Kimberworth Community Primary School

Kimberworth Community Primary School Kimberworth Road, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S61 1HE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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 Good 2

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

 The attainment of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is below average.  In 2013, the progress made by pupils, including the most able, from their different starting points to the end of Key Stage 2, was not as good as it should have been.  In the most recent end of Key Stage 2 tests, the gap between the standards reached in English and mathematics by pupils eligible for the pupil premium and other pupils who are not was wider than that seen nationally.  Teaching over time has not ensured that enough pupils gain the necessary skills in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics by the time they reach the end of Year 6.  At times, pupils complete activities quickly and have to wait for their next task. This wastes learning time.  Marking, in some classes, does not consistently provide suggestions for pupils to help them improve their work.  When marking is good, pupils do not always

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

have the chance to carry out any follow up work or act on teachers’ advice.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language receive effective support and learn well.  Pupils behave well, feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Their attendance is improving and is now close to average.  Staff training and challenging targets are improving the quality of teaching.  Governors, senior and middle leaders use the accurate information about pupils’ performance with increasing effectiveness.  Recent results show that the progress made by pupils currently is accelerating quickly. This demonstrates that the school is successfully securing improvements.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed nine lessons and parts of lessons, one jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors also visited an assembly, observed lunch and break times and listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, staff, school leaders, and three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body and the vice-chair. A meeting with the local authority representative also took place.  Inspectors took account the results of the school’s own surveys of parents’, staff and pupils’ views and 24 responses to the inspection staff questionnaires There were not enough responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) to generate a report, but inspectors did speak with parents in the playground.  A number of school documents were examined. These included information about pupils’ progress, school improvement plans and records of governing body meetings. The work in pupils’ books and records relating to the quality of teaching, behaviour, attendance and

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Inspection team

Jonathan Woodyatt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jane Alexander Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is similar in size compared to other primary schools.  Two-thirds of pupils are of White British heritage and about one quarter of Pakistani heritage.  A high proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language compared to other schools, although very few of these are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is much higher than average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also higher than average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding 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.  There is a breakfast club and after-school club run by the school on the site.

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Winterhill partnership of local schools.  The school is supported by specialist sports coaches as part of a recent arrangement with the local high school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is good or better in order to boost achievement in English and mathematics for all pupils, and particularly for those known to be eligible for free school meals, in Key Stages 1 and 2, by:  ensuring that all teachers provide clear feedback for pupils about how they can improve their work  making sure that when pupils do receive feedback and guidance, they are given the opportunity to act on it  ensuring that pupils’ time is not wasted by having to wait too long between different tasks  ensuring that the teaching of phonics, especially in Year 1, continues to improve so that pupils develop the literacy skills that they need.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 At the end of Key Stage 1, standards have been below those seen nationally for the last two years. Although standards at the end of Key Stage 2 were closer to average in 2012, they dipped to below average in 2013.  Pupils who left Year 6 in 2013, did not make enough progress in English and mathematics during their time in the school.  Over time, pupils’ progress in each class has been too variable due to inconsistent teaching. This has led to the below average standards by the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2. However, current data shows that the standards in each class are rising rapidly because of the improvements in teachers’ skills that have been brought about by good leadership.  Although not enough of the most able pupils reached the higher Level 5 in reading, writing and mathematics in 2013, the proportion that reached the highest Level 6 in mathematics doubled from the year before. This is indicative of the higher level of challenge now being offered.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 in 2013, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals were about four terms behind others in the school who were not eligible, in reading, writing and mathematics. Inspection evidence shows that gaps between the standards reached by eligible pupils and others in current year groups have narrowed, and in many cases closed. This is due to the well-informed and effective actions of leaders. Nevertheless, while it is clear that eligible pupils are now achieving much better than they did in the past, there is still more to be done to push their attainment higher in both English and mathematics.  In 2012 and 2013, the national screening check of pupils’ phonic (letters and the sounds they make) skills carried out in Year 1 showed that a below average proportion reached the level expected for their age. Although this proportion increased slightly in 2013, it was still below that

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

expected. Even allowing for their low starting points, the evidence indicates that, over time, the teaching of phonics in Key Stage 1 has not been good enough. However, more recent improvements have reversed this trend and the proportion of pupils reaching age-related expectations is growing.  Although disabled pupils and those with special educational needs attain less well overall compared to similar pupils in other schools nationally, their needs are well supported by staff and this helps them make good progress from their different starting points. This clearly demonstrates the school’s commitment to tackling discrimination and providing equal opportunities. Increasingly, all groups of pupils are having an equal chance to achieve their potential.  Children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage with knowledge and skills that are below those typical for their age. Since the previous inspection, standards in the Nursery and Reception

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

classes have risen because children make good progress. They leave with skills that are much closer to those expected and are better prepared for their start in Year 1.  Almost all pupils who enter the school with English as an additional language do so in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They receive good support and quickly gain skills in the small group sessions and one-to-one activities led by their teachers or teaching assistants.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching has not been good enough over time and this is why pupils’ progress has not been fast enough. Teaching has improved since the previous inspection but, overall, it is not yet good.  The agreed system for marking pupils’ work ensures that pupils are provided with verbal or written feedback as to how they can improve their work. However, the system is not yet consistently applied by all teachers or in all subjects. Scrutiny of pupils’ books reveals that most teachers use marking to provide feedback, but not all. When feedback is given, pupils are not always given the opportunity to act on it.  At times, pupils’ progress can slow when there are not enough activities provided for them. In a mathematics lesson, for example, pupils completed their tasks and then had to wait too long for the teacher to provide more. This wasted valuable learning time. While this is not the norm, it still happens more than it should.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of writing and mathematics is improving. This is as a result of training provided by senior leaders and the close scrutiny of performance data and teaching standards by middle leaders. Increasingly, work in writing and mathematics is undertaken through imaginative activities, such as a project about Victorians in Year 6. In this project, pupils extend their writing through creating diaries, letters and news articles, and mathematical skills by designing gardens and calculating price lists using the currency of the day.  Recent training for teaching assistants has strengthened additional support, both in and out of the classrooms, for pupils who have fallen behind in their reading. Together with the improved phonics teaching, this is helping to plug gaps in pupils’ skills and the standard of reading is improving. In addition, the school successfully encourages reading at home and pupils receive

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

awards for the amount of reading that they do.  Leaders have recently started setting more challenging targets for teachers in order to drive up standards. Recent targets, for example, have included a focus on ensuring that the most able pupils are provided with increasingly harder work and on boosting the academic progress of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage benefit from good teaching that stimulates their learning and interest. They excitedly told the inspector about a recent trip to a tropical garden that had inspired their work. One child explained that he had used tally marks on his sheet and proceeded to count out-loud seventeen monkeys that he had found hidden in the school’s woodland area.  Parents commented to inspectors how well the school meets their children’s needs. Parents particularly praised the Early Years Foundation Stage for the way that their children are quickly

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

developing skills, such as their use of numbers, writing and speech.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are friendly to each other at all times of the school day. They show respect for others when playing outside during break and lunchtimes. In the small dining hall, they are calm and orderly when waiting patiently for their turn to eat.  Pupils work well together during lessons. They have many opportunities to discuss and share their ideas with others. Pupils’ good behaviour is reflected in the sensible and responsible manner in which they take part in discussions. This good behaviour assists their learning.  Attendance is improving and is now broadly average. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and so they attend more regularly than they used to. The proportion of pupils who repeatedly miss school is still too high in comparison with other schools, but has reduced significantly since the previous inspection due to the school’s concerted actions. For example, by providing helpful

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

support for families through the breakfast and after-school clubs.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Staff and parents agree. Pupils say that they feel very safe in school and staff keep a close watch on pupils during breaks and lunchtime and at the start and end of the day.  Pupils mentioned to inspectors that they know when they need to tell teachers about things, such as bullying, and that teachers are good at dealing with any problems. They have a good understanding of the different types of bullying and say that bullying of any kind rarely happens. The school’s records show that there are very occasional incidents of racist behaviour, such as name-calling. Parents, staff and pupils agree that the school deals effectively with bullying.  There have been no permanent exclusions in the last in the last three years. A few fixed-term exclusions have been used as a last resort for pupils who struggle to manage their own

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong leadership. She has worked ceaselessly to bring about the necessary changes to raise standards. Improvements in the Early Years Foundations Stage, the improving quality of teaching, and the faster progress seen in current year groups, clearly demonstrate this.  Good leadership of teaching has identified accurately what changes are necessary to ensure standards continue to rise. Staff receive regular whole-school training and individual training, including learning from other teachers in the partnership schools. This, together with effective arrangements to check the performance of staff, is ensuring that teaching is rapidly improving with weaker practice being much reduced.  The governing body, senior and middle leaders use the wide range of information that they gather about the performance of pupils to ensure that they quickly identify any pupil who falls behind. Where this happens, they intervene effectively and quickly provide support, for example,

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The leadership and management are good

by organising effective small group or one-to-one teaching sessions.  The curriculum is increasingly helping pupils to develop their basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. For example, there is more support available outside the classroom for pupils who need a boost in their skills, such as reading. Pupils studying mathematics in Years 5 and 6 sometimes work in groups with different ages but similar abilities, in order to meet their needs more efficiently. As a result, standards are rising.  The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Pupils consider different faiths in assemblies and frequently celebrate each other’s successes. The school’s inclusive nature is reflected in the way it supports pupils’ and parents’ different needs well, such as the breakfast club, which is helping to promote good attendance by offering parents the opportunity to bring children to school earlier.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents and staff are highly supportive of the school’s work. Parents particularly appreciate the support provided to help their children achieve well when they have additional needs. One parent praised the headteacher for going the extra mile in supporting the different needs of parents as well as children.  The primary school sport funding is used well. Leaders have employed specialist sports coaches from one of the partner schools in order to develop staff skills in teaching physical education and to increase pupils’ involvement in different sports. Inspectors observed a rugby session in which pupils excitedly took part, learning new skills which, overall, had a very positive effect on their health and well-being.  The local authority recognises that the school is well led and, currently, provides only light-touch support, visiting the school at least once per year.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 The governors have a good knowledge of the performance of the school. They are provided with a wide range of detailed information collected by the school’s leaders, which they discuss and consider at their meetings. They additionally seek advice from local authority staff in order to check and improve their understanding of a range of matters, such as employment law.  They visit the school often, sometimes observing learning taking place in classrooms, so that they can see the difference recent changes are making. This gives them the necessary insight in order to drive forward further improvements.  Governors set high expectations for the work done by staff. They link the headteacher’s pay to clear targets and ensure that this is also happens for teachers. Recent evidence of improvements to teaching confirms their effectiveness.  The governors manage the school’s finances well. They work closely to their budget so that

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The leadership and management are good

they can maintain the levels of staffing and provision of activities, such as the breakfast and after-school club, to meet fully the needs of pupils. They use the pupil premium funding and primary school sport funding well and check the impact of their spending.  Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet 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 106845 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 431648

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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 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simon Curry Headteacher Marion Tapp Date of previous school inspection 19 September 2012 Telephone number 01709 740879 Fax number Not applicable Email address kimberworth.primary@rotherham.gov.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

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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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