Otley Primary School

Otley Primary School Chapel Road, Otley, Ipswich, IP6 9NT

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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.  Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 make good progress from their various starting points, especially in English.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage also do well, especially in developing their communication and personal skills.  Teaching is mostly good and some of it is outstanding. As a result, pupils of all abilities learn rapidly.  Lessons are well planned and teachers use their knowledge of pupils to meet their needs well. For example, they pitch their questions at the right level of challenge.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They feel safe, enjoy their learning and apply themselves to their work.  Good relationships in the school help to motivate and engage pupils in their learning.  Leaders are having a good impact. Plans for improvement target the right areas, and teachers’ performance is checked effectively.  Leaders work well with parents, who are very

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

satisfied. They also have good partnerships with other schools.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Rates of progress are slower in mathematics than in English.  Marking in mathematics is not as detailed as it is in English.  Leaders do not analyse and evaluate information about pupils’ achievement in the same depth in all year groups.  Best practice within the school is not always used as a model to improve the quality of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Five lessons were observed, three of which were joint observations with the headteacher.  During this inspection, the inspector asked additional questions designed to ascertain the school’s view of the impact and effectiveness of local authority services to support school improvement. This information will contribute to work being carried out by Ofsted to assess the use, quality and impact of those services.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work and listened to a sample of pupils from Years 1, 2 and 6 reading.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher and school staff, including senior leaders and subject leaders. A telephone conversation took place between the inspector and a representative from the local authority. A meeting was also held with six members of the governing body, including the Chair.  School documents were examined, including those relating to safeguarding arrangements,

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Information about this inspection

information on pupils’ achievement, and leaders’ self-evaluation and school improvement plans.  The inspector took account of the views of 27 parents through the Parent View website and a letter from a parent. The views of staff were looked at through nine staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Peter Lacey-Hastings, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Otley Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The headteacher is also headteacher of another local school that works closely with Otley Primary School.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is similar to other schools nationally. This is additional funding to support pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care.  The very large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The school had too few pupils in Year 6 to make meaningful comparisons to 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?

 Improve the use of marking, especially in mathematics, so that more teaching is outstanding by:  using marking to give pupils more detail on how to improve their work  ensuring pupils respond to marking.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of leadership and governance by:  ensuring that all leaders rigorously collect, analyse and evaluate information on pupils’ achievement, in all year groups  ensuring that leaders use better teaching within the school to model and share effective teaching strategies.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As year groups are small, attainment at the end of Year 6 varies from year to year. However, it has been above average for two of the last three years. Rates of progress are good in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Pupils currently in the school are making faster progress in English than in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school in most years with skills and capabilities that are below those typical for their age. Their skills in communication and language are lower than in other areas of learning. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, especially in key areas of learning such as communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the last two years pupils in Year 6 have made good progress from their starting points at the beginning of Key Stage 2. The pupils who left Year 6 in Summer 2013 made good progress in both English and mathematics, but it was quicker in English.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium receive support in class and out of class. They make similar progress to other pupils. Their progress is similar in both English and mathematics and across different year groups. No judgement is made about the attainment of these pupils in Year 6, to avoid identifying individuals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who have special educational needs make similar progress to other pupils overall, as do more-able pupils. This is because teachers and teaching assistants make sure their work is at the right level of difficulty and all have the opportunity to learn rapidly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In reading, pupils have books that are well matched to their abilities and provide the right level of challenge. Pupils are able to apply their skills in linking letters with sounds (phonics) to unfamiliar words. They also use a range of reading skills in order to get meaning from what they read. Older pupils are able to discuss why they choose particular kinds of book and which authors they like.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is mostly good and some of it is outstanding. In better lessons, work is very closely matched to the range of ages and abilities in the class, and some individual pupils have work that is adapted precisely to meet their own specific learning needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where tasks are carefully planned in this way, pupils sometimes make very rapid progress. This is because they are able to work at their own level and receive exactly the right amount of challenge.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between adults and pupils are good. This helps to motivate and engage pupils in their learning. As a result, they have a positive attitude to learning and enjoy their lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants use questions well in lessons to make sure pupils are getting enough support, but also to challenge pupils to extend their learning. Adults know the pupils well. They use this knowledge to make a positive atmosphere for learning, and also to help ensure that work is well planned to meet the needs of different ability groups and individuals.  Verbal feedback in lessons is accurate and regular. This means that pupils know how well they are doing in lessons and what they can do to improve their work. They also have opportunities to assess and review their own work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The written feedback teachers give pupils is good in English. It tells them how to improve their work. Marking is not as good in mathematics. Teachers check whether work is correct, but do not always make comments or write extra questions to move pupils’ learning on more quickly. In both subjects, where pupils receive guidance on how to improve, some act on it, but not all.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Expectations are high across the school. As a result, pupils apply themselves well to their work and know that they are expected to do their best.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children’s learning is active and they have opportunities to make progress through play and exploration. Key areas of learning such as communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development are rightly given a high priority. For example, in one lesson children cooperated well, communicated effectively and behaved responsibly when clearing away equipment, because the teacher had ensured they were well prepared to do this.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of how letters link with sounds (phonics) is good. The needs of different abilities are met through careful planning and good use of teaching assistants. For example, in a reading lesson, teaching assistants led small groups to give them closer attention, to make sure the work they were doing helped them to their stage of phonics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well around the school and in lessons, and are attentive to the teacher. They show a positive attitude to learning and work hard at the tasks set. Pupils respond well to the high expectations set by adults in the school. For example, they line up at the end of play and walk into school in an orderly way.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe around the school. They understand that they should follow rules and can see why rules are in place to help them. Pupils are polite to each other and to adults. Adults also show respect and manners towards the pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of most kinds of bullying that could take place, although they are less conscious that racism could cause bullying. They know how to keep safe. For example, they receive advice on how to keep safe when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they like the encouragement they get from the school to help them behave. For example, they enjoy getting stickers for good behaviour, which they collect in order to receive rewards.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they enjoy being at school. Attendance is above average and there have been no exclusions for a number of years.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher knows the school well and leaders evaluate the school’s effectiveness accurately. This helps them to plan actions that focus on the right areas for school improvement, such as the quality of teaching. They use funding carefully. For example, they are planning to spend the new funding for school sports in appropriate areas such as work with local schools on competitive sport, training for staff and physical education equipment. Leaders know how they will evaluate its impact.

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The leadership and management are good

 Performance targets for teachers are used well. They are linked to the achievement of pupils and also reflect the overall needs of the school. Targets are also linked to the national Teachers’ Standards.

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The leadership and management are good

 Partnerships are helping the school to improve. For example, there are close links with another local school, which the headteacher also leads. This is helping staff and the governing body to review and improve their own practices by sharing with other professionals. For example, middle leaders from each school (those in charge of subjects or key stages) are beginning to cooperate. However, leaders do not always make good use of the best teaching within the school as a model to help others improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works well with parents, who are well informed about school activities and their child’s progress. As a result parents are happy with the school, and all who responded to the questionnaire would recommend the school to another parent.

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The leadership and management are good

 Other partnerships exist, such as with the local authority. In the past, this has been more effective in helping the school improve, for example supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching. More recently, the frequency of visits and contact has reduced. As a result the local authority has used data to keep an eye on the school. It has tended to place more emphasis on evaluation of attainment, and progress at Key Stage 2, and has not helped the school to improve its focus on progress elsewhere, for example in Key Stage 1.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders are beginning to become more effective in monitoring and evaluating their areas of responsibility. This includes carrying out lesson observations and checking pupils’ work. They work most effectively in directly monitoring the quality of teaching. Leaders at all levels work well together. This includes the headteacher, middle leaders and the governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have an understanding of data about pupils’ standards, and its use to double-check judgements about the quality of teaching at all key stages. However, they do not always have a fine-tuned understanding of how to analyse and evaluate information about pupils’ achievement, and particularly the progress that pupils make in Key Stage 1. This limits the amount of detail that can go into the evaluation of how successful actions have been.

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The leadership and management are good

 National safeguarding requirements are met, including checks made on adults who work with pupils, and school leaders carry out regular health and safety checks, such as on site safety.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is effective in making the headteacher accountable. For example, the performance management of the headteacher is carried out through a termly meeting with an external assessor. Targets for the headteacher are also linked to pupils’ progress. The governors know about how good teaching is and how teachers are rewarded. They understand the key messages from information on pupils’ achievement, and so can challenge the school about overall outcomes. However, some lack more detailed understanding of progress.  The members of the governing body know how much they receive through the pupil premium. They also take an active role in deciding how it is spent, and know the impact of this on the achievement of eligible pupils.  The governing body works closely with staff within the school and with the governing body of another local school, with whom they meet each term. Governors visit the school regularly and

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The leadership and management are good

work with subject leaders to find out how well the school is improving. They also work well with the headteacher and help to write the school development plan. This supports their knowledge of the school and means they are active in its improvement.

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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 124602 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 425389

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 58 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Liddell Headteacher Jan Hubbard Date of previous school inspection 22 October 2008 Telephone number 01473 890302 Fax number 01473 890953 Email address ad.otley.p@talk21.com 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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