Killamarsh Junior School

Killamarsh Junior School 38 Sheffield Road, Killamarsh, Sheffield, S21 2EA

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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 Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.  There is too much variation in the quality of teaching and, as a result, pupils do not make consistently good progress.  The attainment of boys is well below that of girls at the end of Year 6.  In some lessons, pupils are prevented from getting on with learning independently because teachers’ explanations are unnecessarily long.  In some lessons teachers do not check that all pupils are fully engaged in their learning and contributing when working in small groups.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work does not always provide clear guidance on the standard of their work and the next steps in learning.  Teachers are not provided with enough opportunities to develop their skills through links with other schools.

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The school has the following strengths

 Good leadership and management are having a positive impact on achievement, standards and teaching, which are all improving.  Pupils are provided with numerous opportunities to develop their enterprise skills through the taught subjects.  Pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour contribute to the strong sense of community in the school.  An effective governing body provides the school with good levels of challenge and is contributing strongly to its improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 15 lessons. Some lesson observations and scrutinies of pupils’ work were carried out with the headteacher. Inspectors also observed two assemblies and made a number of short visits to classrooms.  The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other staff and pupils, the vice-chair and two other members of the Governing Body, and some parents and carers at the start of the school day.  A discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors heard groups of pupils of different ages reading.  Inspectors took account of 13 responses to the staff questionnaire and 12 responses from parents and carers to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  The inspectors looked at the school’s policies, teachers' planning of learning, school improvement planning and records on behaviour and safety. They also looked at tracking records on individual pupils’ progress and information on how the performance of staff is

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Information about this inspection

managed, and documentation and minutes from meetings of the governing body

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Inspection team

Kenneth Thomas, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Gillian Weston Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Killamarsh Junior School is much smaller than most junior schools.  Almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and those with a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make all teaching good or better by making sure that:  teachers’ introductions and explanations of learning to the whole class are brief and sharply focused so that pupils have more time and opportunity to work independently  all pupils are contributing fully when working in small groups  through teachers’ marking of their work, pupils are given clear guidance on the level of their work and what they need to do to move on, and that they respond to the advice given.  Raise the achievement and attainment of all pupils, but especially boys, by providing them with clear and measurable improvement targets and rigorously checking that they reach them.  Provide teachers with more opportunities to develop their skills through links with other schools where there are opportunities to observe and adopt best practice in enabling pupils to learn successfully and make, at least, good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because pupils make good progress in some lessons but slower progress in others. Improvements to teaching are having a positive impact on pupils’ progress and achievement. However, weaker teaching in the past has not ensured that pupils have made consistently good progress over time.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Test results at the end of Year 6 in 2012 dropped to well below average in English and mathematics. Successful action to tackle weaknesses in teaching has raised standards in the present Year 6 to average. These standards represent sound progress based on pupils’ attainment on entry to the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s focus on improving reading has led to improved standards in reading. An increasing proportion of older pupils read with fluency and expression.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s reliable checks on the progress pupils are making predict an improving trend in 2014 onwards. These progress data gathered by the school were well endorsed as accurate by the work seen by the inspectors in pupils’ books and in learning in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most recent, unvalidated, test results show that boys were about a year behind girls in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6 and this gap in attainment, although not quite as large, is evident in other years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is similar to that of their peers. In some lessons they make good progress because they receive well-focused, individual support.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium funding benefit from additional individual and small-group support. As a result, the gap between the attainment in English and mathematics of these pupils and their peers in school is narrowing. At the end of Year 6 they are, currently, on average, about a term behind their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils make good progress in the development of their personal and social skills, particularly their speaking and listening skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Because there has been variability in the quality of teaching, pupils have not made consistently good progress throughout the school over time. However, effective action by leaders is improving teaching quality.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching requires improvement, pupils are often required sit and listen to lengthy explanations when they are capable of moving on more quickly. When this occurs, opportunities for pupils to work independently are restricted and some do not have time to complete their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers make extensive use of paired and small-group activities to promote learning. However, in some lessons, a few pupils are not fully engaged when they are set to work in small groups and teachers do not check often enough that all are contributing.  Teachers’ marking varies in its quality and effectiveness. This variability contributes to the inconsistencies in pupils’ progress. Pupils are not always provided with enough guidance on the standard of their work and how they can improve. Where guidance is given, they are not always given enough time to follow it through and so do not learn from correcting their own mistakes.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In lessons where the learning of disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those eligible to the pupil premium is most successful, teachers use teaching assistants well to support individuals and small groups.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The best teaching is well planned, imaginative and supported by good resources. Lessons are lively and interactive and the pupils are fully involved in their learning. In a Year 6 mathematics lessons, for example, good progress was made in calculating the area of irregular shapes because the teacher was constantly checking and reshaping pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Reading is given a high priority across the school. The teaching of reading has improved and more pupils read at the expected levels. Older pupils enjoy reading and talk about the range of books they have read.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils respond willingly to adults’ instructions and are keen to please. They are polite and well mannered when speaking with visitors to the school and to each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents, staff and pupils confirm that behaviour is typically good. This is reflected in good relationships and a calm and purposeful atmosphere in lessons. In this harmonious school, pupils are friendly and care for each other well. Pupils from all backgrounds get on well with each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils report that they feel secure and happy in school. They display a good sense of how to stay safe, and are knowledgeable about risk and danger for their age. They display a good grasp of what constitutes bullying, including cyber-bullying, and say they are not aware of any bullying incidents in the school. They are confident that staff will quickly resolve any concerns.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ enthusiastic attitudes make a positive contribution to their learning. Classroom routines such as sharing, listening to each other and taking turns are firmly embedded. In the corridors and playground, pupils are usually considerate, safety conscious and sensible.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Arrangements to support pupils whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable are very effective. These include the good use of specialist external agencies. Parents and carers appreciate the good quality of care that school provides.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has improved because of the effective work of school leaders and staff. As a result attendance is average and pupils are punctual at the start of the day.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, with good support from the senior leaders and staff, is successfully leading improvement in the school. Standards are rising and pupils are attending regularly. Improvements already established show the school has good capacity to continue to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 Positive action to tackle weaknesses in teaching led to a rise in standards in 2013. Central to this improvement is the checking of pupils’ progress from regularly collected information. Through meetings with class teachers, any underachievement is identified and staff are held accountable for pupils’ progress. There is a clear understanding that all decisions on pay and promotion must be fully justified by teachers’ success in ensuring pupils make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of teaching is good. The school’s judgements of teaching during the inspection were accurate. Training to meet individual teacher’s needs is contributing to the increasing proportion of good teaching. However, not enough use is made of links with other schools so that teachers share and benefit from good and outstanding practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 The funding for those pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium has been used sensibly to provide additional support to raise attainment and also to strengthen links with parents, particularly those who may be hard to reach. This work is particularly beneficial for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable, and reflects the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity and the elimination of discrimination.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum places an appropriate emphasis on the development of literacy and numeracy skills and is enhanced through a local authority programme, which emphasises the development of enterprise skills. It is enriched through music and the arts, and a variety of after-school clubs and visits to places of special interest. Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is promoted through the taught programmes and in assemblies where pupils sing together and have time to reflect on moral issues.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides appropriate support, such as paying regular visits to assist in the evaluation of the school’s performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is very supportive and fully committed to ensuring the school’s future success. Governors understand the link between progress and achievement and how these relate to the quality of teaching. Through reports from the headteacher and regular visits to the school they know how well the school is performing. The governing body knows what the quality of teaching is and oversees the management of teachers’ performance effectively. It manages all funding conscientiously and rewards for teaching are related to how well pupils achieve. Governors make sure that the income received through the pupil premium is spent for the purposes intended. They are provided with accurate information on how effective the extra funding is in narrowing any gaps in the attainment of disadvantaged pupils with that of others in the school. Governors ensure that training is up to date and that all statutory duties

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The leadership and management are good

are met, including those relating to the safeguarding of pupils. All necessary checks are carried out to ensure pupils’ safety.

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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 112578 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 400081

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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 Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 175 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tony Laycock Headteacher Stuart Turner Date of previous school inspection 5 July 2011 Telephone number 0114 2486277 Fax number 0114 2513564 Email address info@killamarsh-jun.derbyshire.sch.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 .

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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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