Spring Bank Primary School

Spring Bank Primary School Spring Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 1AD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Children are well prepared for their future learning through the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a result, they are happy, curious and eager to learn.  Pupils of all abilities make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics through school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well because of the carefully planned support they receive.  The quality of teaching is good overall. Teachers plan lessons well and use good links between different subjects to make learning relevant and memorable.  Pupils of all abilities from many different minority ethnic backgrounds work and play in harmony. They are well behaved and feel safe. Well-planned activities promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The headteacher provides clear leadership. He is well supported by a positive and experienced senior management team and good governing body. As a result, the school has continued to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

develop the quality of teaching and learning since the last inspection and is well placed to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 On a few occasions, all groups of pupils are not consistently challenged throughout the lesson.  Some opportunities are missed for pupils to take the initiative and plan and organise their work.  The procedures for leaders to observe and improve the quality of teaching, which are good overall, do not always identify precisely the progress all groups of learners make during a lesson.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 13 lessons including two joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. The inspectors also made a number of shorter visits to classrooms.  Discussions were held with a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, other governors, a representative of the local authority, and members of staff including senior and middle leaders. The inspectors also heard pupils read in Years 1, 2 and 5.  Inspectors took account of 51 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also spoke to several parents during the school day and considered the school's own parental consultations.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including data on pupils’ current and previous progress, the school development plan, performance-management documentation and records relating to pupils’ behaviour and safety.

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Inspection team

Andrew Clark, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Rajinder Harrison Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above average. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and receive the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  At the time of the inspection, the majority of the Year 6 pupils were on a residential visit.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the already good teaching to outstanding in order to deepen pupils' learning and develop their independence by: - ensuring all pupils are challenged effectively throughout their lessons - involving pupils more in planning and organising their own work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further strengthen the effectiveness of leadership by ensuring observations of teaching and learning consistently identify the progress made by all groups of learners.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make at least good progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage in all areas of learning. They often start school with skills and understanding which are below those typically expected for their age. They make particularly good progress in establishing the early stages of reading, writing and number and show enthusiasm and concentration in all their work.  Pupils achieve well through the rest of the school. There is a positive trend of improving standards in English and mathematics, which are increasingly above average by the time pupils leave at the end of Year 6.  Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium make good progress. The gap between the attainment of pupils known to eligible for free school meals and that of other pupils is narrowing. The result of national tests and assessments were less than a term below the national average in 2012 by Year 6 and are at least average for current pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also make good progress from their starting points. In particular, they acquire reading and writing skills that enable them to tackle a range of subjects well and prepare them for their future learning.  The concentration on basic skills also contributes to the good progress made by pupils who speak English as an additional language.  Pupils read fluently and widely. They tackle new and unfamiliar words well because they develop a good knowledge of letters and their sounds. Pupils of all ages often read with expression and enthusiasm. By Year 6, they have a good knowledge of the work of several contemporary authors and some from the past such as Shakespeare.  The pupils' writing skills are well developed. They write for a wide range of reasons in different subjects, such as writing a diary in historical topics or detailed accounts of their science

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The achievement of pupils is good

experiments. The more-able pupils use punctuation imaginatively to bring their well-produced information leaflets to life following a recent visit. Most pupils show pride in writing neatly and at length.  Pupils make increasingly good progress in mathematics. Pupils use an accurate mathematical vocabulary to explain their calculations. Most pupils, especially the more able, select and apply efficient methods of solving problems using division and make good use of a secure knowledge of place value and decimals.  While pupils' achievement is good, they occasionally do not make the very best progress they could because the quality of teaching is good overall rather than outstanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Literacy and mathematical skills are taught well through direct and carefully focused lessons. Teachers expect pupils to apply these skills consistently and in different subjects. They make good use of feedback and marking to guide pupils  Pupils have precise targets and success criteria to work towards, which teachers share with them. These help build basic skills systematically. They are generally presented in a way pupils enjoy and in which they are involved.  Teachers make good use of accurate assessments to plan lessons and build systematically on pupils' earlier learning over time.  Staff make good use of links between different subjects to make learning purposeful and engaging. This has been well developed since the previous inspection. For example, in Year 3, thoughtful geography and science work on cold climates leads to good examples of chronological non-fiction writing.  Reading and writing skills are taught well because teachers increasingly promote pupils'

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding of letters and sounds through work closely matched to pupils' ability. Pupils of all ages have several good opportunities to read to others during the day, which improves their fluency and expression.  Mathematical skills are systematically taught. Teachers make good use of quizzes and puzzles, including the use of information and communication technology, to enable pupils to practise and improve their mental calculation skills.  Sometimes, teachers do not challenge all pupils throughout the lesson. For example, they sometimes spend too much time instructing them, when some are more than ready to start their own work.  Teachers miss some chances for pupils to be more responsible for their work and develop their own independent learning. Occasionally, teachers do not make effective use of questions to deepen and extend pupils' learning further.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is calm, friendly and orderly. Pupils are well behaved throughout the school. They listen attentively to teachers and their peers.  Relationships are very good. As a result pupils work together well, collaborating and sharing ideas.  Pupils take their responsibilities as school councillors seriously. They listen to the views of other pupils and contribute well to the daily life of the school.  The school works well with parents of pupils who have social, emotional or behavioural concerns. These pupils make good progress in learning to manage their own behaviour. Consequently, poor behaviour is rare and there have been few exclusions.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and feel that very little of this goes on. They feel safe and their parents feel they are cared for well. Pupils make a good contribution to the maintenance of school rules and are sensitive to the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

needs of others.  The pupils respond well to the spiritual, moral and social guidance they receive. Consequently, they have a very good understanding of moral and ethical issues through their 'Harmony Week' and studies on Fair Trade and other global topics.  Very occasionally, when teaching is not engaging enough, a few pupils lose concentration, which hinders their progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The experienced headteacher provides clear and purposeful leadership. As a result, staff work well as a team and morale is high.  The school makes good use of accurate measures of pupils' progress to plan for improvements and to raise achievement. The school works well with other education providers such as 'Teach Leeds' and the local cluster of schools to share the best practice in teaching and learning.  Senior staff regularly observe lessons, hold discussions with pupils and analyse the quality of their work in order to build effectively on the school's strengths.  Staff are held accountable for the progress their pupils make and are subject to fulfilling stringent criteria in order to achieve the next salary level.  The school receives an appropriate 'light-touch' support from the local authority. This support has contributed to the development of subject leaders' roles and that of the governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school tackles any rare issues of discrimination well and this contributes to the harmony within the school community.  The use of procedures for observing the effectiveness of teaching, while good overall, do not always identify the progress made by all groups of learners in a lesson. This inhibits the development of the highest levels of teaching.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is led well. Governors are informed through good quality reports from the headteacher and increasingly by their own systematic checks on the school’s work. The governors, several of whom have recently taken up their roles, make good use of training opportunities provided by the school and the local authority in order to develop their effectiveness in their roles. They are involved in the school's self-evaluation and appropriately decide whether teachers and staff should be rewarded with salary increases and review

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The leadership and management are good

targets for the headteacher. They make good use of data to plan the use of funds, such as pupil-premium funding. The governing body ensures safeguarding procedures meet requirements and contribute to good record keeping.

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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 107890 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 413103

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pip Goff Headteacher Michael Brawley Date of previous school inspection 3 March 2010 Telephone number 0113 2043120 Fax number 0113 2043121 Email address brawlem01@leedslearning.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

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

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