Joseph Locke Primary School

Joseph Locke Primary School Shaw Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 6JL

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

 Pupils’ progress from their starting points is not consistently good across all year groups or for all groups of pupils.  Teaching does not enable all pupils to make good or better progress as work is not always set at the right level, particularly for the more- able pupils.  Pupils do not have enough opportunity to develop and use their information and communication technology (ICT) skills in their work.  Leaders and managers do not focus closely enough on the link between pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching.  The scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates that the quality of teaching overtime has been too variable. Marking of pupils’ work does not always ensure that pupils understand what to do next and what is expected of them to improve their work.  In some lessons, teachers spend too long on lengthy explanations which cut down the time for pupils to work on their own.

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The school has the following strengths

 There is a clear vision, drive and dedication by the headteacher and governors. They are committed to improving both achievement and the quality of teaching.  Effective training and improvement in the last year mean the governing body is well placed to hold the school to account to achieve this aim.  Good teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage ensures that the children get off to a good start.  Relationships between adults and pupils are highly positive, contributing to good behaviour in classrooms and around school.  Pupils enjoy school, feel safe and care for each other, and this is reflected in good behaviour.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 17 lessons. In addition, they observed the teaching of small groups of pupils receiving extra support for English and mathematics.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils and to parents as they brought their children to school in the morning. They took account of 12 responses from parents to the online (Parent View) survey.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body, staff and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including those relating to child protection and safety, the school’s monitoring of teaching and school improvement.  Inspectors heard four groups of pupils read and checked the school’s assessments of pupils’ progress in reading. They also looked at the school’s tracking system showing pupils’ progress in mathematics and English.

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Inspection team

Andrew Morley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Asyley Additional Inspector Clare Daniel Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Joseph Locke is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which in this school provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs 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 also above average.  The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is broadly average.  The school has several awards.  The school provides resource provision for pupils with sensory impairment.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress and ensure teaching and learning are consistently good or better, by:  ensuring that activities are at the right level of difficulty, taking account of what pupils have previously learnt, particularly for the more-able pupils  t eachers planning suitably challenging and exciting activities, which allow pupils to explore learning for themselves  encouraging pupils to think, generate ideas and become confident learners who can work by themselves and take responsibility for their own progress  teachers enabling pupils to move on to working on their own more quickly by spending less time introducing lessons  teachers checking pupils’ progress and understanding during lessons and making the necessary adjustments in their plans to meet their needs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further strengthen leadership and management by:  making more effective use of the systems for checking on pupils’ progress, especially of different groups, to ensure action is targeted to those needing most support  ensuring that checks made on the quality of teaching focus closely on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress and how well teachers provide precise guidance as to how individual pupils can improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school has worked hard to make improvements since the previous inspection. Recently, there has been a rise in pupils’ attainment and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and this is reflected in the improved performance in 2012 tests at the end of Key Stage 2. However, achievement continues to require improvement because pupils’ progress from their starting points is not consistently good across all year groups or for all groups of pupils, particularly in Key Stage 1.  Children enter Reception with skills well below those typically expected for their age. Overall, children reach standards that are below those of most children by the end of Reception. Increasingly, the children are making good progress particularly in their early language development because of the good provision.  Overall progress from Year 1 to Year 6 is variable across year groups because of differences in the quality of teaching and pupils do not always build continuously on their skills as they move

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

up from class to class. This is particularly the case for the more-able pupils.  Progress in writing has been targeted for improvement and the consistent approach across the school is effective. Pupils are more confident and producing increasingly higher-quality work.  Pupils’ progress in reading is improving because of the consistency of phonics (linking letters with the sounds they make) work, particularly at Key Stage 1. Most pupils have a good knowledge of the sounds that letters make and know how to ‘break words down’ when they are unsure about new vocabulary. Pupils have a wide range of books in school and enjoy opportunities to read widely. Teachers work well in partnership with parents to improve pupils’ reading skills. The best readers are fluent and read with expression.  Achievement across the wider curriculum has improved since the previous inspection but is still variable from class to class. Achievement of key ICT skills has been identified by the leadership

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

team as a priority area to be developed. This was confirmed during lesson observations where opportunities to use ICT were missed.  Pupils who receive additional funding through pupil premium make good progress from their starting points both through additional support and opportunities to enhance their experiences. In 2012, they did equally as well as other pupils in English and mathematics tests at Key Stage 2.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, those from minority ethnic groups and the small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress, particularly in English, because of the well-targeted support they receive.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching has improved over the past year. Teaching has not been consistently good over time, particularly in Key Stages 1 and 2, and weaknesses in teaching remain in some classrooms. As a result, progress in some Key Stage 1 and 2 classes is better than in others.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can learn are not always high enough, and this means that pupils are not learning as well as they should or producing enough work. Teachers do not always set work at the right level to match pupils’ abilities. Consequently, not all pupils make the progress that they should. Where teachers plan tasks that are neither too hard nor too easy, they ensure that pupils make the best progress.  At times, the pace of pupils’ learning is hampered by overlong introductions from teachers and pupils not being moved onto the main task soon enough. By contrast, the best lessons are well structured and teachers make sure that learning moves on quickly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 While pupils engage in topic work, consistently effective opportunities for pupils to develop and practice basic reading, writing and mathematical skills in meaningful contexts and a range of subjects are lacking.  Teaching is good in Reception. An interesting and wide range of activities is provided inside and outside the classroom. In one lesson, the children enjoyed their search for Red Riding Hood’s granny. They developed some useful language and direction skills. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there is an effective blend of adult-led activities and those that children choose for themselves. Children have good opportunities to explore and learn independently.  Teaching is at its best when teachers organise practical activities that enthuse pupils. For example, in a literacy lesson in which pupils in Years 3 and 4 were learning about evacuees in the Second World War, pupils enjoyed a stimulating, on-screen presentation and engaged in

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

research activity. The pace of learning was brisk.  Teaching assistants are usually deployed well and make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly for pupils who require additional help with literacy and numeracy.  The quality of marking is helping pupils to progress in writing. However, while there are some good examples, this same quality is not consistent across other subjects. Expectations of what pupils need to do next and pupils’ understanding of what is their responsibility is not always clearly articulated.  Teachers effectively promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They establish positive relationships with the pupils. Pupils show consideration for others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are proud of their school and feel safe within it because, in their words, ‘The teachers and our friends look after us.’ It is very much an inclusive school and pupils who have sensory impairment are well cared for and valued by the community.  Pupils are well behaved, courteous and polite at all times. In lessons, they generally show positive attitudes to the teacher, their learning and each other. This makes a strong contribution to the friendly and welcoming atmosphere in the school.  Staff are good role models and the talented team of support assistants, in particular, fosters pupils’ self-esteem well. Assemblies encourage pupils to think more deeply about the world around them and they reflect upon the importance of treating others with respect. As a result, the school is a racially harmonious community in which pupils value the contribution of all.  The life of the school is enhanced by this willingness of pupils to take on responsibility, such as

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

being a member of the school council. In so doing, they usefully learn about the democratic process and it also gives all pupils a voice in how the school develops.  The older children understand their responsibility to model good behaviour and safe practice. The `playtime helpers’ and ‘monitors’ show great maturity in their role to ensure that younger children are looked after on the playground and around school. Pupils enjoy playtimes, which are very happy and secure for all.  They know about different kinds of bullying, such as physical bullying and name calling, and say such instances are rare.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. This is promoted effectively by the curriculum, through which they learn about how to react if approached by a stranger and the dangers associated with roads, railways and water. They are confident that any issues they raise will be dealt with promptly and effectively by the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school. The attendance of pupils is improving and the school has developed a range of strategies to ensure good attendance. The breakfast club is a very good example of this. Pupils value the well-attended breakfast club which is helping to support the attendance of a number of children.  Parents are supportive of the school. The majority of parents who responded to Parent View indicated that the school makes sure children are well behaved and deals with bullying effectively.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders are committed to ongoing school improvement and the dedicated headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher and senior team, lead by example and are regarded highly by teaching, support and administrative staff. They are always effective in ensuring good intentions are reflected in good practice in the classroom  The school has an accurate understanding of its performance. However, information from its checks on how well it is doing is not used sharply enough to set targets for improvement. For example, although performance-management arrangements are in place, there is insufficient emphasis on the acceleration in pupils’ achievement and how improvements in teaching can bring this about.  The school leadership team ensure they check on the performance of different classes and groups of pupils. However, this process is not robust enough to raise the quality of teaching more rapidly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff speak positively about the emphasis senior leaders place on improving teaching. They are equally as positive about the opportunities they have for professional development. Leaders recognise that monitoring does not focus sufficiently sharply on pupils’ progress.  The leadership team have worked hard to improve the curriculum since the previous inspection. Overall there is appropriate coverage of all subjects. However, leaders and managers have not effectively ensured consistency across all classrooms and ensured pupils have plentiful opportunities to develop ICT skills in lessons and all subjects. There is a wealth of additional activities that enrich the pupils’ experience. Staff and pupils are rightly proud of the school’s sporting activities, which are well supported by Barnsley Football and Shaw Lane Rugby Clubs. Pupils look forward to the residential visits to Kingswood.  The ‘Faculty teams’ ensure that more staff members are getting leadership opportunities. This is

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The leadership and management requires improvement

allowing more staff to contribute to, and take responsibility for, improving pupils’ progress. The creation of the faculty teams is a very positive step and ensures that the school has a good team to secure the improvements necessary.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well and fosters good relations between pupils of all levels of ability and from all cultures. There is zero tolerance for any form of discrimination. Safeguarding and child-protection arrangements are in place and meet statutory requirements.  The local authority supports the school effectively. The involvement in a local cluster of schools is further adding to the school’s ability to tackle the improvement agenda.  The governance of the school:  Governors have played an important part in working with the school leaders to tackle and support improvement. They have asked important questions about plans for future developments. They are regular visitors to the school. They ensure that performance

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The leadership and management requires improvement

management takes place and links to salary progression. Governors make sure that money, including the pupil premium funding, is used effectively to benefit pupils. They ensure that safeguarding requirements are met. They take part in any additional training that will help them carry out their duties. More recently, governors have had effective training and support, including for the analysis of data. They use their acquired skills to make comparisons against similar schools locally and nationally. They are now more rigorously holding the school to account. The governing body has made a significant contribution to the marked improvement in the school in the last year.

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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 106611 Local authority Barnsley Inspection number 400852

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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 350 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Carolyne Clay Headteacher Keith Armitage Date of previous school inspection 30 November 2009 Telephone number 01226 729910 Fax number 01226 244783 Email address k.armitage1@barnsley.org 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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