Paddock Junior Infant and Nursery School

Paddock Junior Infant and Nursery School Heaton Road, Paddock, Huddersfield, HD1 4JJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Pupils’ progress particularly in writing and mathematics is not consistently good over time.  Teachers do not always provide opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in practical ways. More-able pupils sometimes receive work that is too easy for them.  Opportunities to widen pupils’ speaking skills are missed.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work in mathematics lacks rigour.  Teachers do not consistently use information about how well pupils have learned to plan work that closely matches their needs.  Leaders’ monitoring of lessons does not focus enough on the quality and speed of learning and the improvements required in the quality of teaching.  Some middle leaders are at an early stage of developing their leadership roles.  Governors are not well enough informed about some outcomes of the school’s performance.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils’ behaviour is excellent and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very well.  Pupils really enjoy school and feel very safe.  Reading and the sounds that letters make are taught well.  Leaders, supported by governors, have halted the decline in pupils’ standards of attainment. Pupils’ progress is accelerating at a faster rate.  The good curriculum and wide range of clubs provide pupils with memorable experiences.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons, including one joint observation with the headteacher. Inspectors also heard pupils read.  Inspectors took account of 17 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), 34 questionnaires completed by staff and a recent questionnaire sent out to parents by the school.  They held meetings with two groups of pupils including members of the school council, a member of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. They also had discussions with senior leaders including the special educational needs coordinator and the leader of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Inspectors observed the school at work and looked at a range of documentation including data on pupils’ current and previous progress, the school development plan, pupils’ work over time, performance management documentation and records relating to pupils’ behaviour and safety.

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Inspection team

Brenda Clarke, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Barbara Martin Additional Inspector Kevin Boyle Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above that seen across the country as is the number of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The number of pupils supported at school action is below average.  The number of pupils supported at school action plus is below average as is the number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is the additional government funding allocated to the school for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those looked after by the local authority or the children of forces families.  The headteacher was seconded for one year to support two other schools during 2009/10. A new deputy headteacher was appointed in September 2011.  Floor standards, the nationally required minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and

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Information about this school

progress at the end of Year 6, were not met in 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the overall quality of teaching so that is at least consistently good or better by:  using the information about how pupils have learned more carefully to plan work that closely matches their abilities  providing more opportunities to encourage pupils to think for themselves and for pupils to plan some of their own next steps in learning  making sure that pupils always correct their mistakes in mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing and mathematics further by:  planning more opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills to solve real life problems  ensuring that pupils have good opportunities to extend their speaking skills and vocabulary and to use this to improve the quality of their writing  ensuring that more-able pupils receive work that challenges them and moves their learning forwards at a faster pace  planning more opportunities for children in the Reception classes to practise their reading, writing and counting skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management , including governance, further by:  ensuring that leaders focus more specifically on the learning and progress of groups of pupils when monitoring teaching and learning in classrooms  ensuring that outcomes of monitoring are presented as clear overviews so that governors can quickly check and measure how well the school is doing  ensuring that all middle leaders take responsibility for raising pupils’ standards of attainment  ensuring that governors gain an accurate overview of the performance management of teachers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2011 and 2012 standards dipped significantly to well below those seen across the country in reading, writing and mathematics. Many pupils made inadequate progress. Reasons for this decline are due in part to the secondment of the headteacher, long-term absence of staff and an insufficiently careful watch on pupils’ progress as they moved through the school.  Since September 2012 leaders have introduced a rigorous system for checking pupils’ progress, shared with teachers on a very regular basis and effective actions are taken when a pupil is falling behind. Teachers are now held to account for the achievement of pupils in their class. This is a key reason why the decline in standards has been halted.  Inspection findings indicate a rapidly improving picture but improvements have not gone on long enough to ensure that more pupils exceed their targets and that more-able pupils attain the higher levels of which they are capable.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s current checks on pupils’ progress indicate that a large majority of pupils are on track to meet their individual targets. Standards of attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are on track to improve to be below rather than well below those seen nationally.  Few more-able pupils are on track to reach the higher levels in national tests particularly in writing. This is because teachers do not always plan work with the right level of challenge, and this slows pupils’ progress.  Writing is the weakest subject. Many pupils speak English as an additional language and sometimes experience difficulty in using imaginative words to add interest and flair to their written work. This affects their progress overall so that in 2011 and 2012 a significant minority made less progress than their classmates and similar groups nationally in both reading and writing.  Pupils’ mathematical skills are improving but they are not yet good. Pupils sometimes have

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

difficulty when solving problems because they do not regularly think things out for themselves.  Pupils’ progress and standards in reading are recovering strongly. A recently introduced whole school letters, sound and reading strategy is very effective. Most pupils are enthusiastic about books and read fluently.  Most children start school with skills that are well below those typical for their age especially in speaking, listening and mathematical development. Children make good progress in the Nursery, however, progress overall in the Early Years Foundation Stage requires improvement. Children make outstanding progress in their personal and social development. They enjoy school, behave very well and sit and listen attentively. This prepares them well for their next steps in education.  Year 6 pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in 2012 attained standards which were more than two terms behind their peers in school in English and more than one term behind in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

mathematics. Inspection findings indicate that the gap is reducing between the standards they reach and that of others nationally. For example, pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding in the current Year 6 have all met their targets in reading and are attaining similarly to their classmates. Their progress is very closely tracked and effective additional support provided, boosting their learning of basic skills. This also applies to pupils who have special educational needs, who respond well to the care and support they receive.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in lessons and to solve problems for themselves.  Teachers sometimes accept one-word answers to their questions and do not always insist that pupils explain their answers fully. This significantly reduces opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking skills and language and impacts on their choice of words when writing at length.  Even in the good lessons observed teachers tend to lead pupils through each activity rather encouraging them to take responsibility for their learning and sometimes think for themselves.  Teachers do not always use information about how well pupils have learned to help them plan future lessons. This leads to a lack of challenge for the more-able.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work in mathematics is inconsistent. Pupils do not routinely make corrections so that they may learn from their mistakes.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Overall, these weaknesses mask some positive improvements to the quality of teaching. Throughout the school relationships are very good and behaviour management of pupils is extremely effective. All lessons are orderly with little disruption.  In the most effective lessons the good use of talking partners allows pupils to take a more active part in lesson introductions. Most teachers give clear explanations and ask questions to check pupils’ understanding.  Teachers plan activities that make learning fun. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, pupils completed four-piece jigsaws to develop their knowledge of halves and quarters.  Throughout the school, letter sounds are taught effectively and most pupils tackle the spelling of new words with confidence.  Where teaching is good, knowledgeable teaching assistants are used effectively to support small groups and individuals.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage children are taught to share and to listen attentively to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

others. The newly introduced programme of learning the sounds that letters make is taught very effectively and is accelerating children’s progress in early reading and writing.  Teaching in the Nursery is good. Because children’s centre and nursery staff work together in the unit children are well supported in their learning with lots of opportunities to speak with adults. Exciting activities such as finding spiders in a tray of twigs really engages children and makes learning fun.  Children’s progress in the Reception Classes requires improvement. Children are taught early numeracy in whole class mixed-ability groups that do not carefully meet their differing stages of learning. Independent activities lack a clear purpose and do not routinely reinforce children’s early reading, writing and counting skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is outstanding. Records over time also indicate a similar picture with very few exclusions.  Pupils are always friendly and polite. They talk about how well they get on together. As one pupil says, ‘There are no problems between cultures here’!  Pupils are enthusiastic, work hard and concentrate for good periods of time. Their behaviour is impeccable in lessons.  Pupils say they feel very safe. They talk knowledgeably about internet safety.  Pupils say that bullying sometimes occurs but that it is quickly sorted by adults. Parents and staff agree.  Pupils readily take on responsibilities, such as running the weekly ‘Toast Club’.  Attendance is average and has improved because school leaders are tenacious in tackling this. The amount of frequent absence is above that seen across the country and is due to parents taking their children on extended leave overseas.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very well. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They have a very good understanding of cultures and religions that are different to their own. The importance of respect is modelled and reinforced by all staff and is seen in the excellent ways that pupils treat each other.  Pupils benefit from a rich curriculum and a wide range of after school-clubs and sports activities that many attend. Pupils learn to play fairly and really appreciate the opportunities they are given.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Systems to check the quality of teaching and learning require improvement. There is insufficient focus on the learning of different groups of pupils, especially the more-able. Areas for development in lessons observed are not always clearly documented. Hence, some inadequacies in teaching go unchecked when revisits are made.  There is no recorded overview of the quality of teaching over time therefore leaders cannot quickly evaluate whether teaching is improving.  Middle leaders, other than literacy and numeracy subject leaders, are at an early stage of evaluating pupils’ progress.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher work as a cohesive team. They have resolved some significant issues regarding the quality of teaching. The frequent checking of pupils’ progress and subsequent accountability of teachers is the key reason why standards are rising.  Senior leaders have made an accurate assessment of what the school must do to improve

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The leadership and management requires improvement

further. Staff are trained together and as a result, new actions are introduced consistently across all classes.  Performance management targets set for individual teachers are tackling weaker teaching. The thorough use of such targets has been a key reason why inadequate teaching is being eradicated. There is no overview of this to share with governors. Hence, governors cannot be sure that pay awards made to teachers are closely linked to their classroom performance targets and wider responsibilities  The school takes good care of its pupils and procedures to ensure pupils’ safety are in place.  Equality of opportunity is at the heart of the school’s work and the school goes the extra mile to meet pupils’ differing social and emotional needs. Leaders know that there is more work to be done to ensure the more-able make the progress of which they are capable.  Links with parents are strong so that 94% of parents who completed the on-line questionnaire

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The leadership and management requires improvement

would recommend the school to others.  Local authority representatives were quick to intervene when standards declined. They provide frequent and effective support, especially in accelerating pupils’ progress.  The governance of the school:  Governors have clarified their roles and reorganised themselves to give a more strategic lead to school improvement. They are well informed about pupils’ standards of attainment and the issues facing the school. They are knowledgeable about the use of pupil premium funding and have ensured that systems have been put in place to support pupils in receipt of this. These pupils are now making good progress. Governors are not well informed about the performance management of teachers and rely too heavily on the headteacher for verbal feedback about the quality of teaching. Governors check the school’s safeguarding procedures and keep a close watch on school finance.

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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 107615 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 412557

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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 383 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jenny Palmer Headteacher Richard Dodd Date of previous school inspection 26 March 2009 Telephone number 01484 226565 Fax number 01484 226566 Email address office.paddock@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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