Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School

Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School Park Road, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 5LP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, too few pupils make good progress from their previous starting points. Progress between year groups and among groups of pupils is variable, particularly in Key Stage 2.  Standards by the end of Year 6 are below and sometimes well below average, especially in mathematics and in spelling.  Teaching is not good enough to ensure all pupils make good progress, especially in mathematics and spelling. Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough.  Pupils are not always given activities that are well matched to their needs. They are not always challenged, motivated or engaged in learning and a result, do not always behave well.  Too many errors in pupils’ spelling are uncorrected. Pupils are not always given the time they need to respond to teachers’ written comments in marking, to correct their work and learn from their mistakes.  Leaders’ review of the school’s data showing

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

pupils’ progress overtime, does not always quickly show how well pupils are achieving and so support is not always put in place quickly when pupils start to fall behind.  Teachers are not given enough opportunities to observe outstanding teaching practice so that their teaching improves quickly.  Attendance remains below average.  Governors, some of who are new, are still developing the skills they need to effectively hold the school to account.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and governors have a clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Teaching and pupils’ achievement are starting to improve.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve well because teaching is good.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and say that they feel very safe. The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils have a good understanding of and respect for the differences between individuals.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 parts of lessons, including one joint observation with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors reviewed pupils’ workbooks and listened to a number of pupils read.  Inspectors held meetings with two members of the governing body, senior leaders and pupils. A representative of the local authority also spoke with one of the inspectors.  A number of documents were analysed, including the school’s own data about the progress of current pupils, planning and monitoring documentation, minutes of meetings of the governing body and records relating to behaviour, safety and attendance. An analysis of how the pupil premium and the new primary school sport funding are spent was also undertaken.  Account was taken of the 11 completed staff questionnaires. Fifty responses to the school’s most recent questionnaire for parents were also taken into account.  Inspectors observed pupils moving around school outside lessons, including in the dining room

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Information about this inspection

at lunchtime and on the playgrounds during breaks.

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Inspection team

Barbara Martin, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Robert Pye Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from minority ethnic groups and are of Asian or Asian British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not, or believed not to be English, is well above average.  The proportion of pupils 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 below average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club each day.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is the lead coordinator for the Batley and Birstall partnership of schools.  Since the previous inspection, there have been many changes to staff, including within the senior leadership team.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good and better in Years 1 to 6 in order to raise standards and ensure all groups of pupils make good progress, especially in mathematics and spelling by: - raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve so that more pupils reach above average levels of attainment - ensuring that pupils, particularly the most able and those who find learning difficult, are always given activities that are well matched to their needs so that they are challenged, motivated and engaged in learning and so that their behaviour is always good - making sure that pupils have a good understanding of the appropriate methods to use when finding answers to mathematical problems and have a real understanding of what they are doing and why - making sure that pupils get the help they need to learn to spell the words they find difficult - giving pupils the time they need to respond to teachers’ written comments in marking, to

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

correct their work and so learn from their mistakes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of the leadership and management, including governance, by: - making sure that leaders check the information from assessing pupils’ skills and progress more quickly, including for different groups of pupils so that any pupils who fall behind are quickly given the necessary support - establishing a clear policy for the marking of pupils’ work and checking that all staff adhere to this policy - giving all teachers more opportunity to observe outstanding teaching practice so that the proportion of good and outstanding teaching increases - ensuring that clear action plans are in place to improve attendance so that it is at least in line with the national average

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Undertaking an external review of governance, to include a review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding, in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because in Key Stages 1 and 2 too few pupils make good progress from their previous starting point at the start of Year 1. Progress between year groups and among groups of pupils is variable, particularly in Key Stage 2. Standards by the end of Year 6 are below and sometimes well below average, especially in mathematics, where standards have declined, and in spelling. Although there are some signs of improvement, standards currently in these subjects are still below average and too few pupils are making good progress for this performance gap to close at a good rate.  When children join school in the Early Years Foundation Stage, their skills, knowledge and understanding is usually well below that typical for their age. Some children join with limited acquisition of English language. Children’s learning gets off to a good start because of the good teaching that they receive and make good progress. Although their skills have improved, they

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

remain below the levels of development expected when they move into Year 1.  In Years 1 and 2, pupils make expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards at the end of Year 2 overall are below average. In writing, standards are close to average and better than in reading. Although the proportions of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 check of their knowledge of letters and sounds (phonics) was average, reading standards overall are lower than those compared to similar pupils nationally.  Achievement in Key Stage 2 requires improvement, particularly in mathematics and spelling. In 2013, in reading and writing, an average proportion of pupils made progress at the nationally expected rate and in reading, an average proportion did better than this. In writing, however, too few pupils made good progress. Weaknesses in pupils’ spelling skills hamper their achievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In mathematics, in Year 6 in 2013, a below average proportion of pupils made or exceeded the expected levels of progress. Inspection evidence shows that achievement in mathematics is starting to improve. Even so, it requires improvement because too little teaching is good enough to raise standards quickly. Not all pupils have a good understanding of the calculation methods they should use when finding answers to their work. Some pupils just copy a given formula to get the correct answer rather than having a real understanding of what they are doing and why.  The achievement of the most able pupils requires improvement. Too few pupils reach the higher Level 3 at the end of Year 2 and Level 5 at the end of Year 6. Teachers’ expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve are not high enough. The work they are given lacks challenge.  The achievement of pupils supported by the pupil premium varies and overall requires

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

improvement. In Year 6 in 2013, the attainment of those known to be eligible for free school meals compared to others in the school varied between subjects. For example, they reached similar standards in reading and writing, but were about two terms behind in spelling, punctuation, grammar and in mathematics. Even so, their progress was similar to other pupils in the school. The pupil premium funding has been used well to provide extra teaching support and resources and some pupils make good progress. However, overall their achievement is not good because the quality of teaching is still variable.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make variable progress. A good level of support is often in place, including from additional support staff, but they do not make consistently good progress because teaching does not always help them to learn well.  Overall, pupils who speak English as an additional language make expected progress. Their

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

acquisition of the English language and their communication skills develop at a good rate in the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, their progress is not always good, especially Pakistani pupils in Key Stage 2. Too few reach the expected levels of attainment by the end of Year 6 compared to similar groups nationally and as a result, their achievement requires improvement.  Variances in pupils’ achievement, between key stages and across subjects, means that the school’s efforts to promote equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination are not yet effective.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Several changes of teaching staff since the last inspection have impacted negatively on the quality of teaching overtime. Staffing is now more settled and teaching is now improving. Even so, overall it requires improvement because there is too little teaching that is good or better across the school to raise standards quickly. Recent improvements are yet to impact significantly on raising pupils’ achievement, especially in Key Stage 2.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough. The most able pupils, for example, sometimes find activities too easy, particularly in mathematics. Over several consecutive lessons, the most able pupils were required to order five-digit numbers. Pupils told inspectors that they found this ‘really, really easy.’ Their achievement is also hampered because sometimes they sit through teachers’ explanations when they already understand what to do.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Those pupils who find learning difficult and struggle to learn new concepts, do not always understand the work that is given to them. This was seen in a mathematics lesson about area. The task given, to find the area of irregular shapes, was too difficult. These pupils did not achieve well because they did not have a good enough understanding of what they were doing. As a result, some pupils just copied the answers from each other.  This lack of challenge for some and confusion for others means that some pupils can lose interest in learning and lack motivation. This sometimes results in a deterioration of the behaviour of a few pupils.  Spelling is not always taught well. Teachers do not make sure that pupils get the help they need to learn to accurately spell words they find difficult. Some teachers help to improve spelling skills when they mark pupils’ work. In such cases, pupils’ learning moves on at a better rate. Some

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

staff miss good opportunities to do so. The school’s marking policy regarding these issues is not clearly established.  Teachers’ marking does not always make it clear what pupils need to do to improve, especially in mathematics. Although helpful comments are often noted, pupils are not always given the time they need to respond to them so that they can correct their work and learn from their mistakes.  Where pupils learn well, teachers ensure that pupils clearly understand what they are to learn and how this learning will help them in the future. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge, listen to and question the pupils skilfully. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, pupils enthusiastically wrote a diary extract. In another lesson, a teacher used questions skilfully to explore how a character would be feeling when grieving for a person. One pupil said, ’She would feel like a piece of her heart had been taken away.’

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children learn through exciting purposeful activities to develop their skills, particularly in language development. For example, children in the hospital role-play area, who were nursing their teacher back to good health by bandaging her broken arm, were able to talk about the X-rays they had on display. Children were having fun making the shapes of bones using various materials such as lace and polystyrene foam.  Teaching assistants are used well to give support to disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The quality and focus of this support is improving and is starting to have a positive impact on their progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. In lessons, a small number of pupils do not always behave as well as they should. When pupils are not as eager to learn because their work is not interesting, motivating or challenging enough or when they do not understand their work, behaviour sometimes deteriorates.  Pupils say that behaviour ‘varies’ in their classes and that it is ‘OK.’ Pupils acknowledged ‘that some pupils find it hard to control their emotions and get giddy.’  Most pupils’ attitudes to work are good. They are polite and well-mannered and know the difference between right and wrong. In lessons, a few pupils become restless when they sit through teachers’ explanations when they already understand what to do.  Pupils say that they enjoy school. Pupils’ below average attendance does not reflect any lack of enjoyment. The low attendance of a few pupils in Year 1, impacts negatively on the school’s

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

attendance rate and the poor attendance of a few, hampers their achievement. Action plans to improve attendance are not yet effective.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel very safe and understand the importance of adopting safe practices. Although playtime is sometimes boisterous, the swings and climbing frames are used very sensibly. Pupils patiently wait their turn to use them. Most pupils move around school calmly. A small minority show a lack of self- control when not supervised directly by members of staff.  Pupils have a good understanding of the various types of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and say that ‘bullying is rare.’ They say there are a few problems sometimes, but these are ‘dealt with by the teachers’ and that ‘teachers are always there to help.’  Pupils make a positive contribution to local and global communities. Pupils have, for example,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

adopted a cow in order to improve the lives of some people in Africa. Their appreciation of different cultures and faiths in the world is good.  The breakfast club makes a valuable contribution to pupils’ well-being and plays an important role in ensuring that they get a good start to the day.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because, while the school is working to improve the quality of teaching, it is still not good enough to raise standards quickly and ensure that pupils achieve well.  Since the last inspection, the headteacher has been working under challenging circumstances. A legacy of staff absence, weaker teaching, along with many staff changes have had a detrimental impact on the school’s performance. Recruiting good quality staff has also presented some difficulties and continues to do so. At present, there is no deputy headteacher, mathematics and assessment coordinator and, as such, much of the responsibility for driving improvement has rested with the headteacher.  Nevertheless, the headteacher has worked hard and successfully to bring about improvement in some areas, for example, significant improvements have been made to the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage and, as a result, children now make a good start to their learning. The

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The leadership and management requires improvement

headteacher has sensibly enlisted the support of the local authority, who recognising these difficulties have helped to bring about improvement where it is most needed. For example, they have provided consultants to help improve the teaching of mathematics.  Although leaders and governors know the school’s strengths and what needs to improve, including improving attendance and the quality of teachers’ marking, their view of the school’s effectiveness overall is too generous. Leaders do not review the school’s data showing pupils’ progress overtime well enough in order to show accurately how well pupils are achieving. This means that support is not always put in place quickly enough when pupils start to fall behind.  Leaders have improved arrangements to ensure that teachers’ assessments of pupils’ skills and abilities are more accurate. Leaders are now using this information more effectively to hold

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The leadership and management requires improvement

teachers to account, to set more challenging performance management targets and to improve aspects of their teaching. However, the leadership of teaching overall requires further improvement because too little teaching is yet good. Leaders do not yet provide teachers with the opportunities they need to improve their teaching skills, such as by observing teaching by outstanding practitioners.  The curriculum meets all the necessary requirements and has a real strength in its sports provision. The new primary school sports funding is used well to broaden pupils’ experience of many lesser known sports, such as archery, boxing and dancing, to improve pupils’ participation in sport and in their health and well-being.  The governance of the school: - Governance requires improvement. Difficulties in recruiting and retaining governors have hampered their efforts to offer good support and challenge since the last inspection. Although

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the school has been experiencing difficult times, the governing body has not challenged the school’s work robustly enough to hold leaders fully to account for the school’s performance. - Newly appointed governors, including a new Chair of the Governing Body, are very keen to help drive the school forward more quickly. They welcome opportunities to undertake training to improve their effectiveness. Governors’ knowledge of the school’s performance, such as reviewing the available data about pupils’ attainment and progress is starting to improve. This means that they are now better placed to hold the school to account. They are now starting to ensure teachers’ pay progression is more closely reflects pupils’ progress. Governors acknowledge that an external review will be helpful to them. - Governors generally manage the school’s finances well. They know which groups of pupils are supported by the pupil premium funding and know how this money is spent. They are not yet

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The leadership and management requires improvement

fully clear what impact this is having on pupils’ progress. - Statutory duties with regard to health and safety, safeguarding and safe recruitment 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 107640 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 430494

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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 235 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Barkart Khan Headteacher Rachel Smart Date of previous school inspection 28 September 2011 Telephone number 01924 326728 Fax number 01924 326729 Email address office.parkroad@edukirklees.net 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

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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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