Hallgate Primary School Cottingham

Hallgate Primary School Cottingham Hallgate, Cottingham, HU16 4DD,

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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

 Pupils are not making enough progress in writing, and the less able pupils are not making enough progress over time in mathematics.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good enough in all subjects to ensure good progress for all pupils.  Expectations are not consistently high enough. Pupils are not always clear about the quality of work expected of them, particularly in writing.  Marking of pupils’ work is not always precise and accurate. Pupils are not urged to improve their work using the marking comments they have been given in their books.  The progress being made by pupils working with teaching assistants is not checked sufficiently rigorously.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are not always consistently positive. Their behaviour does not always make a strong contribution to learning.  Middle leaders are not using the information gathered about pupils’ progress skilfully enough to check on the progress of all groups

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

of pupils throughout the school.  When planning for improvement, leaders and managers do not include precise enough detail to help them measure whether their actions have been successful or not.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils are making good progress in reading.  Pupils say they enjoy school and they feel safe in school. As a result, attendance is above average.  Parents and staff have very positive views about pupils’ behaviour and behaviour around the school is good as is the school’s work to keep pupils safe.  The headteacher has developed a strong sense of purpose amongst all staff to drive forward her ambitions for the school.  Actions taken by the headteacher and governors are contributing well to bringing about improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement. As a result, although the school is not yet good, it is improving.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons taught by 10 teachers and a higher level teaching assistant. Two observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors spoke formally to two groups of pupils about their learning in lessons and their safety in school. They spoke to many others throughout the days of the inspection. Inspectors also listened to some pupils reading.  Meetings were held with a group of governors including the Chair of Governors, school staff and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also looked at the school’s review of its own performance, its development plan, subject development plans, school policies and the minutes of governing body meetings. Inspectors also considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and analysed a sample of pupils’ books.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors analysed the 44 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and 19 questionnaires completed by staff. Inspectors spoke to some parents at the start of the school day and at a coffee morning held in the school.

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Inspection team

James McGrath, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Tracy Fulthorpe Additional Inspector David Matthews Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is 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 White British. Almost all pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which are minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school holds the Silver Travel Plan Award.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2013. She was the acting headteacher from

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Information about this school

January 2013.  There have been significant changes in staffing since the last inspection. In January 2014, there were several changes to leadership with the appointment of a deputy headteacher, a co- ordinator for special educational needs and a Key Stage 1 co-ordinator.  Since the last inspection there have been significant changes to the membership of the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in writing and mathematics, so that it is consistently good or better and the progress made by all groups of pupils is securely good, by ensuring that: - expectations of the standard of pupils’ work in writing and mathematics are raised, particularly for less able pupils - pupils are clear about the quality of written work and handwriting that is expected of them - marking is accurate and focused on what pupils have to do to improve their work, particularly in writing - enough time is provided for pupils to respond to teachers’ written comments, in both writing and mathematics - there are more opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in different subjects - the progress of those pupils working with teaching assistants is checked rigorously - pupils’ attitudes to learning are managed consistently well to ensure that behaviour is good.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact of leadership and management by making sure that: - middle leaders use information on pupils’ progress to drive improvement for all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs, to ensure that none are falling behind - measures used to judge success of planned actions are sharply linked to rates of pupils’ learning and progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement as too few pupils are making better than expected progress in writing, and less able pupils make particularly slow progress over time in mathematics.  Although still lower than they should be, standards at Key Stage 1 are improving. From a dip in 2012, standards in reading, writing and mathematics picked up 2013. However, reading remained well below average, as too few pupils reached the higher levels of attainment. Standards in writing and mathematics were broadly average. School records and inspection evidence show that pupils now read well and more pupils are set to attain the higher standards in reading at the end of Year 2 in 2014.  Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 also improved in 2013. Pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2013 started Key Stage 2 with standards that were well below average. They made good progress in reading to reach average standards. Standards in mathematics and writing remained well below

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

average, because less able pupils had made little progress through the key stage. Progress for others in mathematics was good. The results for the less able pupils were particularly low. Standards of English grammar, punctuation and spelling are below average.  The most-able pupils achieve well. They attain the same standards, and make the same progress, as similar pupils nationally. The school is providing these pupils with additional support in ‘gifted and talented’ groups and they are currently making good progress.  School records and inspection evidence indicate that standards at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are set to improve further in 2014. It is clear that better progress is being made in writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2.  Most children start school with skills that are typical for their age, although for some, the skills of mathematics and literacy are lower. The Reception Year classroom and outside learning areas

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

provide children with a stimulating environment in which to learn. Children work well together and enjoy their learning. They are well prepared to begin their work in Key Stage 1.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make progress similar to that of others. Although there is better identification of their specific needs, leaders and managers are not yet rigorously checking the progress being made by these pupils.  The progress made by pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and supported through the pupil premium is similar to that of others. In 2013, these pupils were a year behind others in reading, writing, mathematics and English grammar, punctuation and spelling. Improved provision for these pupils and better analysis of their progress is leading to gaps beginning to close across the school.  Pupils enjoy reading, especially the new books the school has purchased. The most recent

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

screening check at the end of Year 1 showed that pupils’ skills in linking letters and sounds to read are improving. All pupils take books home to read and are keen to read with their parents. Parents make a good contribution to the development of reading. Many listen to their children read regularly and complete their child’s reading record in detail. Achievement in reading is good across the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement as it is not consistently good throughout the school and, as a result, pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics is not good.  Expectations of pupils’ writing are not high enough. Consequently, the quality of pupils’ writing is very variable. Poor presentation, inaccurate grammar and incorrect spelling are not challenged well enough to help pupils make good progress.  Expectations of the less able pupils in mathematics are not high enough. Work is not always well matched to their individual needs and does not always get the best out of them.  Although pupils’ work is marked regularly and suggestions for improvement are made, insistence that pupils respond to the suggestions to improve their work is inconsistent. This leaves pupils repeating mistakes, in both mathematics and writing, and not progressing well with their work.  The progress of pupils working with teaching assistants is not checked rigorously enough to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

ensure that the work set is challenging enough for all pupils and that they are making good progress. Teaching assistants are not always managed well enough in lessons to ensure that pupils benefit well from their skills.  In lessons, pupils are not always brought back swiftly to their tasks when they lose concentration. This impedes the progress they are making.  An analysis of pupils’ work shows that there are too few opportunities for pupils to use mathematics in other subjects. It also showed that the less able pupils were not challenged sufficiently well to improve their work, especially when the quality of writing, handwriting and presentation was not good.  Interesting tasks are planned and capture pupils’ imagination. When learning is good, pupils maintain interest throughout the whole of the lesson. For example, Year 2 pupils enjoyed designing a rocket, writing detailed information about its construction and analysing each other’s

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

designs. Throughout the lesson they were questioned well and challenged effectively to improve their writing. All pupils made good progress.  When learning is good, pupils are clear about what they are expected to do and to what standard. The work set is closely matched to pupils’ abilities and is checked regularly to ensure that it is getting the best out of them. A good example was seen in a Years 4 and 5 mathematics lesson where pupils were using menus from an imaginary Italian restaurant to solve problems with different levels of difficulty.  Homework makes a good contribution to learning. The daily five short mathematics problems are completed well by all pupils. The homework is used to check pupils’ calculation skills and to make a focused start for the next lesson. Parents are very supportive of these short and regular homework tasks.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are not always consistently positive. Some pupils lose concentration and have to be prompted too often to focus on their work.  When teaching is not good, pupils lose interest and the quality of their work is not good. Pupils do not always take enough care with their handwriting and this leads to their written work not being presented as well as it should be.  These attitudes slow the pace of learning and are not helping pupils to learn well.  Around the school pupils are well behaved as they know what is expected of them. They are polite and treat each other with great courtesy and respect. Displays of work in corridors and classrooms are treated with great respect.  Pupils are proud of their school and wear their uniform with pride. There is no litter around school. Some pupils told inspectors that they appreciate how clean the school is kept for them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils get on well together at lunchtimes and playtimes. They are very active in their play and use the equipment provided for them very well.  Parents expressed highly positive views about the behaviour of pupils around school and at the start and end of the school day. Staff are also highly positive about behaviour. They felt that behaviour had improved considerably since the last inspection.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents and staff are exceptionally confident that their children are safe at school.  Pupils say they feel very safe at school and that bullying is rare. They are confident that, when bullying is reported, the school takes swift action. They have a good understanding of Internet safety and know what to do should there be any cyber-bullying or communications from unknown people.  The school educates pupils well in assessing risk. The school curriculum ensures that pupils have

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

a clear understanding of road safety, cycling proficiency and Internet safety.  The school has upgraded its environment to improve safety for its pupils further.  Attendance is above average. Almost all pupils attend school regularly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Some of the recent improvements planned by leaders have not yet been fully effective in ensuring that all pupils are achieving well. Measures used to judge the success of planned actions are not always sharply linked to the achievement of all groups of pupils or precisely enough to the quality of teaching.  Middle leaders do not use information on pupils’ progress skilfully enough to ensure that good progress is being made by all pupils and that the quality of teaching and support by teaching assistants in their area is driving up standards. As teachers’ expectations of some groups of pupils are not high enough, the school has room to improve its commitment to equality of opportunity for all.  The headteacher and the governing body have developed a strong sense of purpose among all of the staff and parents. They have a very good understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the school. They are hugely ambitious on the part of all pupils in the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher knows the school well as there are clear systems for self-evaluation of the school’s work. The new headteacher has checked the quality of teaching and has taken appropriate action to ensure that teaching is improving. Staff are supportive of this and standards have improved, particularly in reading. Tasks set by teachers are now more interesting and give learning a purpose.  The headteacher has recently changed the roles of some leaders to drive up standards for the less able. She has also strengthened the leadership team by appointing a deputy headteacher. These recent changes to leadership and management are supporting greater capacity for the school to improve further.  Systems to check the performance management of teachers are effective. The headteacher has an accurate view of the quality of teaching and is using a good range of professional development to improve it further.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum offers a wide range of activities, including French and a good number of after- school clubs, including drama and photography. Pupils take part in musical activities and were proud that they were well placed in the northern series of the UK Rock Challenge. These activities and the impressive art work around the school contribute well to the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.  The additional money provided to improve sporting opportunities is being used effectively. The school is using the expertise of sports coaches and has organised gifted and talented sporting groups. Pupils speak positively about the range of sporting opportunities available to them such as lacrosse and curling.  Parents are very positive about leadership in the school. They say the school responds well to their concerns. They say teaching is now better and are confident that the school is improving.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since January 2013, the local authority has provided effective support for the school to improve. During the period of acting headship it supported leadership and management in the school as well as supporting effective assessment of children in Reception.  The governance of the school:  Since the last inspection there have been many changes to membership of the governing body, including the Chair of Governors. Governors know the school exceptionally well and have a very good understanding of how well the school is doing. They visit the school to see the work of the pupils and teachers, and check data. They link with the headteacher and middle leaders to gather information to plan for improvement. This support is driving up standards in the school. Governors robustly challenge and support the headteacher effectively to improve pupils’ progress. Governors check the school’s budget and have approved the use

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The leadership and management requires improvement

of pupil-premium funding and know the actions that are in place to improve standards. Governors understand the arrangements linking teachers’ performance to pay. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 135078 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 430593

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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 251 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andy Wood Headteacher Emma Leighton Date of previous school inspection 21 March 2012 Telephone number 01482 846136 Fax number 01482 846136 Email address hps@eastriding.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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