Brinsworth Howarth Primary School

Brinsworth Howarth Primary School Whitehill Lane, Brinsworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 5JR

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Achievement and teaching vary between classes and subjects. Progress requires improvement and, although standards are now rising, they dipped in 2013.  The progress of different groups of pupils is not always checked rigorously enough to ensure pupils’ needs are met. Tasks do not challenge pupils and they do not always get enough help, particularly boys and the most able.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do not always make enough progress because the support they receive and the teaching in some classes are not fully effective.  The gap in attainment between pupils supported by the pupil premium and others, although improving, is still too wide. These pupils reach lower standards than their peers by the time they leave the school.  Pupils do not always behave well in lessons because activities fail to sustain their interest.  Checks on the impact of extra help provided to boost pupils’ progress are not recorded clearly.

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

Therefore, leaders are not always certain that actions are effective.  The special educational needs coordinator and some subject leaders have not received training to help them fulfil their roles effectively.  Some parents feel that their concerns are not addressed.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children receive a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage and make good progress.  Teaching in Years 5 and 6 is consistently good and progress accelerates as pupils move through the school.  Pupils say they feel safe and secure in school.  Enrichment opportunities in the curriculum are good and support pupils’ learning well.  Since the headteacher returned to school, the momentum to move forward has increased. She and the governors have put actions in place to improve the school. The impact is clear in improving achievement and teaching.  Governors are becoming better informed and so challenge leaders more effectively.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 part lessons including booster groups taught by teachers and teaching assistants. The headteacher accompanied inspectors on visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, staff, members of the governing body and one representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 14 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and to the school’s latest questionnaire for parents. They also took into account the 23 responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and examined a range of documents, including the school’s own records of pupils’ progress and attainment, monitoring documents, records relating to the performance management of staff and those relating to behaviour, safeguarding and attendance.

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Inspection team

Glynis Bradley-Peat, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Pamela Hemphill Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils receiving support through 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.  An average proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are supported through school action. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also average.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The school meets the current government floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher has recently returned to the school on a full-time basis.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and increase the rate of pupils’ progress by ensuring that:  activities sustain pupils’ interest so that they always behave well and that they capture boys’ enthusiasm and increase their progress  tasks are pitched at the correct level to support and challenge pupils especially the most able and those who have special educational needs  the gap in attainment between those supported by the pupil premium and other pupils in school reduces still further.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:  the checking of the progress of different groups of pupils is more rigorous so that pockets of underachievement are identified early and tackled effectively  the effect of actions taken to boost pupils’ progress is checked closely and recorded to see that these pupils benefit from additional support  subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator receive training which enables them to carry out their roles more effectively  leaders engage more effectively with the parents who have concerns about the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Overall progress requires improvement because not enough pupils make good progress and the results of national assessments at the end of Years 2 and 6 have been falling.  Over time, the standards achieved by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics have been in slow decline. However, the decline has halted this year as teaching has improved. Although checks on pupils’ progress are not yet firmly established, there is now an accurate understanding of the levels at which pupils are working. This is providing teachers with a clear starting point from which to plan work. Inspection evidence and the school’s own information show that pupils are making the progress expected of them and are on track to reach broadly average standards this year in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2.  Standards in 2013 for Year 6 pupils dipped sharply. This was particularly the case in reading

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

because pupils did not make fast enough progress. Rates of progress in reading have increased this year because of effective strategies put in place to boost pupils’ skills. Currently, pupils are on track to achieve above average results in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave school. Particularly strong teaching in Years 5 and 6 is contributing well to improving outcomes.  Although there are clear signs of progress accelerating in Key Stage 2, especially in Years 5 and 6, there are still inconsistencies in the rates of progress pupils make across year groups and for specific groups in English and mathematics. Overall, progress requires improvement.  Boys do not achieve as well as girls, particularly in Years 1 to 4. Inspection evidence shows that a high proportion of boys also have special educational needs. Both boys and those pupils with special educational needs make overall expected progress rather than good because their needs

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

are not always met. Some tasks are not pitched at the correct level and so do not capture and sustain their interest. Although the special educational needs coordinator has put in extra support for pupils across the school, this is not yet having a strong enough impact on their progress.  The pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, now make similar progress to their peers and, as a result, the standards they reach are rising. Although the gap in attainment between them and their peers has been reduced, there remains a two term gap in reading and writing. In mathematics, those eligible for support remain six months behind.  The progress of the most able pupils, although similar to that of their peers, is not yet good because they are not always set work that allows them to deepen their knowledge and extend their skills.  Children make good progress during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They often

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

enter the Nursery and Reception classes with skills below, and sometimes well below, expected levels. Careful assessment and well-planned support get children off to a good start and they quickly settle into school routines. By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is broadly average. Even so, writing activities do not always sustain the interest of boys.  The teaching of reading is strengthening throughout the school. Phonics (the sounds that letters make) is taught systematically, although sometimes, the most able pupils repeat sounds that they already know. Results in the Year 1 phonics screening check last year were just below average but, this year, more pupils are on target to exceed the national average. These skills are used well to tackle harder words. Older pupils read fluently and have particularly appreciated the Shakespearean literature they have encountered. Their participation in Hamlet was first-rate.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Over time, teaching has not been consistently good. Pupils’ work and the school’s information on pupils’ progress in different years, and for specific groups, reflect this variability in teaching.  Work planned for pupils does not always get the best out of them. This is often the case for the most able pupils when tasks are not hard enough to allow them to reach higher standards. In Year 4, the level of work was pitched too low for the most able pupils and they found their sentences using speech marks too easy. They completed tasks quickly and without any effort; this added nothing to their learning. Similarly, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do not always find it easy to access the work set and the guidance they receive is not always effective.  Activities do not always sustain pupils’ imagination and some pupils start to get restless and misbehave. In a Year 3 lesson about Egyptian artefacts, behaviour impeded learning because

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the work provided for the pupils with special educational needs was not stimulating enough. These pupils lost interest too quickly and the teaching assistant spent much of her time trying to re-engage pupils with the task in hand.  Occasionally, work provided for pupils who receive support to boost their achievement is not appropriate. This prevents them from making the progress they should. Overall, the school does not fully promote equal opportunities for pupils of different abilities.  Teaching in Years 5 and 6 is particularly strong and, as a result, pupils make good, and often outstanding, progress. Teachers’ expectations are high and pupils are challenged at the right level so that they make good strides in their learning. In Year 5, systematic development of mental calculation skills ensured that pupils of all abilities learnt how to work out percentages more quickly. In Year 6, pupils learnt about main and subordinate clauses. Tasks promoted high

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

levels of engagement among pupils through humour and, as a result, pupils were inspired to make rapid and sustained progress in their learning.  In Nursery, children developed well their literacy skills. The teacher’s questions enabled them to describe the characters in the book and to describe how they might be feeling when reading about a panda that was lost. This also contributed well to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. A small minority, particularly boys, misbehave in some lessons when activities fail to absorb their interest. In the playground, boys do not always play together well and have disputes about scores when playing football and other competitive games.  In most lessons, pupils’ attitudes to work are positive; they show their enjoyment of learning and relationships are very strong between them and their teachers. Pupils are polite and well- mannered and show good levels of care for one another. They wear their uniform with pride and are smart and well presented. Staff are good role models for pupils.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils use the internet safely. They know the dangers of misusing social networks because they learn about it in assembly. They say they feel very safe.  Although bullying is uncommon according to pupils, a few parents have concerns about the way

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

leaders deal with bullying. The school has not logged incidents robustly. There have been occasional incidences of homophobic name-calling.  The school’s priority for pupils’ values and rights, through its work through the UNICEF charter, means they are generally respectful to each other and get on well. One pupil said, ‘pupils are very fair in this school’. In lessons, pupils are cooperative, readily helping each other as they work.  The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils to develop a sense of responsibility from the earliest age. Nursery children quickly learn how to tidy up at the end of their lessons and older pupils are keen to contribute to the school community. For example, pupils develop their own ideas for raising funds for charity such as ‘Sports Relief’ and the Macbeth project where they funded their own performance. This was so successful it is to be repeated again this year.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

Pupils wish to learn more about Shakespeare and to perform King Lear in the summer term.  Attendance has improved and is broadly average this year. The school has worked closely with families to successfully reduce absence.  There have been no permanent exclusions over time and it is exceptionally rare for a pupil to be excluded for a short time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Actions have not been effective in raising pupils’ achievement and improving the quality of teaching. The headteacher has, until recently, been executive headteacher of two schools. Her ability to drive through improvement in Brinsworth Howarth was compromised and achievement last year was not as good as at the time of the last inspection.  The headteacher has been back in the school on a full-time basis since February. Already, she has galvanised staff and together they are working on raising standards and accelerating progress more effectively. Consequently, results are expected to be much higher than last year. Rates of progress have increased and the school is in a better place to move forward.  As yet, the roles of subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator are not fully developed. These middle leaders have not received training to enable them to carry out their roles as effectively as they could. They are not fully involved in checking on what is happening in

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the subjects and aspects they lead and so do not have an informed view about what needs attention.  Although leaders track the progress of groups of pupils, support has not always been put in place early enough to ensure that no time was lost in addressing underachievement. Consequently, boys with special educational needs in particular did not catch up with their peers until late in their school career. Clear evidence is not recorded of the impact of actions taken to boost pupils’ progress.  Nevertheless, the headteacher has now evaluated correctly what needs to be done. The school development plan has accurate priorities and clear actions to achieve success. Improvements can already be seen in reading throughout the school and in rising standards for the pupils in Year 6.  The quality of teaching is checked regularly and closely compared with the rates of progress pupils make. Teachers are informed of their strengths and aspects to improve. As yet, the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

response to these findings is not leading to teaching being consistently good. Targets are set for staff and these are reviewed before decisions are taken about salary increases.  The curriculum is well organised and pupils have the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects. Pupils take part in a variety of after-school clubs and activities and visit places of interest, for example Creswell Crags, when studying the ‘Stone Age’ and a residential stay in Robin Hood’s Bay. High-quality art work adorns the school as do displays of pupils’ participation in Hamlet. These experiences provide pupils with memorable moments.  The additional primary sport funding has boosted the quality of the teaching of physical education. The use of experts has provided highly effective training for staff which has promoted improved practice and confidence. Teachers have also been coached in preparing games which develop the skills of disabled pupils. Unusual sports such as futsal, goal ball and boccia feature

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The leadership and management requires improvement

alongside more traditional ones. More recently, the school has participated in inter-school competitions.  The vast majority of parents are supportive of the school’s work, although a few have some concerns. Sometimes, these parents feel that they are not listened to and their concerns are not considered.  Help provided by the local authority has extended in response to the dip in standards. More attention has been given to improving teaching through visits to outstanding providers and to sharing good practice.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  There have been a number of new appointments to the governing body and, as a result, skills have been enhanced. Governors know about data and understand the information given to them regarding the performance of the school. They know that there is work to be done to improve results and to increase the amount of progress pupils make. They are determined the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

improved standards will be sustained.  Governors check progress towards the priorities in the school development plan and know the school is improving and moving at a faster rate towards its targets. They are informed about the quality of teaching and use this information well to ask questions of leaders about teaching and link this rightly to teachers’ salary progression. Governors speak knowledgeably about how the pupil premium and sports funding are used and how much these have helped things to move forward in the school. They realise there is more work to be done to close the attainment gap for those in receipt of pupil premium funding so that they meet the same standards as their peers.

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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 106918 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 443932

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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 189 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ernest Holyoak Headteacher Maxine Crawford Date of previous school inspection 9 February 2011 Telephone number 01709 828613 Fax number 01709 839930 Email address howarth.pr@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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