Ecclesall Primary School

Ecclesall Infant School High Storrs Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S11 7LG

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  From the moment they join Reception Year through to the end of Year 2, pupils enjoy and are inspired by their work and activities. Their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is well above average.  The very large majority of pupils make at least expected progress or more than expected progress by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Consistently effective teaching over time ensures pupils make good gains in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Pupils experience much teaching that is lively and engaging and the best of this is outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding in lessons and around the school. They thoroughly enjoy school, feel very safe and their attendance is above average.  The senior leadership team and governors set a clear direction for the school. They drive improvement effectively and keep the school’s expectations high. They are sharply focused on

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improving teaching and maintaining the high standard of pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of pupils making better than expected progress is not high enough to demonstrate outstanding progress or compare favourably to the best of similar schools.  In a very small number of lessons, teachers do not plan precisely enough to meet the needs of some pupils who need extra help in order to learn well and make as good progress as their classmates.  Actions by leaders ensuring a larger proportion of pupils make more than expected progress are hampered by some lack of rigour in identifying the pupils and the support they need to move them to the next level in their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 16 lessons, observing seven of the school’s 12 teachers. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, pupils and representatives of the governing body.  The records inspectors examined included information on pupils’ attainment and progress, a summary of the school’s view of its own performance, the school’s improvement plan, the procedures for keeping pupils safe and the most recent external review of the school’s work.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading and examined a sample of their writing and mathematics in workbooks.  Account was taken of the 71 responses made by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the responses made by staff to their questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Alan Lemon, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Victoria Johnson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children who are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is very low. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  Very few pupils join or leave school other than at the usual time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of pupils exceeding expected progress and raise achievement overall to outstanding by:  closely analysing data and picking out those higher- and lower-attaining pupils who need the additional support and extra challenge to raise their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics  targeting the school’s additional support for learning on those pupils who need most help  ensuring that all teachers plan learning activities more precisely for these pupils in lessons and small-group activities to take them effectively to the next level in their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 For the past five years, the standard of reading, writing and mathematics has been significantly above average by the end of Year 2 and this has been underpinned by pupils’ good learning and progress. Good achievement, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics, is the result of the school’s high expectations, consistently good teaching and pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning.  Most children start Reception Year at least at the expected level of development for their age. The outstanding Early Years Foundation Stage provision, the wide choice of stimulating activities and outstanding teaching in particular, challenge all children very effectively. The very brisk pace of learning promotes rapid progress.  The majority of pupils currently in Year 2 finished Reception Year exceeding the progress expected and on a very good footing for high attainment by the end of Year 2. However, between the end of Reception Year and Year 2, there is not a significant increase in the

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The achievement of pupils is good

proportions of pupils exceeding expected progress.  The school’s 2013 data show that by the end of Year 2, broadly one third of pupils make outstanding progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils making more than expected progress was highest in mathematics at nearly 50% and, at 23%, lowest in writing.  Outcomes are not higher because a small proportion of pupils, some of whom find learning more difficult than others and some of the highest attaining pupils, did not make more than expected progress.  The school’s specific approaches to raising the attainment of these pupils lack the sharply focused teaching and support needed to take these pupils securely to the next level, which would boost their progress.  The majority of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their starting points and attain standards in reading, writing and mathematics in line with

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The achievement of pupils is good

the national average.  The school’s pupil premium money is spent effectively on ensuring the pupils supported with these extra funds gain from their work and activities. However, there were not enough pupils known to be eligible for free school meals last year and this year to comment on their attainment in comparison to other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ and their assistants’ good knowledge of pupils is generally used effectively to plan and teach lessons. The teaching team brings considerable experience and expertise to planning. This led in one lesson to the use of a simple and very effective approach to counting, enabling pupils to see immediately and quickly understand how three or four different combinations of numbers could make up the same total. When writing, pupils are given a small number of clear objectives such as using interesting words and rhyming words to compose a poem. Writing is further supported with key vocabulary such as a range of adjectives on display in the classroom.  Much of pupils’ work is challenging and is done at a brisk pace. Pupils are keen to rise to challenges and apply considerable effort to keeping up the pace. Teachers explain and illustrate lesson tasks carefully. They question effectively, checking pupils’ knowledge and understanding

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The quality of teaching is good

and what has been learnt.  The teaching of letters and the sounds they make is well taught throughout the school, leading to children in Reception Year and pupils in Key Stage 1 rapidly developing good reading and spelling skills.  Good lesson planning and clear learning objectives often allow pupils to work by themselves. Throughout the school, teachers give good scope for pupils to work together and help one another. This promotes good learning and progress.  Mostly, teachers use assessment effectively and match work to suit pupils’ different abilities. They frequently send small groups out of the classroom with an assistant or another teacher to do work. On occasions, this is a helpful boost to lower- and higher-attaining pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. However, the planning for some groups learning outside their classroom is not precise enough in identifying which pupils to give

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The quality of teaching is good

help or extra challenge to in order to improve their progress and achievement overall.  In these instances, small-group work is very similar to that done in the classroom, meaning the reason for and benefits from leaving the classroom are not strong. One adverse impact is that some small groups do not take part when the classroom teacher is summing up at the end of the lesson and checking with pupils what they have learnt.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils develop excellent attitudes to learning as a result of good teaching, stimulating work and a wide variety of interesting activities. A great many pupils take part in after-school clubs, several of these being fully subscribed. The enthusiastic Eco Team grows plants and recycles waste materials. Pupils are given a wide range of responsibilities that they manage diligently.  Pupils’ attendance is above average and they thoroughly enjoy school. Singing together makes a significant contribution to their enjoyment and takes place regularly in assemblies and some lessons. The excellent school choir leads singing in assemblies and mathematics lessons sometimes start with a counting song that pupils love.  All of the parents contributing their views of the school agreed that their children are happy and content, and that the school looks after their children and keeps them safe.  School rules are simple, very well communicated and strictly adhered to by pupils. They clearly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

understand what is expected of them in terms of a positive regard for the school and one another. Pupils are very friendly, polite and helpful. They have a very good understanding of what is right and wrong in terms of their behaviour, which is exemplary.  Pupils have learnt the different ways bullying can occur and say that bullying in any of its forms does not happen in their school. Pupils know the school values highly each pupil’s happiness and that any worry they have will be dealt with immediately and effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team and governors are ambitious to achieve an outstanding education and excellent outcomes for all pupils. All of the parents expressing their views of the school considered leadership and management to be good. The local authority provides light-touch support for this good school. The school’s external adviser makes an annual review of performance and contributes to checking the quality of teaching.  The staff perform many good leadership roles. They are fully behind leaders’ aspirations and work with strong commitment to supporting pupils’ achievement and school improvement. The school’s aim of promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination is well served by this good leadership and the hard work of the cohesive staff team. They ensure the school’s safeguarding policy is implemented effectively and arrangements for keeping pupils safe are robust.  A close check is kept by leaders on pupils’ achievement by comprehensive gathering of pupil

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The leadership and management are good

progress data. These data and pupils’ results are analysed in most respects quite closely. There has been good improvement since the last inspection in understanding the performance of individual pupils’ and groups of pupils’ progress.  However, data are not analysed and used in every respect with a high degree of rigour. The types of support and work needed to move some higher- and lower-attaining pupils to the next level are not being identified and pursued with enough precision. The school’s arrangements for giving groups of pupils added support and challenge lack the sharp focus on the pupils who need specific interventions. This prevents pupils’ progress and achievement overall from being outstanding.  The regular checks on teaching are effective in maintaining its good quality and in identifying areas for improvement that inform teachers’ targets for improvement. There are robust procedures for reviewing teachers’ performance which are linked to pay progression and

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The leadership and management are good

decisions on further professional development. Recent training for all teachers has focused on moving teaching from good to outstanding.  Leaders have developed a broad curriculum with well-planned provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. In its breadth and enrichment, the curriculum provides pupils with excellent experiences that contribute significantly to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The governance of the school:  Governors are well qualified for their roles and they have benefited from the recruitment of new members who provide further expertise and experience in managing the full range of governor responsibilities. There is good morale among governors and they proceed self- confidently in examining the school’s work, questioning leaders and holding them to account. They are well furnished with information from the school on pupils’ progress and teachers’

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The leadership and management are good

performance. Governors are rigorous in satisfying themselves that teachers’ career and pay progression is fully justified with evidence of success. They pay close attention to the way the pupil premium is used and its impact on pupils’ achievement.

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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 107025 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 412479

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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 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 181 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kevin Corke Headteacher Emma Hardy Date of previous school inspection 24 October 2007 Telephone number 0114 2663137 Fax number 0114 2678743 Email address enquiries@ecclesall-inf.sheffield.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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