Crow Lane Primary and Foundation Stage School

Crow Lane Primary and Foundation Stage School Crow Lane, Milnsbridge, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD3 4QT

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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 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

 Although pupils make the progress they should overall, too few children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make more than the expected progress, especially in sounds that letters make (phonics), calculating and measuring.  Aspects of behaviour and safety could be better.  Over the last two years too few pupils, especially those who joined during Key Stage 2, reach the required standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Not all pupils know their individual targets and this prevents them from working as hard or as fast as they are capable of in lessons.  There are some examples of good and better teaching but teachers do not always have high enough expectations of pupils to help them to learn and behave well enough to reach the highest standards possible in lessons.  Not all teachers practise the techniques identified by school leaders to improve the quality of teaching, especially the use of pupil

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

progress information to plan work at the right levels.  Governors use the information the headteacher gives them to check how the school is doing. However, it is often too late for governors to identify exactly what is needed to make rapid improvements in achievement and teaching.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school takes great care of its pupils, especially those whose circumstances might put them at risk.  The marking of pupils’ work in Year 6 is very carefully planned to help pupils to know how well they are doing and how to improve their work.  Pupils are friendly, respectful and are keen to learn. Their attendance is above average because they enjoy school.  Senior leaders and the governing body know what the school does well and what needs to be done to improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 14 lessons, two of which were joint observations with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons and learning areas.  Separate meetings were conducted with governors, staff, senior leaders, the school’s social inclusion worker, a professional officer for the local authority and three groups of pupils.  The inspectors talked to pupils during lessons, on the playground and at lunchtime. The inspectors also heard pupils read.  The inspectors took account of the 14 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), the responses to a parental questionnaire provided by the school, and spoke individually with several parents during the course of the inspection.  The information from 21 staff questionnaires was taken into consideration.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books and at a number of documents, including the school’s own

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Information about this inspection

data and monitoring of how well pupils progress, planning documentation and records of behaviour, attendance, punctuality, as well as documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Cathy Morgan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jonathan Woodyatt Additional Inspector Colleen Taylor Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is higher than average. An average number of pupils are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. There is a higher proportion of boys in most classes in the school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is above the national average.  High numbers of pupils join the school midway through the school year.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for pupils.  The school has a before- and after-school club managed by a private provider that is subject to a separate inspection by Ofsted. The report will be available on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has experienced a high degree of changes in staffing and staff absence rates have been high.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better in all classes by ensuring:  all staff have the same high expectations for all pupils  teachers use accurate information about how well pupils are doing to plan work at the right level, especially for the more-able pupils and those who join the school in Key Stage 2, so that all do as well as they can  children in Nursery and Reception are given more tasks which help them to investigate numerical problems and develop their numeracy skills  staff receive further training in teaching the sounds that letters make (phonics), so that all pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage develop successful strategies to improve their confidence in writing and their ability to read on their own  teachers organise lessons so that pupils always know their own targets and what they need to do to improve, so they can work at a fast pace and make the best possible progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the leaders, managers and governors rapidly improve the proportion of pupils reaching the required standards at the end of each key stage by:  ensuring that teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage successfully implement the improvements which leaders have identified to increase the rate of progress of children at risk of underachieving  making enough time for governors throughout the year to consider and challenge information about how pupils are doing, to enable them to identify and implement plans to more rapidly improve the achievement of pupils and raise the quality of teaching.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because standards in English and mathematics are now below those expected at the end of Key Stage 2, having been above in 2010. This is in stark contrast to the improvement made in 2012 by the majority of Year 2 pupils, particularly the most able pupils in mathematics who reached above nationally expected standards.  Evidence from the school’s assessment data, from lesson observations and from scrutiny of work in pupils’ books confirms that pupils in Year 6 are now making good progress and more than half have already reached Level 4 in English and mathematics.  Children settle quickly into Nursery and the Reception class as a result of the close links between school and home. Staff ensure that children receive careful nurturing in a happy environment which has improved since the time of the last inspection. Most children make the progress expected of them from starting points that are around the levels typical for their age.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The current rate of progress of pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage is slower than expected because teachers do not effectively use the school’s systems for monitoring pupils’ progress and identifying those at risk of underachieving. Staff do not always have high expectations of children in Reception to enable them to take a more active part in monitoring their own learning, especially in the areas of shape, space and measure.  The high proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress, as a result of the regular and well-targeted support from effective learning support assistants.  Reading has recently been given a high priority across the school. The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is improving but staff need further training to improve the proportion of pupils in Year 1 who achieve the required standard in the national screening test for reading

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

and ensure that all pupils can extend their knowledge of letters and sounds. By the end of Key Stage 2, many pupils are confident when reading and they talk with enthusiasm about the books they have read.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although the quality of teaching is improving, it requires further improvement to become consistently good or better. There are strong working relationships between staff and pupils. In the best lessons, teachers make tasks interesting and pupils enjoy the challenge of work which makes them think for themselves. This quality of teaching is not evident in the lessons where pupils sit listening to the teacher for too long and are prevented from taking an active enough part in their learning.  The senior leaders make effective use of the school’s extensive progress data to identify underperformance. This information is not used as well by teachers to plan opportunities for pupils to tackle thoughtful tasks on their own. In the Reception class, the adults record information about children’s progress in a variety of formats but this is not used well to plan stimulating activities to extend their learning. Pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage often

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

complete tasks which are too easy for them; this prevents them from making faster progress in lessons.  Pupils in Year 6 are making more rapid progress because they know their individual targets and receive exemplary feedback from their teachers and teaching assistants to help them to improve their work. This is particularly effective in mathematics where pupils are always required to confirm their understanding by correcting their mistakes and completing further tasks. Pupils are often required to attend support sessions with teaching assistants to further improve their numeracy skills. This practise is not adopted in all classes and, although teachers use praise well to build pupils’ confidence, pupils’ books show that they do not always complete their work and they do not always know what their individual targets are.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The majority of pupils have positive attitudes to learning, but behaviour overall requires improvement because small groups of pupils, particularly boys, do not always listen attentively to their teachers when they are inactive for too long and are uninspired by the content of their lessons.  The school’s new behaviour policy is working well and staff are consistent in their use of procedures for dealing with unacceptable behaviour. A few parents do not believe that the school manages behaviour effectively and express some concerns about bullying. Inspectors found that these concerns related to a small number of specific incidents which the school has dealt with promptly and effectively.  Pupils say that they feel safe at school. They have a good understanding of the nature of different types of bullying and know what they can do to help keep themselves safe. Behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes is lively and managed well by staff. Pupils generally get on well with

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

each other and demonstrate respect for adults and other pupils.  Pupils are happy and have good opportunities to develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. They enjoy taking part in thoughtful class and school assemblies when they celebrate the success of individual pupils who produce good work and behave well.  The school’s social inclusion worker and the senior leadership team work very effectively with parents and specialist agencies to provide high quality support for pupils who have behavioural, emotional or social difficulties. There is good pastoral support for all pupils, and procedures for safeguarding meet government requirements. As a result, the number of fixed-term exclusions has reduced to zero this academic year.  The school works hard to improve pupils’ enjoyment of school and to involve parents in their child’s learning. Changes to the school curriculum such as the ‘Dangerous Curriculum’ have

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

successfully improved pupils’ motivation and attendance, which is now just above average.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The senior leadership team and governors have a clear view of how to improve the school and the standards reached by pupils. Leadership and management of the school require improvement because changes in staffing and a high proportion of staff absence have led to inconsistencies in the quality of teaching that have, in turn, led to a decline in the standards at the end of Year 6.  Leaders know what needs to be done and they are implementing the right things to boost pupils’ achievement and improve their rate of progress. Nevertheless, improvement planning is not fully effective. This is because it is not adopted quickly enough by all teachers, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage. While the new behaviour management policy has been implemented consistently by staff, not all teachers use the school’s extensive pupil progress information to plan work at the right levels.  Systems to monitor the performance of children in Nursery and Reception are not yet as robust

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The leadership and management requires improvement

as in the rest of the school. This is preventing the early identification of those children who are in danger of underachieving – another reason why leadership and management require improvement.  The headteacher, together with the governors, are working hard to eradicate inadequate teaching. Each teacher’s classroom performance, and contribution to whole-school improvement, is checked carefully and this accurately identifies their professional development needs. Staff are fully aware of their accountability for pupils’ progress and leaders make sure this links to progression in their pay.  The school’s leaders and governing body have benefited from the effective support and guidance provided by the local authority through the School Improvement Officer. This is contributing to some improvements in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the quality of teaching and the faster progress being made by pupils in Year 6.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The care and support which staff provide for those pupils whose circumstances might put them at risk are strengths of the school. The effective work of the school’s social inclusion worker has created strong links with a range of organisations to provide timely support for pupils and their families. An increasing number of parents are beginning to attend the family learning programmes so that they are better able to support their children’s learning. Safeguarding procedures meet requirements.  The combined expertise of the headteacher, her deputy and assistant headteachers and governors in tackling any underperformance of staff demonstrates the school’s capacity to continue to improve the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils.  The governance of the school:  Governors compare the school’s performance with that of other schools, and are aware that there is more to be done. They are not always provided with the most appropriate information

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The leadership and management requires improvement

early enough to enable them to check how pupils are doing and to challenge leaders to implement plans to improve teaching and the achievement of pupils. Pupil premium funding is used well to support a number of initiatives, including providing strong literacy and numeracy support for eligible pupils. Evaluation of this extra help enables governors to be sure that this funding is used effectively to improve learning for these pupils.

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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 107623 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 400925

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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 257 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lisa Rodgers Headteacher Wendy Wallace Date of previous school inspection 19 May 2010 Telephone number 01484 222224 Fax number 01484 222162 Email address office.crowlane@edukirklees.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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