Prince Edward Primary School

Prince Edward Primary School City Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S12 2AA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Since the last inspection, pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics has accelerated and attainment has risen.  In 2013, the proportion achieving the higher levels in mathematics is above the national average. There is a significant increase in the proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels in reading.  Teaching has improved and is continuously improving. Teachers provide high-quality marking and feedback. Pupils are given quality time to respond and act on the advice.  Teachers plan thoroughly so that the tasks match the needs of the different groups of pupils.  Children achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Attendance has significantly improved due to the innovative strategies used by the school leaders. Pupils enjoy coming to school.  The curriculum effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  All leaders effectively use different systems to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

check on the quality of teaching and learning so that all groups of pupils achieve well.  The executive headteacher together with the head of school’s determination, drive and clear ambition for the school have been key to the rapid improvements in the school. They have successfully created a welcoming and caring environment.  Governors rigorously hold leaders to account about the school’s performance.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are not yet enough pupils achieving the higher levels in writing.  The high-quality levels of written work produced and presented in the pupils’ literacy books are not seen in their topic books.  Pupils’ handwriting skills throughout are not yet consistently good enough.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 17 part lessons, of which two were jointly observed with the executive headteacher and the head of school.  Meetings were held with key staff, pupils, three members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents including the school’s development plan, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, governing body minutes, the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress and documents relating to safeguarding and behaviour.  Inspectors analysed 29 staff questionnaires. There were too few responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) for inspectors to access but the views of parents at the start of the school day were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Sharona Semlali, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jane Salt Additional Inspector Baljinder Khela Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Prince Edward’s is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school has a local partnership with Pipworth Community Primary School and both schools are led by an executive headteacher. Both schools have a head of school and two separate governing bodies. Since the previous inspection, there have been changes to the membership of the governing body.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for looked-after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs supported at school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is slightly above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The governing body manages a breakfast club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to raise the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels in writing, increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring that pupils produce and present high-quality written work in their topic books so that it matches that seen in their literacy books  improving pupils’ handwriting skills throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children mostly start school with skills that are well below those typical for their age, with communication and literacy skills being particularly low. Since the previous inspection, pupils are making significantly above-average progress in all key stages and in all subjects. By the time they leave at the end of Key Stage 2, attainment in mathematics is above average. While attainment in reading and writing is below, it is improving much quicker than that nationally. The school is starting to close the gap rapidly.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because staff thoroughly plan and provide different activities to meet the diverse needs. All of the adults model good speaking and listening skills that are helping to extend the children’s vocabulary.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has been rapidly improving. In 2013, attainment in mathematics is broadly average; attainment in reading and writing is below but becoming much

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The achievement of pupils is good

closer to the national average.  Pupils are effectively challenged to acquire and improve their reading skills. Those at the early stages of reading have a good understanding of how to use phonics (the sounds letters make) to tackle unfamiliar words. This is because reading is well taught and promoted throughout the school, and the reading materials chosen are carefully matched to appropriately stretch all groups of pupils. They enjoy reading in the library, which has recently been re-vamped.  Pupils achieve well in mathematics. There is a consistent approach throughout the school in the way it is taught. Pupils are given good opportunities to apply their mathematical skills to solve real-life events and they explore a range of topics. For example, pupils in Year 5 made a life-size go-cart from scratch that works properly. This has helped to enhance their awareness of how mathematics is linked to the real world.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Work in pupils’ books shows they are given plenty of opportunities to write in other subjects and for extended periods of time. However, the high-quality levels of writing that is produced and presented in the literacy books are not consistently seen in the topic books. Pupils’ handwriting skills are not yet developed well enough throughout the school.  The most able pupils are making good progress in all subjects but this is not yet fully reflected in attainment over time. At the end of Key Stage 2, there has been a rapid increase in the proportion getting the higher levels in reading and the proportion getting the higher levels in mathematics is above average. However, there are not enough pupils achieving the higher levels in writing.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their individual starting points and targets. Some have very complex learning needs. Skilled staff, who

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The achievement of pupils is good

are well trained, provide effective support in the nurture room where they have successfully created a warm, welcoming and friendly environment.  The school is efficient in the way it spends its money from the pupil premium funding. Those eligible for the pupil premium funding make significantly above-average progress in all subjects. Pupils who are entitled to the free school meals make above-average progress in reading, writing and mathematics, which is similar to the others in the school. The gap is narrowing quicker in mathematics than it is in other subjects, as pupils are now just over two and a half terms behind in mathematics as opposed to being a year behind in writing.  The extra primary school sport funding is well used to support training for staff and for providing extra sporting activities beyond the school day for pupils. Senior leaders have thoroughly reflected on the needs of the pupils before spending the money. Links made with local and

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The achievement of pupils is good

regional venues, such as the velodrome in Manchester, help to extend the wider sporting opportunities for the older pupils. This is effectively helping to develop a healthy and active lifestyle for all pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good, with a small minority being outstanding.  One of the strengths of teaching is the detailed way teachers mark pupils’ work and give them clear guidance on how to improve their work in all subjects. Pupils are given quality time to reflect and respond to advice given from the marking. This is helping them to make rapid progress.  Teachers give pupils sufficient time to think about what they know about a topic at the start and they are given quality time to discuss and assess their learning. In a Year 3 history lesson, the teacher used a ‘learning ladder’ that had numbers on it up to five. Pupils had to rate their understanding about ‘Modern Britain’ using this method and this was repeated at the end of the lesson. This gave them a good opportunity to discuss the progress they made in their learning during that time about this topic.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ planning is very thorough and well structured. This was seen in a Year 5 mathematics lesson on rounding numbers. Here, the teacher’s clear planning and organisation ensured that all the activities appropriately matched and challenged the diverse needs of the different groups of pupils. This helped to develop and improve their concentration and resilience skills.  Teaching assistants are effectively deployed to support pupils’ learning. In a guided reading session in Year 3, the teaching assistant supported the independent groups well by using a range of effective questioning. This helped pupils to have a better understanding of how to find information from a text in order to develop their comprehension skills.  Teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children are skilfully taught at an early age how to use computer technology. During the inspection, they were carefully shown how to

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The quality of teaching is good

use the keyboard to type up words from their poems about fireworks and did this with excitement. Outside, others took pride in demonstrating their new knowledge gained in learning about different types of shapes. All of the activities in both the indoor and outdoor areas effectively help to engage children in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour and attitudes of pupils in lessons are good. They respond well to all adults and work cooperatively. Pupils behave well at playtimes and lunchtimes as a result of carefully planned play provision and supervision. They thoroughly enjoy using the equipment in the ‘play pod’ and going into the ‘secret garden’. These activities help to build on their team-building and imaginative skills.  Behaviour is managed consistently well. Pupils clearly understand the different rewards and sanctions. They like getting the different certificates and trophies for good behaviour and good learning. They value the recognition gained, especially when they are put in the ‘special mentions book’.  Children’s behaviour is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They share the different toys and resources and play well together.  Pupils readily take on responsibility. They regularly volunteer to do learning walks with the senior

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

leaders to look at behaviour around the school and they report their findings in an assembly to the rest of the school. This has helped to improve behaviour and to develop the confidence of those who are reporting to the other pupils. The school council members use their budget wisely; they have purchased and placed new seating in the playground and contributed to the school website. This has helped them to know that their contributions to important decisions are valued.  Pupils have a good understanding about the different types of bullying and they know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. Bullying is infrequent. When and if it does happen, pupils say that their parents are called in and these meetings usually resolve any issues.  Pupils feel the school is a safe place and that they can go to all of the adults in the school if they need help and support.  Attendance is broadly average and this has significantly improved from the previous inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

School leaders have successfully used innovative ways to address attendance, including getting the learning mentor to visit those who do not attend school and by letting those that have 100% attendance have a disco.  Behaviour and safety are not yet outstanding because pupils still need the occasional prompt and tight structure for them to behave well.  Pupils and parents attend the breakfast club together. This helps to give the family a healthy and settled start to the school day.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher and the head of school have effectively worked relentlessly to drive and secure essential and continuous improvements in the school. They readily communicate high ambitions and aspirations to all of the school community. They have uplifted staff morale and have won their full support.  Since the previous inspection, attendance, the quality of teaching, pupils’ achievement, the curriculum and behaviour have improved significantly. Consequently, the school has improved from being judged satisfactory to being good now. This shows the school’s capacity to develop further.  All leaders regularly check the quality of teaching. Teachers have the opportunity to observe one another and watch others teach in different schools. They receive plenty of training, coaching and mentoring support from senior leaders. All inadequate teaching has been eradicated, which has been a challenging process, and extra support has been given to those who needed it.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers have aspirational targets that are clearly linked to the standards expected of teachers nationally and pupils’ achievement. All of these have helped to quickly improve the quality of teaching.  The school has significantly improved the way it uses the tracking systems in order to check on pupils’ achievement by ensuring that all teachers know how to actively use them. As a result, pupils are quickly identified if they are not making enough progress. This shows how well the school is ensuring that all pupils have an equal chance of achieving well.  The curriculum effectively caters for the different needs and interests of the pupils. For example, pupils went fishing and have completed a topic around The Lion King because they have been passionate about these topics. This helped to improve their writing skills.  The curriculum gives pupils a wide range of experiences beyond the school environment; for

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The leadership and management are good

example, during the second day of the inspection, pupils went on a visit to the Natural History Museum in London. The curriculum effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through its celebration of pupils’ work, displays and assemblies. The achievement award helps pupils to have pride in their work and value learning and effort; it also promotes their thinking skills.  Strong partnerships have been established with parents. Consultation with parents about homework has helped this to be a success as a large majority of pupils complete their homework, which is a significant improvement to previously.  The local authority used to provide the school with plenty of good support but as the school has quickly improved, it now gives only light-touch support. The school is used as a model of good practice for other schools in the local area.  The school works well in partnership with other schools in its locality to share good practice and

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The leadership and management are good

expertise.  The governance of the school:  Changes to the governing body since the previous inspection are helping to move the school forward quickly. The Chair of the Governing Body is successfully enabling the parent governors to be much more confident in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities and have a stronger voice on the committee. All governors receive ongoing training and relevant updates from the local authority. Governors’ increasing confidence in understanding how to analyse data about pupils’ achievement and their visits to the school enable them to effectively challenge and hold leaders to account. Governors have a good overview of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Systems to manage the performance of the headteacher are in place and embedded. Governors have a clear understanding of how the school tackles underperformance and teachers’ progression up the pay scales. They efficiently manage the

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The leadership and management are good

school’s healthy budget. They are well informed and carefully check how the pupil premium funding is spent and how it is impacting on eligible pupils. They ensure that all safeguarding policies and procedures meet statutory requirements.

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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 107090 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 425752

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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 337 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Wallace

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Head of school

Julie Storey Matthew Sieczkarek Date of previous school inspection 28 November 2011 Telephone number 0114 228 1900 Fax number 0114 228 1114 Email address enquiries@princeedward.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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Head of school

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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Head of school

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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Head of school

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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Head of school

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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Head of school

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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