Pentland Infant and Nursery School

Pentland Infant and Nursery School Pentland Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 9JR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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.  Almost all pupils achieve well. They make an exceptional start to their education across the Early Years Foundation Stage. They continue to make rapid progress, attaining standards by the end of Year 2 that are generally above average.  Teaching is good. Effective bilingual support across the school ensures pupils quickly become confident in their learning. Topics and activities are deliberately chosen to enthuse pupils. Pupils say they feel safe in school. They behave well in most lessons and around the school. They enjoy learning and generally display positive attitudes to their work.  Good quality relationships permeate the school. Friendly office staff and the school’s ‘meet and greet’ policy setting the school’s ethos from the outset. This generates the good relationships with parents and sets the school at the heart of the community.  School leaders and governors have a clear view

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

of how well the school is doing and what it needs to do to improve.  The effects of significant changes in school, many at senior level over the last three years, have been tackled well by the present headteacher. The committed, dedicated staff team share her drive for improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A minority of teaching requires improvement. Occasionally tasks are not sufficiently challenging and not all teachers use marking to show pupils how they can improve further.  Gaps in rates of progress for different groups are not yet fully eradicated.  School leaders do not always focus sufficiently well enough on how effectively teaching is helping pupils to make progress in lessons. This can hold them back in improving the quality of teaching further.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 11 lessons taught by eight teachers. In addition, they conducted short visits to classes to check the quality of the learning opportunities for the pupils and to observe small groups of pupils being taught by teaching assistants. One lesson was jointly observed with the headteacher.  They scrutinised pupils’ work, observed break times and listened to pupils read.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior and subject leaders, and the coordinator of provision for pupils with special educational needs including disabled pupils. They also met with the coordinator of the Early Years Foundation Stage, two members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 11 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and met with parents at the beginning, during and end of the day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation, including

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding policies, school development plans, the school’s records of checks on the quality of teaching and samples of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Yvonne Mills- Clare, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Deana Aldred Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Pentland Infant and Nursery School is a slightly smaller than average-sized primary school.  All pupils are from minority ethnic groups and speak English as an additional language.  A smaller than average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium (the pupil premium is additional funding for those children who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after).  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is slightly above average, while the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The school has undergone a period of significant change over the past three years, having had three headteachers in four years. The present headteacher was appointed to the school in January 2012. An acting deputy headteacher, appointed from within the school, took up post in

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Information about this school

March 2013. There have also been several recent changes in teaching staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate progress for all pupils to eradicate any differences between groups and improve teaching so that all is consistently good and more outstanding by:  ensuring all teachers consistently use information about pupils’ learning and progress when planning lessons so that work set always challenges all pupils to do their best  checking pupils’ learning and progress more effectively during lessons and adapting teaching to meet all pupils’ needs more precisely  providing marking that consistently and clearly indicates how well pupils are doing and what they need to do to improve, and linking personal targets more closely to their next steps in learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen how well all leaders and managers improve the quality of teaching by sharply focusing lesson observations on how well teaching is helping pupils learn in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start in the Nursery with skills that are typically well below those expected for their age, particularly in speaking and listening and self-confidence. Effective teaching and bilingual support and a strong emphasis on activities to promote language skills ensure children make rapid progress across the Nursery and Reception classes. Consequently, by the time they enter Year 1 most pupils are working at levels that are within and sometimes above expected levels.  Pupils build on the exceptional start they have made and make good progress across Key Stage 1, reaching generally above average standards by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Exceptionally, attainment at the end of Year 2 in 2012 dropped to below average, significantly so in reading and writing for some pupils. However, inspection findings confirm that this still represented expected or better progress relative to their starting points. Lesson

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The achievement of pupils is good

observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work and the school’s own tracking data show that current pupils are making good progress from their starting points  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those supported at school action or school action plus, receive strong support from talented teaching assistants, helping them to grow in confidence and tackle unfamiliar work. The school works well in partnership with other agencies to support this learning. Consequently, almost all pupils are making expected progress, with an increasing proportion for whom progress is even better.  Pupil-premium funding is used wisely to ensure individual pupils who are entitled to the funding get the right sort of support. The majority of these pupils are now making good progress and reaching at least nationally expected levels. As a result, gaps in reading, writing and mathematics, between the attainment and progress of these pupils, compared to that of other

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils in school who are not in receipt of the extra funding, are closing but not yet fully eradicated.  The national tests in 2012 indicated that pupils’ knowledge of letters and the sounds they make was below average. In response to these findings, the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) was re-organised to meet pupils’ needs more specifically and extensive reading opportunities and programmes were implemented. Additional books, particularly books to interest and engage boys were bought. As a result inspectors found that the majority of pupils are reading widely, fluently and are using the skills they have learned to recognise unfamiliar words. Pupils say they enjoy reading and can explain why they like different types of books and authors.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good, although a small amount requires improvement.  Teachers display good subject knowledge, particularly in the teaching of literacy and numeracy. Support from other adults and prompts to help less-confident learners, particularly in writing and mathematics, are key to ensuring the good achievement made by the majority of pupils.  Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to develop understanding for each pupil’s social and emotional needs. This ensures pupils feel secure and confident enough to undertake their work without fear of failure. As a result the vast majority of pupils display positive attitudes to learning.  The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a wide range of interesting and motivating activities for children. Parents are encouraged to stay with their child, ensuring their children settle quickly and are ready to learn. Children show good levels of concentration and happily engage with

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The quality of teaching is good

adults. The outdoor area is well developed, while a covered area ensures children have access whatever the weather.  In the best lessons teachers successfully engage and motivate pupils by using activities that are interesting; for example, pupils enjoy being ‘Maths’ and ‘Word’ detectives with their magnifying glasses. Pupils are happy and proud to share their findings to the rest of their class at the end of the lesson. Teaching assistants are fully engaged in supporting pupils in their learning throughout the lesson, often working effectively with small groups while other pupils are receiving instruction. Lessons have a clear focus and activities are well planned by teachers from a secure knowledge of what the pupils can do, ensuring pupils are always challenged to do their best, while skilful questioning ensures teachers are able to adapt tasks according to pupils’ emerging needs.  In the weaker lessons this is not always the case. Progress is slower because teachers do not

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The quality of teaching is good

always plan lessons that make sure all pupils are given work that gets the best out of them. In some instances not enough time is taken to check on pupils’ progress during lessons. This results in activities that are not always adapted to meet their changing needs. Some pupils continue with the same work even when it is too easy or too hard.  There are good examples of teachers’ marking across the school, where pupils are told clearly what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. However, this is not yet consistent across all subjects or areas of school and does not clearly link to the range of personal targets pupils have in their workbooks. As a result pupils are not always clear in knowing what they need to work on to reach the next level of learning.  An emphasis on practical activities in the afternoon and after school, based on pupils’ interests, such as bead making and science, skilfully extends pupils’ basic skills and provides extra support

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Relationships in the school are warm and welcoming. As a result pupils are very happy in school, behave well and are polite and courteous to adults and visitors. They are proud of their achievements and are pleased to share their accomplishments.  Pupils respect the adults in school. They talk about staff who help them and are ‘always there for us’. This helps them gain confidence and a willingness to ‘take risks’ in their learning without a fear of making mistakes.  Pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is supported from the outset. Opportunities are provided for pupils to work together, in pairs and groups. They listen attentively to each other and share and explain their own ideas eagerly.  Pupils work hard and respond well to teachers’ requests. However, occasionally, a few pupils become a little fidgety in lessons that do not always capture their interest, or where work is too

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

easy.  The school has employed many strategies to improve attendance including a designated family worker. The school’s introduction of a huge, furry ‘teddy bear’ has captured pupils’ imagination and pupils are keen to have full attendance so they can own him for the week. As a result attendance has improved significantly and is now broadly average.  Pupils enjoy having responsibilities. There are ‘buddies’ in the playground and the school has times when pupils make necklaces and mathematical games to sell.  Pupils say they feel safe and all parents agree with them. They say that bullying is rare and they are confident that, should it occur, they could go to any of the adults in school to help them.  All parents who spoke to inspectors, or responded to the online questionnaire, considered their children to be happy, well-looked after in school and that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved. One parent expressed the views of the many spoken to, when they said ‘Staff are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

welcoming, friendly and very approachable and we feel blessed that our children have a good school to go to.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong direction for the school. She has the full support of her senior leadership team, staff and governors who share her quest for excellence. In the relatively short time since her appointment, she has responded well to issues around pupils’ performance and has successfully implemented strategies to eradicate differences in the performance of groups of pupils highlighted in the 2012 tests. Consequently, these gaps are closing rapidly.  All staff are committed to providing the best opportunities for their pupils. The school is a caring and harmonious community where all are equally valued. New teachers say they feel welcomed and supported in the school.  School leaders and governors are passionate in driving forward improvements and have a clear view of the strengths of the school and how the school can be improved further. The school’s procedures for checking progress among all groups of pupils are thorough.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of teaching is conscientious. However, a few inconsistencies still remain in the quality of teaching. When senior leaders observe lessons, they do not always focus on how well pupils are learning, rather than how well teachers are teaching. They clearly identify elements of teaching that are stronger or need developing, but do not always link them to the difference this can make to pupils’ learning. This means that occasionally some less effective aspects of some of the teaching are not tackled fully.  The curriculum is well planned. A high priority is given to the teaching of literacy and numeracy across the school and a very good balance of adult-led activities in the Early Years Foundation Stage, to promote children’s speaking and listening skills, ensure pupils quickly become confident learners. Pupils enjoy learning through topics, visitors and visits. A wide range of clubs contribute well to the curriculum as well as helping to develop pupils’ personal and social skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school takes every opportunity to involve parents in the life of the school. Often opportunities to ensure parents know how to help their children are coupled with social events such as ‘Counting and Cupcakes’ or ‘Puppets and Pakoras’. These events are well supported and appreciated by parents.  The local authority understands the work of the school well and has confidence that the leadership of the school is able to build on its strengths without too much external support.  The governance of the school:  The school benefits from a highly supportive governing body with a range of expertise. They have the knowledge to both support and hold the school to account. For example, they talk knowledgeably about progress made by those pupils in receipt of the pupil-premium funding and actions that have been taken by the school.  They are well-informed and pro-active in the running of the school. For example, they have

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The leadership and management are good

been instrumental in encouraging parents to take more responsibility in ensuring children attend school more regularly, through their links with the different places of worship in the community.  They have a good awareness of how well pupils are achieving. They know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. All governors are linked to subject leaders and are updated regularly about developments in their subjects.  Governors are fully aware of the effectiveness of the leadership of teaching. They are often invited to sit in classes to observe and are closely involved in the evaluation of teachers’ pay and performance.  The governing body takes its responsibility for the safety of the pupils seriously and ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements.

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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 107690 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 412526

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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 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 192 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Joan Hoyle Headteacher Kathy Coates-Mohammed Date of previous school inspection 10 December 2008 Telephone number 01924 325305 Fax number 01924 325357 Email address office.pentland@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

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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