there are still gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding formed when teaching was weaker. Consequently, while pupils are now making better progress in lessons, achievement over time is still not good and requires improvement because teaching overall requires improvement.  Children begin school in the Nursery with levels of knowledge and skills that are significantly below those expected for their age, particularly in their communication, language and literacy, as

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

well as their personal, social and emotional development. Thanks to the excellent provision and team approach taken by all staff in the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make good progress, though a significant number do not achieve their early learning goals because of their low starting points.  Pupils continue into Key Stage 1 with skills and abilities which are below those expected for their age. Standards attained in 2012 at the end of Key Stage 1 were below average in reading, writing and mathematics. Some of the more-able pupils are still not reaching the levels they are capable, while some other pupils’ abilities are still at the Early Years Foundation Stage. Their move into Key Stage 1 is not yet well managed enough to enable them to do as well as they should.  In Key Stage 2, pupils now make better progress in most lessons. While standards attained in the 2012 Year 6 national testing were still below average, standards in reading and mathematics

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

continue to improve thanks to improvements in teaching and leadership. However, pupils’ writing, and particularly that of boys, needs significant improvement to ensure they have every opportunity to develop their extended writing across different subjects, so they can attain at the higher levels they are capable of.  Standards in phonics (the sounds that letters make) are improving, but still below average, and this is contributing to improvements in pupils’ reading skills. Pupils are confident readers and can work out words they do not know by themselves.  Pupils are keen to produce work that reflects their good efforts, but they are not always encouraged to reflect on the quality and accuracy of their work, particularly in relation to what they have set out to learn (success criteria). This means they sometimes make the same mistakes in writing and they do not always know how well they are doing in relation to what is

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

expected of them.  Gaps in the achievement between different groups of pupils within the school and when compared to other pupils nationally are now beginning to narrow. This is as a result of actions taken by senior leaders to make better use of resources so that all pupils have an equal chance of success. These actions are helping pupils supported by pupil-premium funding, as well as disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, to make better progress than they have in the past.  The school’s data suggest it is on track to continue to improve results over the next three years, particularly those of the number of pupils who are set to achieve at higher levels.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because teachers do not consistently mark or assess pupils’ work well enough. They do not always provide helpful comments for pupils to know how to improve their work. Pupils are not routinely given the chance to respond to teachers’ comments when they are given, or to reflect on the quality of their work in relation to their targets or success criteria. As a result, pupils do not always know how well they are doing in relation to the targets set by their teachers.  In the most effective lessons, teachers plan a variety of creative learning activities. These tasks sometimes stimulate and challenge pupils to find things out for themselves and at other times encourage them to work together. Consequently, pupils in these lessons develop confidence to work independently of an adult and also enhance their social skills. Lessons have good pace and no time is wasted. This was found in two Year 6 lessons, when some pupils took on the role of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

mathematics or science leaders and the teachers facilitated the pupils to reflect whether their ‘learning leaders’ were supporting them well enough to develop their independent learning skills.  Similarly, children in the Nursery are able to benefit from very well ordered routines which allow them to socialise formally and informally with each other to good effect. This was particularly found when pupils brushed their teeth together after sharing a healthy snack. This led to some enthusiastic singing before reflecting on the good time they had spent together.  Pupils are confident and responsible in using a wide range of learning resources made available to them, including the use of information and communication technologies. Teachers make good use of the interactive whiteboards to stimulate pupils’ learning, at times bringing learning to life through the atmospheric use of video to provide a stimulus for discussion about feelings, moods

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and emotions, as found in a Year 5 literacy lesson when developing their writing skills.  In a few weaker lessons, all pupils are expected to do the same task. This means that the work is too easy for the more-able and too hard for low-attaining pupils. The teacher’s planning does not always recognise what pupils already know and understand. This was found in a Year 4 literacy lesson where the lack of structure to the lesson meant that pupils spent too long creating a wish list of presents, and the more-able pupils were clearly able to write their letters to Santa without delay.  Similarly, in a Year 3 mathematics lesson, pupils were asked to solve some mathematical problems which, although encouraging them to develop their financial skills and use of money and coins, did not always provide enough challenge for the more-able pupils, so they found it too easy.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to the learning of the pupils they are supporting,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and are confident in leading small groups of pupils in skills development exercises.  Teaching makes a good contribution overall to developing pupils’ social, moral and spiritual development, but there are some missed opportunities to explicitly promote pupils’ good social and moral skills particularly during class discussions, because some teachers overly lead and direct pupils’ responses rather than allowing them to think for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 As at the time of the previous inspection, pupils’ behaviour is typically good across the school. As a result of the high emphasis placed by the school on developing pupils’ social, communication and interaction skills, pupils and staff routinely demonstrate good levels of respect and courtesy towards one another. This was particularly found in an excellent nativity performance which was entirely led by the Key Stage 1 pupils.  Pupils are well cared for and nurtured throughout the school and particularly in the Nursery unit where a team of staff, including nursery nurses, provide seamless support so that children can enjoy the many rich opportunities to explore the environment and the different resources. Teaching assistants and other adults make a valued contribution to the care and well-being of pupils.  Pupils behave well in lessons and when they move around the school. They talk knowledgeably

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

about the importance of learning for their future lives. Low-level disruption is uncommon and occurs on the rare occasions when work does not fully involve and interest pupils. For the few who find it difficult to conform to the school’s high expectations, and particularly relating to attendance and punctuality, the school makes effective use of external agencies.  Pupils enjoy the many opportunities they get to interact with adults and to contribute to each other’s safety and well-being as playground buddies. They also enjoy opportunities where they can develop and use their good oral communication, enterprise and financial capability skills.  Pupils say they feel safe at all times and enjoy being at school. They know about different types of bullying and say that it rarely occurs, but is dealt with immediately by teachers and leaders. They have high confidence in staff and feel secure that any concerns they have will be taken

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

seriously.  Staff, governors and parents who were interviewed or who responded through ‘Parent View’ indicated that pupils’ behaviour is good, and inspectors agreed.  Attendance is below average but improving. The headteacher rigorously monitors absences and works closely with parents as well as the local authority to improve persistent absence. However, pupils are not always clear about the school’s systems for reporting and managing poor behaviour, but they appreciate their good behaviour, attendance and achievements are recognised and well rewarded.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher has brought a new vision, energy and determination to improve teaching and to develop staff, which is now improving pupils’ educational experiences. Leaders and managers correctly focus on improving the quality of teaching throughout the school and raising aspirations. As a result, the school’s data, lesson observations and scrutiny of work show that standards are rising.  Due to previous weak teaching many pupils have gaps in the knowledge, skills and understanding that they should have. Leaders and managers are making the necessary changes in order to improve pupils’ progress by improving the teaching and setting more ambitious targets for pupils to achieve, including for the higher levels. However, there is still further to go to ensure that the accelerated progress made by children in the Early Years Foundation Stage continues consistently throughout Key Stage 1 and into Key Stage 2.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 New tracking systems have been introduced by leaders to check on an individual pupil’s progress, but they are not always used more widely with class teachers to help them to understand how to set the most appropriately challenging work for their pupils.  Staff appraisal processes require further improvement. Teachers and leaders have not, in the past, been set improvement targets that allow them to demonstrate their impact on raising pupils’ attainment, so they have not always been held accountable for their pupils’ achievement. They have not always benefited from appropriate professional development to help them improve their work.  The monitoring role of subject leaders and governors is insufficiently developed and they have not received enough training to be equipped with the skills needed to measure the impact of their work on pupils’ progress. In particular, the promotion of literacy and numeracy across

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The leadership and management requires improvement

subjects is not well coordinated. Consequently, teachers miss opportunities for pupils to use and develop these skills in meaningful contexts.  The curriculum in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good; there is an appropriate balance between adult-led activities and those children choose for themselves. However, the transition between the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 is not well managed enough to ensure pupils in Key Stage 1 develop skills and abilities relative to their capabilities on leaving the Reception class. This means some pupils still need an Early Years Foundation curriculum until they are ready to cope with the demands of Key Stage 1.  The curriculum provides pupils with a broad and balanced range of learning opportunities, including extensive enrichment days and activities, and the breakfast clubs, which clearly have a positive impact on their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority provides effective support for developing leaders and managers of teaching and learning.  All statutory requirements relating to safeguarding are met.  The governance of the school:  Governors have an understanding of the key strengths of the school and areas which need to be improved. However, they rely too much on school leaders to supply this information and do not do enough to gather evidence for themselves. They demonstrate an understanding of the use of additional income, such as the pupil premium, and the positive impact this is having on pupils who attract the funding. Governors are clear that teachers and leaders are paid appropriately for their roles and responsibilities. However, they agree that they have not always held leaders and managers responsible for pupils’ achievement. They recognise they need more training to strengthen their roles and the impact they make as a leadership group.

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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 132183 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 406475

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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 408 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tony Cairns Headteacher Dean Tombling Date of previous school inspection 14 October 2010 Telephone number 01274 778177 Fax number 01274 778255 Email address d.tombling@knowleswood.co.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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