Nether Green Infant School

Nether Green Infant School Stumperlowe Park Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 3QP

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Nether Green Infant School is a school where every pupil matters. As a result, they are extremely happy; they feel safe and enjoy school.  Pupils achieve well so that, by the end of Year 2, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is significantly above the national average.  Teaching is good overall and sometimes outstanding. Teachers are enthusiastic and ensure that all pupils are inspired to learn through interesting lessons.  Pupils are extremely proud of their school.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They have outstanding attitudes to learning and they enjoy all aspects of their school life. They are very kind, considerate and polite to one another.  Pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and enriched by an exciting curriculum.  The school makes excellent use of the pupil premium to support those pupils for whom it is intended. The gap between the attainment of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

this group and other pupils in the school is closing rapidly.  The headteacher provides effective leadership. She has developed a strong staff team, committed to improving the quality of teaching and raising attainment.  The school has a very accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses and uses this information well to guide school improvement.  The governing body is a strength of the school. Governors support the school’s development and further improvement very well.  The school works very closely with parents so that they are genuine partners in the education of their children.  Attendance is above average.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although teaching is good overall, it is not of a consistently high quality to bring about outstanding achievement.  The work planned for pupils is not always hard enough.  Teachers do not always insist that the skills pupils learn in English lessons are applied to their writing in all subjects.  Pupils’ work is not always presented neatly.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons of which one was a joint observation carried out with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils from Years 1 and 2, five members of the governing body, senior leaders, parents and a representative from the local authority. Informal discussions were also held with pupils at break times and lunchtimes.  Inspectors took account of 65 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, analysed responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire and had discussions with parents at the end of the school day to ascertain their views of the school.  Inspectors observed the school at work and scrutinised the work in pupils’ books, the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, the school’s improvement plans, planning and monitoring information and minutes of governing body meetings. Records relating to behaviour and

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Information about this inspection

attendance and documents relating to safeguarding and child protection were also considered.

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Inspection team

Anthony Kingston, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Doreen Davenport Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Nether Green is an average-sized infant school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is well 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 support through the pupil premium (additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those from service families and those who are looked after by the local authority) is well-below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language is below average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and raise pupils’ attainment, especially in writing, by insisting that pupils always apply the skills they learn in English lessons to their writing across all subjects.  Improve the presentation of pupils’ work by:  implementing a consistent style of handwriting throughout the school  making sure that pupils write their numbers more clearly  ensuring all teachers have consistently high expectations of how pupils present their work in all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start school with skills that are those typically expected for their age.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception classes. They make good progress and, by the time they enter Year 1, attainment is above average. This is because of the wide range of well planned adult-led and independent activities that support their learning effectively.  Children develop excellent personal and social skills. For example, a group of children building a structure to transport balls from one height to another overcame the problems they encountered by discussing, listening to the views of others and working together to find the best solution.  Throughout Years 1 and 2, pupils continue to make good progress. By the end of Year 2, attainment is significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels in writing is below that of reading

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The achievement of pupils is good

and mathematics. This is because pupils are not always encouraged to apply the skills they learn in English lessons to their writing in other subjects.  Reading is given a high priority. From an early age, pupils enjoy reading and sharing books. Systematic teaching of letters and sounds is giving most pupils the skills they need to tackle unfamiliar words. Pupils quickly move on to gain personal enjoyment from reading books independently and talk with enthusiasm about the books they have read at home and at school.  Pupils are proud of their achievements. However, they do not always present their work well. Handwriting is not well developed and the writing of numbers can be unclear.  The school promotes and checks that all pupils have equality of opportunity. Different groups, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs and those from different ethnic backgrounds make similarly good progress. This is because of the good quality adult

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The achievement of pupils is good

support and the programmes of work are carefully matched to pupils’ needs.  The income received by the school to support the few pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and in receipt of pupil premium is spent judiciously on a range of well-considered support, including one-to-one and small group tuition. As a result, these pupils flourish and make progress equal to, and sometimes better than, their classmates. This results in levels of attainment for these pupils which are well above their national counterparts but slightly below that of their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good with some that is outstanding. However, not enough teaching is outstanding to ensure that more pupils make outstanding progress from their individual starting points.  Adults know pupils extremely well. The good use of assessment information to track pupils’ learning and development ensures everyone knows precisely what needs to be done to narrow any gaps in learning.  In lessons where teaching is outstanding, teachers make sure that the learning of all pupils is moved forward rapidly by using on-going assessment to match activities closely to pupils’ individual needs. This leads to high levels of challenge for the most able and support for those who find learning difficult. Learning moves forward at a rapid pace and teaching is adapted in the light of pupils’ responses to skilfully posed questions. Teachers plan exciting activities in order for pupils to find things out for themselves and develop their curiosity and creativity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading, writing and mathematics are taught imaginatively with appropriate links made to other subjects. This results in pupils having many opportunities to read and write for a wide range of different purposes and to apply their mathematical skills to problem-solving activities. However, in writing, pupils are not always expected to apply and practise the skills they learn in English lessons to other subjects.  Skilled teaching assistants support pupils’ learning in and outside the classroom. Their good understanding of what pupils are expected to learn ensures that they intervene and support to good effect to help pupils overcome any difficulties which might possibly slow their learning. Their work is carefully checked, ensuring that no pupils fall behind in their work, each being given excellent opportunities to achieve their best.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly and thoroughly. Marking and verbal feedback provide pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

with detailed and challenging pointers about how to improve their work. Pupils know their targets and are eager to talk about what it is they need to do to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school places children at the centre of all it does and has high expectations of how well they conduct themselves. Pupils’ responses make an exceptional contribution to the atmosphere of mutual respect and consideration for others in this calm and happy school.  Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. They listen in lessons and show a keen interest in their learning. As a result, they choose to behave impeccably in lessons and make an excellent contribution to their own learning.  Many pupils say with great pride that they enjoy the privilege of being an ambassador for the school, acting as tour guides showing visitors around the school, as member of the school council or the school’s ’Green Team’ who relish their role the process of recycling paper and card.  Pupils have a very good awareness of how to stay safe when, for example, they use the internet. They say they feel safe in school and were keen to tell inspectors that bullying is

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

extremely rare. A very high proportion of parents responded to Parent View, all of whom said that pupils are well behaved, are looked after and kept safe by the school.  Through a programme of well-planned activities and assemblies, pupils develop an outstanding respect and empathy for the culture, beliefs and needs of others. They are very proud of their school and very much enjoy being there. This was exemplified by one pupil who said, ‘It’s fantastic. We have really kind teachers and we learn about lots of different things.’ This is reflected in the consistent year-on-year, above average levels of attendance. The incidence of persistent absenteeism has been resolved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides supportive yet challenging leadership to teachers. She has a very clear view of how successful the school can be and this is shared by staff, parents and governors alike.  The school’s view of its own performance is rigorous and accurate. The sharply-focused and rigorous checks on teaching and learning give staff clear guidance on how to enhance their skills, driving improvement forward by tackling weaknesses quickly and successfully. The process is supported by effective performance appraisal systems which are linked to pupils’ progress, teachers’ standards and pay and promotion.  The school keeps a very close track of the progress that individuals and groups of pupils make. Teachers, leaders and governors continuously check that all pupils have equality of opportunity for success and that there is no discrimination.  The curriculum is exciting and fires-up pupils’ imaginations. It meets their needs and interests

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The leadership and management are good

well. Appropriate emphasis is given to the teaching and learning of basic skills. There are well- planned opportunities for pupils to apply these skills across different subjects, although the development of pupils’ writing skills is not always supported well enough in other subjects. Visits and visitors to the school and the wide range of clubs enhance pupils’ learning and life experiences.  The extra funding for physical education and sport is being used very effectively to work in partnership with a local secondary school. Through demonstration lessons and coaching, specialist teachers are improving the skills of staff to teach a range of sports more competently. Through this judicious allocation of this funding, the school is ensuring that it leaves a legacy of skilled teachers who will continue to improve pupils’ health and well-being.  The local authority provides light touch support to the school. It has an accurate understanding

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The leadership and management are good

of the school’s performance and has confidence in its ability to improve further.  The school works exceptionally well with parents. Parents are very supportive of the school and all that it does for their children. This was exemplified by one parent who said, ‘It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to have had three children at such a wonderful school.’ All those parents who responded to Parent View stated that they would recommend the school to other parents.  The governance of the school:  Governance is a strength. Governors are extremely well informed about the quality of teaching and how well leaders are supporting and improving staff performance. They make sure teachers’ pay and promotion are justified by pupils’ progress and attainment. They are very clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and how it performs compared with other schools nationally. Finances are well managed and governors are able to account for the way

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The leadership and management are good

extra funding such as the pupil premium and the Primary School Sport funding is spent, and its impact on pupils’ performance. Safeguarding and child protection have a high priority and governors ensure that statutory requirements are met.

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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 107029 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 425915

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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 224 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ben Anderson Headteacher Bridget Ball Date of previous school inspection 11 November 2008 Telephone number 0114 2304094 Fax number 0114 2309814 Email address enquiries@nethergreen-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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