Oakfield Primary School

Oakfield Primary School Morecambe Avenue, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN16 3JF

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Requires Improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires Improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires Improvement 3

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that has serious weaknesses.  Pupils’ attainment is low, particularly in mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The progress pupils make from one class to another varies too widely, particularly in writing and mathematics, because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching.  Too often, all pupils work on the same task because teachers do not use the information about individual pupils’ capabilities properly when planning lessons. Consequently the work is either too easy or too difficult.  The quality of marking in pupils’ books varies too much and does not provide enough help so that pupils know how to get better and reach their targets.  School leaders know that improvements are needed, but despite making some procedural changes and sharing their expectations with staff, improvements in pupils’ progress are not sufficiently evident in all classes.  The findings of regular monitoring are not

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

evaluated systematically and considered to see if they are making a difference. This means that leaders do not always have a secure understanding of the school’s performance and if pupils are making the right progress.  Governors keep a close eye on the school’s performance but those new to governance have not had time to develop the skills they need to make a full contribution.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Children make a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Class where they make great strides in their learning.  Pupils are happy and feel safe in school with many of them contributing to whole-school initiatives.  Parents are very supportive of the school and appreciate all the additional opportunities, out of lesson time, that are provided.  Senior leaders take decisive action when the quality of teaching is not good enough. Teachers are being helped to improve the quality of their teaching because of the clarity of feedback they receive about their lessons.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 10 lessons, two of which were observed jointly with senior leaders, and listened to pupils read. Inspectors also made short visits to observe numeracy, basic skills and topic lessons. In addition, inspectors observed an assembly and small groups of pupils receiving additional support. A substantial analysis of pupils’ workbooks in literacy, numeracy and topic work was undertaken.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, class teachers, a representative from the local authority, the School Improvement Partner, the Chair and three other members of the governing body. Groups of pupils were spoken to formally and at social times.  Inspectors read a range of documents presented to them, including those relating to pupils’ progress, self-evaluation, improvement, the curriculum and safeguarding.  The inspection team also took account of the 32 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent

p.2

Information about this inspection

View) and the school’s own consultation with parents. Inspectors also received 31 responses from staff to their questionnaire.

p.2

Inspection team

Marianne Young, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Lynne Davies Additional Inspector Jennifer Firth Additional Inspector

p.2

Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

p.3

Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional government funding) is broadly average. The vast majority of pupils are White British; very few speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils identified with special educational needs through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is twice the national average figure.  Using the unvalidated results for Key Stage 2 in 2012 and the school’s own data regarding pupils’ attainment in writing, as this information was not submitted by the expected date, the school reached the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher and the deputy headteacher were both appointed in September 2012.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is at least good by:  making certain that all teachers learn how to use information about pupils in their class consistently and precisely when planning lessons so that pupils are challenged appropriately  ensuring that the emphasis and impact of teaching on pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics is consistently strong as they move through the school  ensuring that pupils’ books are all marked thoroughly, and that marking provides clear feedback about how well pupils have done and how they can improve their work  insisting that all written work done by pupils is carefully presented in all subjects  ensuring that all teachers explain clearly to pupils what they are to learn in lessons and check that pupils have understood.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in mathematics and ensure that all pupils make progress which at least matches national expectations by the time they leave school in Year 6 by:  checking progress in mathematical skills as pupils move through the school  ensuring that additional help out of lessons contributes appropriately to pupils’ needs.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leaders and managers by:  equipping those in leadership roles with the skills and knowledge necessary to understand how to use results from monitoring activities appropriately, so that they have a good understanding of what works well and what does not  ensuring that all leaders can measure and justify the impact of intervention work on pupils’ progress.  Make certain that all governors receive the training they need so that they can challenge leaders correctly and therefore fulfil their roles to ensure the school is as effective as possible.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 By the end of Year 6 pupils make inadequate progress overall and in mathematics particularly. In 2012, the proportion of pupils making the expected progress in reading and mathematics declined, particularly in mathematics. The gap between how well Oakfield pupils do and the national picture widened. Underachievement was evident for nearly all groups of pupils and standards were low. The exception to this was for those pupils supported by the pupil premium funding who made better progress in mathematics than that of their peers.  School data suggest that that a larger proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium has continued to make at least expected progress since September, compared to the proportion of other pupils. The progress made by other groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, is inconsistent although improving in some classes.  Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are broadly what is expected for

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

their age. They get off to a good start. Their development in different parts of the curriculum is noted regularly and detailed records are kept. Those children who are struggling are given extra help so by the end of the year, children make good progress, become confident and many exceed the goals expected for their age group. However, this good start is not built upon and developed as children move into Key Stage 1 so progress slows down.  The progress of pupils in Years 1 to 6, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, is too inconsistent in reading, writing and mathematics. Generally, pupils do best in reading. This is because leaders have done much to raise the profile of reading across the school. Pupils read with expression and understanding and the comments in their books between school and home promotes a good dialogue and encourages pupils to read. Increasingly, they are reading unfamiliar words successfully by blending sounds together to build

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

words.  Over time, pupils have made insufficient gains in their learning and this continues to be the case in some classes, particularly in Key Stage 2, because assessment information is not always used effectively by teachers to plan work for pupils of different ability. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well or as rapidly as they should.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons and small group work observed by inspectors, teaching failed to take account of pupils’ individual needs and abilities. Not enough lessons ensure that all pupils are involved appropriately and make at least good progress. This is mainly, but not exclusively, the case for pupils in Key Stage 2. There is work to do so that all lessons match the best ones seen during the inspection.  Teaching quality during the inspection ranged from good to inadequate. In the better lessons, pupils are enthusiastic and work well together; teachers question pupils effectively and activities are well planned. Teachers are not afraid to spend more or less time on an activity than originally planned if this is necessary. Consequently, teachers ensure that pupils understand what they are learning and when they are ready to move on to the next stage.  In some less effective lessons, not enough is expected from pupils and tasks are not challenging

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

enough for the more able, or too difficult for the less able. As a result, although pupils generally do what is expected of them, they become disenchanted and lose interest. Explanations are confusing for some pupils and the teachers do not check that they understand not only what they have to do, but what they are learning.  Not all teachers are able to interpret the information about pupils’ abilities and use it effectively in their classrooms at present. Having pupils from different year groups in some classes is an added complication for some teachers. However, where these difficulties are overcome, teachers are able to initiate solutions to ensure all pupils make the progress of which they are capable.  Inspectors saw evidence in pupils’ books that suggests they spend too much time cutting out and re-arranging text and pictures before sticking them in their books rather than finding out information independently from a range of different sources.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although pupils are generally sensible when working on their own, mistakes they make are not always corrected. Using American spelling programmes to identify meanings of words confuses pupils.  When inspectors looked at pupils’ books they found considerable differences in the quality of pupils’ writing and how they present their work. In addition, the ways in which teachers mark pupils’ books are too variable. Marking is most effective when pupils have the chance to respond to the teachers’ comments so that they know where they have gone wrong. Other marking is cursory and often misses correcting important spelling and grammar mistakes.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is generally good with stimulating activities which help children to make good progress. Occasionally, the content of lessons requires children to wait too long for their turn, consequently they do not learn so much.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Good pastoral care creates a welcoming atmosphere in the school. Parents are very supportive of the work done by different members of staff and understand the need for them to help their children at home and for pupils to attend regularly. Consequently, attendance is above average, with many pupils taking part in activities out of lesson time.  Generally pupils move between different group activities and lessons sensibly, but a few tend to dawdle and have to be reminded to hurry so that time is not wasted.  Inspectors saw examples of pupils working hard in lessons with their teachers and teaching assistants. This is because the work they were given to do suited them and often related to real life situations. However, when lessons do not grab pupils’ attention, either because the work is too easy, too difficult or pupils are left to their own devices for too long, their interest wanes and they prefer to day dream or chat with their friends.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils talked freely with inspectors about life at the school. Pupils have recently become involved in the Staying Safe initiative. Their first priority is connected with the way cars are parked outside the school and what can be done to improve matters. During an assembly, pupils’ involvement in and understanding of how to keep safe was clearly shown.  Pupils are adamant that bullying is rare. When situations occur, including incidents of any inappropriate behaviour out of lesson times, pupils are confident that they will be dealt with swiftly.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders understand where improvement is most needed. Since their appointments they have been on a steep learning curve as they identify weaknesses, particularly in the quality of teaching. In their drive to improve teaching, they have not shirked from difficult decisions when the quality of teaching is not good enough.  Senior leaders are ambitious for the school. However, their present method of monitoring and evaluating provision within the school is muddled and lacks clear direction, with information gained from a variety of sources but not evaluated systematically. As a result, leaders have an over-optimistic view of the school. Leaders understand the pastoral and emotional needs of pupils in the school particularly well.  Changes cannot all be made overnight. However some procedures have been altered immediately. Teachers have access to information about individual pupils’ progress and are held

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

to account, during the regular meetings, with senior leaders, for the progress made, or not, by the pupils in their classes.  The subject leader for mathematics has done an in-depth study to identify which parts of numeracy pupils find challenging. As a result, there is more emphasis on mental mathematics. However, despite their ambitions for the school, leaders do not have a system in place to measure whether giving this aspect more prominence is making a difference.  The school is using its allocation of funding for pupil premium wisely, including the appointment of a learning mentor. This appointment has had a clear impact on pupils’ attendance and their general welfare. Using this money to provide booster classes is also helping pupils entitled to this funding to make better progress, particularly in mathematics, than their peers.  Performance management and teachers’ pay rises are now linked carefully to improvements in

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

pupils’ progress. During joint observations, senior leaders identified the strengths and weaknesses in lessons accurately.  The curriculum is carefully planned to ensure variety and that all subjects are covered. Pupils receive extra help when needed. However, inspectors saw that some pupils miss parts of literacy and numeracy lessons for this support and leaders are intending to make sure this does not continue.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is developed well with a variety of visits and visitors into school. These experiences add considerable enjoyment to pupils’ time at school.  Since the appointment of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the local authority has provided support to help them develop into their new roles. The School Improvement Partner is giving clear guidance to senior leaders in using data analysis and self-evaluation to drive school improvement.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Since the previous inspection the actions of the governing body have not helped to prevent a decline in the school’s effectiveness. Governors demonstrate a sound understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses; those interviewed during the inspection demonstrated their commitment to the school and governors are involved in training run by the local authority. Governors are more aware of the importance of the link between performance management targets and salary progression and they receive detailed information so that they can fully hold the school to account. The school’s website needs urgent review so that it contains up to date information; a new site is due to go live later this month. In other respects, governors meet their statutory responsibilities and, at the time of the inspection, all safeguarding arrangements were met. Governors know how pupil premium funding is spent.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

However, their knowledge of whether it is helping to improve pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching they receive is limited.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 134867 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 412009

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 314 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Whiteley Headteacher Susan Boulton Date of previous school inspection 9 March 2010 Telephone number 01724 842246 Fax number 01724 278657 Email address admin.oakfield@northlincs.gov.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9