Worthinghead Primary School

Worthinghead Primary School Wyke Lane, Wyke, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD12 9EL

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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.  Children settle quickly into the Early Years Foundation Stage. They learn well, particularly in developing their social and communication skills, and make good progress.  Standards have risen in Key Stages 1 and 2 over the last two years and are close to average.  In 2013, Year 6 pupils had particularly high standards in writing. Pupils make good headway with mathematics.  The quality of teaching in classrooms and small-group activities is good. As a result, different groups of pupils, including the most able, those with special educational needs and those who join at different times, do well.  Good relationships result in a friendly atmosphere. Pupils feel safe and are proud of their school. Behaviour is good both around school and in class.  Weaknesses highlighted at the previous inspection have been successfully tackled by the headteacher and governors. As a result, the school is rapidly improving.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, ably supported by other leaders and managers, has re-energized the staff in a short space of time. A strong staff team share her high ambitions and sense of purpose.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not yet enough outstanding teaching.  Sometimes activities provided for pupils in lessons are not well suited to their varying abilities and so their progress slows.  Pupils do not always have enough opportunity in lessons to respond to teachers’ marking.  In reading, some pupils do not build on their good learning in lessons by practising their reading at home.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with staff, groups of pupils and the Chair of the Governing Body and three other members of the governing body. The inspectors also met with a representative from the local authority.  They looked at a range of evidence, including the school’s improvement plan; the school’s data relating to pupils’ progress; the work in pupils’ books and the school’s documentation relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 16 lessons or part lessons taught by 10 teachers. They listened to groups of pupils in Years 2 and 6 read.  The lead inspector conducted two joint observations with the headteacher. The lead inspector also observed the headteacher reporting back to the teachers on their findings regarding the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement in the lessons.  The inspectors took into account the 21 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View)

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Information about this inspection

and spoke informally to parents.  There were 25 completed questionnaires from staff and the responses were analysed.

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Inspection team

Mark Colley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lesley Bowyer Additioanl Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for 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 children who are looked after by the local authority.  Most pupils are from White British communities, with a few pupils from minority ethnic groups. A few speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils whose learning needs are supported at 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 joining and leaving the school other than at normal times is higher than average. This is particularly the case for Years 5 and 6 classes, where more than a quarter of

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Information about this school

pupils were not in the school in Key Stage 1.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club, as well as a range of lunchtime and after- school clubs sometimes supported by sports coaches.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and, therefore, raise pupils’ attainment further by:  making certain that work in lessons is, as far as possible, pitched at a level that helps pupils to achieve their best  providing frequent opportunities for pupils to improve pieces of their work in the light of guidance from teachers  giving more attention through teachers’ marking and comments to pupils’ basic presentation skills in their written and mathematical work  continuing recent improvements to the teaching of reading, and providing further guidance and encouragement to parents on how they can help their children make more progress by reading with them at home.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start school with skills that are typically expected for their age. They make good progress in the Reception class so that when they start Year 1, they are well prepared for their future learning.  Between Years 1 and 6, pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their individual starting points in the school. Those pupils who join at different times also make good progress from when they started.  The current Year 6 pupils, with a high number of pupils who joined the school late in their primary education, are predicted to achieve standards in English and mathematics in line with the national average. Where the school has had more time to work with pupils, for instance, two years or more, pupils are predicted to achieve above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2013, pupils’ progress in writing was much better than the progress that pupils made

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The achievement of pupils is good

nationally. In mathematics, more pupils made the expected progress than nationally and matched the average for better than expected progress. In reading, many made at least average progress, but fewer did better than that. School records, lesson observations and work in books confirm that this has been addressed and a higher-than-average proportion of pupils are on target to exceed what is expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics.  The systematic teaching of phonics (blending letters and sounds together to form words) is increasing the fluency of pupils’ early reading and adding to their enjoyment. The Year 1 national phonics screening check results were in line with those nationally, and confirm the pupils’ overall good progress in developing reading skills. At age six, pupils’ skills are broadly average but improving rapidly. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the books and the authors

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The achievement of pupils is good

they enjoy reading in school. However, some pupils show little progress when practising their reading at home.  Progress in mathematics is good, as shown in one Year 6 class where pupils worked with a great deal of independence to calculate the area and circumferences of various circles. Pupils were able to confidently apply the most efficient method. They challenged one another to explain their working out and as a result, extended their understanding further.  Current data and the observations by inspectors show that the additional support for pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding enables them to make similar progress to their classmates. This shows significant improvement from last year where similar pupils in Year 6 were a year behind their peers overall in English and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the good support that they receive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Because of the school’s decisive action, the most able pupils are producing high quality work in writing and mathematics and choose to read books that stretch their understanding.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education. Progress is now more consistently good across all year groups, as a result of more consistently good teaching. This shows rapid improvement in the last 12 months.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good with none inadequate, very little requiring improvement and occasionally some that is outstanding. Since the previous inspection, school leaders have successfully focused on improving the quality of teaching through more rigorous checks on classroom practice and through making better use of information on pupils’ attainment and progress.  Teachers have a good relationship with their pupils which results in a good climate for learning in all lessons. Many lessons involve good quality discussions between pupils and adults as well as among pupils and their peers. This was observed in a Key Stage 2 class when, in pairs, pupils constructed a conversation between two imaginary Viking warriors. They used their knowledge of punctuation, sentence structure and Viking culture to develop interesting written work. Skilled questioning by the teacher encouraged pupils to develop their speech and language skills and to

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The quality of teaching is good

check that they have built on past targets for their writing. Pupils made good progress in developing their literacy skills throughout this session.  The skills of teaching assistants are a strength in school and they are deployed well to support individuals and small groups to ensure they make good progress.  Where progress is strongest, the quality of teachers’ marking is good, with clear explanations about what pupils have done well and with guidance for pupils on how they can improve their work. Where progress is less consistent, pupils’ work is regularly marked but there are inconsistencies in the opportunities given to pupils in lessons to allow them to improve their work.  Occasionally in a few lessons, the work provided is either too easy or too hard for some pupils and this prevents them from making good progress.  The presentation of pupils’ work sometimes undermines pupils’ efforts and does not always

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The quality of teaching is good

reflect the typically good quality content. In some cases, this hinders communication in written work and causes basic calculation errors in mathematics.  The quality of teaching in the Reception class is good and often outstanding. Staff make excellent use of indoor and outdoor resources and plan activities that are sufficiently challenging to develop children’s understanding of reading, writing, mathematics and their personal and social skills well. For example, children were engrossed in working as super heroes seeking out and organising new letter sounds. This helped them to learn and sound out new words, while still having fun.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is good. They have positive attitudes to learning and apply themselves to all tasks. They work well together in small groups and in pairs. Only on occasions when they have completed work and are not moved onto their next stage of learning rapidly enough, do they lose their concentration.  The needs of a very small number of pupils who have significant behavioural problems are managed very effectively by the school. This is a result of the well thought out and sensitive care that pupils receive from a range of adults in the school.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure are good. Pupils understand how to manage risk and to stay safe. Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They told inspectors about different types of bullying and how they could keep themselves safe when using computers. Parents and staff all agree that the school deals well with any bullying.  Pupils value their many roles of responsibility in school, such as ‘Digital Leaders’, ‘Worthinghead

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

Buddies’ and school councillors. These roles have a good impact in promoting good attitudes to learning and to school.  Attendance is just below that found nationally, but has been rising over time. School leaders and attendance staff have worked successfully to ensure that parents know the importance of their children’s regular attendance.  The breakfast club gives pupils a healthy start to the school day, with well-planned activities, wholesome food and a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, capable senior leaders, subject leaders and an increasingly hands on governing body are driving school improvement effectively. The persistent approach of the headteacher has transformed expectations of just how successful the school can be. The relentless focus on continually improving the quality of teaching is working, as inconsistencies in pupils’ achievement are systematically and quickly eliminated.  However, although improving strongly, leadership and management are not yet outstanding because some middle managers are new to their roles and the new structures have not yet had time to have a full impact on raising achievement. The school has accurate data about pupils’ attainment and progress, and is using it well, but could use it even more effectively to set targets for pupils that would help them to make even faster progress.  School improvement planning reflects the school’s drive to further raise pupils’ achievement. The

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The leadership and management are good

plan has the right priorities and sharply focuses on increasing the proportion of pupils making good progress.  The allocation of pupil premium funding has been given a much sharper focus. Consequently, the gap between those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and their classmates is narrowing rapidly and securely.  The new primary school sport funding is used effectively to increase rates of participation, promote healthy lifestyles and foster better skills, such as those in gymnastics.  School leaders promote equal opportunities and cooperation strongly. This ensures that there is no discrimination.  The curriculum is well planned and resourced making particularly good links and references to pupils' needs and interests and thereby ensuring that learning is relevant and fun.  The school welcomes the support and advice it receives from the local authority school improvement officer. He supports the school very effectively and has been engaged in helping

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The leadership and management are good

the school to improve teaching.  The governance of the school:  The governing body knows the school well and provides a good level of challenge and support. It makes sure all safeguarding requirements are met, and that the school is safe and secure. Governors have started making informal visits during the school day, which are focused on key areas for school improvement and involve observing lessons, talking to staff and pupils. In working closely with the headteacher, the governing body is fully informed about how well the school is performing. It has an accurate view of the quality of teaching and how this is linked to any increases in teachers’ pay. The governing body has a good grasp of the school budget, including the pupil premium funding, making sure it is used to support eligible pupils in order to promote their good achievement. Although governors can articulate the challenging questions they ask school leaders, their records of meetings are not

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The leadership and management are good

comprehensive enough to show this evidence.

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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 107246 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 430852

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 182 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Irene Hudson Headteacher Lillian Allen Date of previous school inspection 12 July 2012 Telephone number 01274 414904 Fax number 01274 414904 Email address office@worthinghead.bradford.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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