Whitecote Primary School

Whitecote Primary School Wellington Grove, Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS13 2LQ

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Pupils’ overall achievement requires improvement because nationally expected standards are not reached and pupils do not make good enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium are not making fast enough progress.  In a significant proportion of lessons, teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough, so work is not sufficiently challenging and does not match the needs of all pupils well enough.  Checks on how well pupils are doing in lessons, are not sharp enough and so the most able pupils spend too long on tasks that they find too easy and those less-able pupils find work too difficult.  Leadership and management, including governance, require improvement because the checks made on the quality of teaching lack rigour. Leaders’ view of how well the school is doing is not focused closely enough on pupils’ learning and progress in lessons and over time.

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

 The marking of pupils’ work is not effective in helping pupils understand how to improve further.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage due to good quality teaching and effective leadership and management.  Leaders have worked very successfully on improving pupils’ behaviour, attendance and punctuality to school. Pupils behave well and are respectful and courteous to one another. This helps to create a calm atmosphere in which pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school.  Leaders are now focusing their attention on improving the rate of pupils’ progress and this is resulting in improvements in standards, for example, in reading and mathematics in Key Stage 2.

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Information about this inspection

 Twenty-one lessons, taught by 16 teachers were visited. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read. They also met formally with pupils from Year 1 to Year 6.  Inspectors observed pupils in the playground at break time and in the dining hall at lunchtime.  Inspectors met with seven governors and held two telephone conversations with a representative from the local authority.  Responses from 46 parents to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were considered. Inspectors also held discussions with several parents in the playground during the inspection.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work. They also looked at the school’s documentation, including data on pupils’ progress, the school’s development plan, evidence from the school’s checks on how well it is doing, evidence of monitoring records and the arrangements for safeguarding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the questionnaire responses from 27 members of staff.

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Inspection team

Fiona McNally, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kathy Thompson Additional Inspector Jan Lomas Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils is White British.  A much smaller than average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  There is a much higher than average proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium funding. In this school, the pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and for children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement for special education needs is above average.  A very small proportion of pupils attend the Oasis Behavioural Unit on a part-time basis.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the rate of pupils’ progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 in reading, writing and mathematics so that pupils make good or better progress, particularly those supported by the pupil premium and the most able, by:  checking how well pupils are doing more often in lessons and using the information to reshape activities to meet pupils’ learning needs and move learning on more quickly  ensuring that all teachers have the highest expectations of what pupils can do so that activities planned are appropriate for pupils’ needs and provide pupils with more interesting work that encourages them to learn  ensuring that marking is more frequent and that teachers give pupils guidance on how they can improve their work and have opportunities to respond to such guidance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, including governance by:  ensuring that there are strong procedures for gaining an accurate view of the school’s performance and that leaders quickly act upon areas of weakness  ensuring that leaders, including middle managers, have the skills to accurately assess the quality of teaching in their own areas of responsibility in order to effectively challenge underachievement at all levels.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement is not good because pupils do not make enough overall progress in English and mathematics during their time in the school. In addition, standards in national tests in reading, writing and mathematics have been well below average over recent years in both Key Stage 1 and in Key Stage 2.  Too few of the most able pupils reach the higher levels at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. This is because teachers do not always check where pupils are in their learning or give them learning activities which move them forward quickly. Furthermore, work for the less able pupils is sometimes too challenging and this means they cannot always start tasks and regularly do not finish tasks.  Standards are now rising and pupils currently in Year 6 are making better progress than previous Year 6 pupils in reading and mathematics.  Children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are well below the levels

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

typically expected for their age. Children make good progress across the Early Years Foundation Stage because the quality of teaching is good and matches children’s needs well.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is not providing the youngest pupils with a secure enough start to their reading. There is a calm atmosphere for learning in phonics sessions, but work is too repetitive so pupils’ learning is not moved on quickly enough. However, leaders have responded to the weakness identified in this area by testing pupils earlier in Year 1 to ensure they are in the right group and taught at the right level. Equally, reading has become a higher priority for the school and the impact of this can be seen in the stronger progress of pupils in reading in Key Stage 2, particularly in Year 6.  In English and mathematics, not all pupils supported through the pupil premium make progress

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

at the same rate as other pupils in the school or nationally. In Year 6, pupils supported through the funding make progress at the same rate as their peers in reading and mathematics but not yet in writing. Strong teaching of mathematics is helping eligible pupils in Year 6 to make better progress.  In Years 1 and 2, pupils supported by the pupil premium funding make the same rate of progress as other pupils in the school, but this is not seen in Year 3 and Year 5. As a result, the school is not yet ensuring that the gaps in attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics between those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are not eligible are narrowing over time.  Pupils who have special educational needs make similar progress to others in the school. While the attainment gap between pupils with special educational needs and others in the school is wider than average in Key Stage 1, by the end of Key Stage 2, the school has worked effectively

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

to close the gap from the pupils’ starting points, so that the progress of pupils who have special educational needs is broadly in line with their peers.  The weaker achievement of pupils eligible for the pupil premium demonstrates that the school leaders, although beginning to tackle this problem, are not yet providing all pupils with equal opportunities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Not enough teaching is consistently good and there is disparity between the quality of teaching for pupils in different year groups. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding are not checked regularly enough as they learn. Because of this, there are times when learning is moved on too quickly before pupils have a secure understanding of basic facts. More often, however, there is too much repetition for many pupils and they are not given the opportunity to tackle work that challenges them.  In writing and mathematics, the work that is planned does not always build securely on what pupils already know and can do and so does not provide work at the right level to meet their varying needs and abilities. Teachers’ expectations are not always high enough to ensure that pupils are challenged to think and work at a level that is as high as it possibly can be for them.  Teaching assistants contribute well to the learning of the groups of pupils with whom they work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

They are good at understanding the needs of pupils because they are given the opportunity to work regularly with them and they use their knowledge of pupils to encourage them to participate, and support them when work is too difficult. When teaching assistants have received specialist training, they use their training and skills well to ensure that disabled pupils access learning and resources appropriately.  Children learn well in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Adults participate in activities with the children and encourage the youngsters to explain what they are doing and why they have chosen a particular way to do things.  Where learning is strongest, there are effective strategies to keep pupils interested and focused throughout the lesson with varied activities, which are well matched to pupils’ different levels of ability. Pupils produce work that shows they have tried hard and made good progress week on

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

week.  Good relationships and secure organisation of classrooms ensure that pupils’ behaviour is generally good and that they have real enthusiasm for learning. On occasions, this is thanks to the care and support from the teaching assistants but also due to the strong enthusiasm shown by the pupils, who want to learn. When pupils have finished their work, they will seek out the teacher to ask for more challenging work.  Pupils’ progress is slowed when they are not given clear guidance on how to make improvements in their work. Marking is regular in pupils’ writing and mathematics books but less regular for pupils’ topic and science work.  While teachers highlight positive points in the pupils’ work, and highlight where work is incorrect or needs improvement, they do not offer any specific points to help pupils to make improvements or to explain why work is good. As a result, pupils say they are unsure as to what

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the marking means and often do not respond to it. Pupils’ work is sometimes incomplete in their books and folders.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well and have good attitudes to learning. Disruption in lessons is minor and uncommon. Pupils, staff and parents rightly have a good opinion of the standard of behaviour and safety. Parents believe behaviour is managed well and that their children are happy and safe.  Around the school and in lessons, it is clear that pupils treat each other well and with respect and there are good relationships between adults and children. Pupils from a very diverse range of backgrounds work and play well together. There is a reward system that pupils understand and focuses on celebrating those pupils who always behave well and do their best. Parents also recognise that the school works diligently to reward good behaviour.  Pupils say that bullying does happen on occasions, but that problems are dealt with immediately by adults. The school’s behaviour records show that, where there are incidents, they are dealt

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

with effectively. It is clear that when pupils have had specific and serious difficulties with their behaviour their conduct has been improved quickly and effectively. There are few examples of pupils repeatedly behaving poorly. The school has worked well with a local specialist behavioural unit to help to improve pupils’ behaviour.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe in and around school and enjoy the activities they can take part in at lunchtime. Pupils have regular opportunities to learn about how to keep safe, for example, on the internet in information and communication technology lessons.  Pupils’ attendance overall is now above average following a concerted effort by leaders when attendance was consistently below average. Equally, the policy in place to improve the pupils’ punctuality has been very effective so that lateness is far rarer than it has been in recent years.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Furthermore, the school has worked successfully with families of pupils who have been persistently absent and, as a result, there are very few pupils who are regularly absent from school. All of these improvements have come about through a determined effort by leaders to engage with parents from different parts of the school community.  All classrooms and other learning spaces are tidy and well-organised. School uniform is worn correctly by all pupils in the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management are not yet good because the checks made on the quality of teaching and learning are not effective enough and so do not secure improvements.  The headteacher, supported by governors and both senior and middle leaders, understands that raising pupils’ achievement in all year groups is the priority. Steps taken to secure improvement have started to have results. There is evidence, for example, of improvements in pupils’ progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 in both reading and mathematics but these have not yet had time to have an impact on standards.  Although leaders have ensured there is no inadequate teaching or leadership in the school, their view of provision and pupils’ outcomes are sometimes over generous and are not fully linked to national teaching standards. There is too little focus on how well pupils learn, both in lessons and over time.  There has been some useful training for staff, for example, in terms of supporting pupils to use

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the internet safely, and in improving the skills of teaching assistants to work effectively with those who are disabled and those with special educational needs and as a result, these pupils’ attainment has improved. However, the recent focus on training teachers to be outstanding has not yet had an impact on the quality of teaching in the school.  Leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and as a result, children get off to a good start across the different areas of learning. In particular, the Early Years Foundation Stage leader, with the support of the team, ensures that the children’s language and communication skills when they join the school is prioritised.  The school uses the primary school sports funding well and this has ensured there are now more sports available to pupils. A specialist sports teacher in the school works with other teachers to develop their skills in teaching physical education lessons.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum provides a full range of subjects and encourages pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. However, teachers’ planning for learning in lessons other than literacy and numeracy does not always ensure that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are regularly reinforced.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, with particular emphasis on specialist events out of school, as well as activities in lessons. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the opportunities they have for visits and fundraising events. For example, pupils in Year 5 have recently been raising money for Fair Trade and have used the experience to create a newspaper report in literacy lessons.  The headteacher, along with the senior leadership team, has implemented strong systems for managing pupils’ behaviour, with clear routines and incentives for good behaviour, as well as clearly understood sanctions. This has meant that there has been rapid improvement in pupils’

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The leadership and management requires improvement

behaviour and safety.  The school has used pupil premium funding well to strengthen the teaching of mathematics. As a result, eligible pupils are now making good progress. However, the impact of the spending of the pupil premium funding is not consistently effective. Gaps in pupils’ attainment lower down the school in reading and writing are yet to be closed and pupils in Year 6 do not yet make the same progress as their peers in writing.  The local authority works regularly with the school and has recognised the decline in pupils’ progress and attainment and, as such, has supported the headteacher to reduce her commitments to work in the authority to focus on making improvements in the school. The local authority are confident that the headteacher can make the improvements needed to raise pupils’ achievement because of evidence of improving progress in Key Stage 2.  The school ensures safeguarding procedures are in place and meet current statutory

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The leadership and management requires improvement

requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors are extremely committed to the school and to the community. However, they are not well informed about the school’s performance and are not realistic about pupils’ achievement. They are supportive of the headteacher and believe that she has the capacity, with the help of her leadership team to make improvements in the school. They are aware of the pupil premium funding and know about the positive impact it is having on the oldest pupils in mathematics, but are less clear where there is weaker progress of pupils supported by this funding. They make it clear to staff that pay awards will only be granted where it is evident that pupils have made good progress.

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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 107970 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 440782

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 426 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Riley Headteacher Karen Allan Date of previous school inspection 7 December 2010 Telephone number 0113 2164800 Fax number 0113 216484 Email address allanke03@leedslearning.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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