Sharrow Nursery, Infant and Junior School

Sharrow Nursery, Infant and Junior School Sitwell Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S7 1BE

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ achievement is good and improving. Since the last inspection, rates of progress have improved considerably and are above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  From starting points that are well below those typical for their age, pupils achieve average standards by the end of Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. This is the result of good quality teaching.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage settle into school well and make good progress from participating in a good variety of activities, which help them to learn well.  An extensive programme of educational visits makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development.  Careful use of primary school sport funding ensures that pupils are developing their skills well and learning about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.  A friendly and respectful atmosphere is evident

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

in the school and pupils behave well.  Senior leaders and governors ensure that appropriate procedures are in place to keep pupils safe.  The headteacher is relentless in her drive to improve the quality of teaching and to raise standards. As a result the school’s overall effectiveness has improved since the last inspection.  The governing body makes regular and thorough checks on pupils’ progress to ensure that all groups achieve well, including those for whom the pupil premium provides support.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A smaller proportion of pupils than in most schools reach above-average standards, particularly in Key Stage 1.  Occasionally, teachers do not pay enough attention to dealing with mistakes pupils make during lessons.  Pupils do not always have enough opportunities to improve their own work.  Leadership and management are not yet outstanding, as not all subject leaders are fully involved in checking on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 26 part-lessons taught by 21 different teachers. Of these, six lessons were observed jointly by an inspector and the headteacher or one of the two deputy headteachers. In addition, the lead inspector observed the headteacher and deputies giving feedback to staff.  The inspectors met with two groups of pupils, talked to pupils informally at break and lunchtime and listened to a group of Key Stage 1 pupils reading.  Meetings were held with members of governing body, including the Chair, a representative from the local authority, senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers.  The inspectors took account of parents’ views from the 28 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and from information provided by the school. In addition, one inspector talked to several parents prior to the start of the school day and during parent workshops.  The school’s work was observed and the inspectors looked at a number of documents, including

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding records, the school’s long- and medium-term improvement plan, the school’s data for tracking pupils’ progress, several external and internal reports on the quality of teaching, teachers’ planning and work in pupils’ books.

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Inspection team

Andree Coleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jennifer Lawrence Additional Inspector Lenford White Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language are above average. The largest ethnic group is of Pakistani heritage.  The proportion of pupils identified with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion identified with special educational needs supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  An above-average proportion is eligible for pupil premium funding. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and those children that are looked after by the local authority.  In 2013, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end

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Information about this school

of Year 6.  The school shares the same building as Sharrow School Child Care Services, which is inspected separately. Their inspection report is available on the Ofsted website.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that:  more difficult tasks and activities are given to the most able pupils so that a greater proportion achieves above-average standards, particularly by the end of Key Stage 1  all teachers pay close attention to the work pupils produce during lessons and point out any mistakes or omissions immediately so that pupils have the opportunity to correct them  pupils have more opportunities to respond to teachers’ detailed marking so that they can improve their own work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics by ensuring that:  all subject leaders are fully involved in improving standards in their subject through regular checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start school with a level of skills and knowledge that is well below that typical for children of their age. They make good progress and reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they reach Year 6. A greater proportion of pupils than in most schools exceed the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2013 standards in reading, writing and mathematics were below average in Key Stage 1. These have improved, and in 2014 a broadly average proportion of pupils are working at the expected level for their age. However, a smaller proportion than is typical in most schools is working at an above-average level.  Pupils’ achievement in phonics (the sounds that letters make) is good and improving with an above-average proportion achieving the expected level in the Year 1 phonics check.  Carefully planned activities in the Early Years Foundation Stage help children to make good

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress, particularly in language development and reading. For example, Nursery children were observed identifying small items beginning with the letter ‘s’ to make a ‘special soup’.  In 2013, pupils eligible for pupil premium funding in Year 6 achieved higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics than this group of pupils nationally. However, their attainment was about a term and a half behind that of other pupils in school. The attainment gap has narrowed this year and, currently, the attainment of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium funding is less than one term behind that of the other pupils.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress as the result of effective support provided by teachers and teaching assistants. Standards have risen for Pakistani pupils in 2014 in writing and mathematics, and remained the same in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The attainment and progress of the various groups of pupils in school is similar and this demonstrates that the school promotes equality of opportunity for all.  Achievement is good, but not yet outstanding, because pupils make good, rather than outstanding, progress over time. A smaller proportion of pupils reaches above-average standards, particularly at Key Stage 1.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good overall and, as a result, pupils achieve broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics from low starting points.  Where learning is good pupils understand clearly what they have to include in their work to meet the high standards expected. There is a brisk pace in learning and pupils are well supported and helped, especially those who speak English as an additional language, pupils in receipt of the pupil premium funding, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Teaching assistants are deployed very effectively and play a valuable part in helping different groups of pupils to achieve well.  The teaching of reading is good and pupils make good progress. Daily lessons in phonics are most effective. The activities for each group are at the right level to help them make progress, and pupils who struggle to keep up are given further help so that they do not fall behind their

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The quality of teaching is good

peers. Extra support is given in reading sessions too. For example, one inspector observed a small group of pupils being questioned carefully to extend their understanding of a story they had read.  Mathematics teaching is also good and there are good opportunities for pupils to take part in a variety of activities. Sometimes these are practical and linked to the topic or theme being studied for the term and pupils say that they learn well from such activities because they are interesting. One inspector observed pupils enthusiastically and carefully measuring each other for a suit of armour as part of their topic on the battle of Hastings.  A wide range of educational visits every half term makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. Pupils talk with great enthusiasm about what they have learned during such visits.  The youngest children in the Early Years Foundation Stage benefit from carefully planned

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The quality of teaching is good

teaching and activities that closely meet their learning needs. This is particularly so for those children who speak English as an additional language.  Teaching is not yet outstanding because the work set for the most able pupils is not always difficult enough for them to make enough progress to reach above-average standards. Occasionally, pupils make mistakes in lessons or do not work at the level they are capable of and this is not always addressed immediately by teachers. Teachers’ marking is thorough and regular but the impact of marking is limited because pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities to respond to the guidance they have received in order to improve their own work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in lessons and at other times. Pupils move around the school sensibly and quietly and they are polite to adults. There are good relationships between adults and pupils and between pupils. Pupils speak to adults with respect.  Pupils take a pride in their work and their books are generally neat and well presented. They settle to their work quickly and respond promptly when the teacher asks for their attention. They are enthusiastic in lessons and their above-average attendance demonstrates their enjoyment of school. One of many typical comments collected by senior leaders as part of a pupil evaluation of the school is, ‘I can’t wait to come back to school after a holiday. School is fun!’  Inspectors spoke to several pupils about behaviour and they said that there are occasional instances of minor misbehaviour, particularly at playtimes. However, they say that they are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

resolved quickly and they are happy to report any worries to staff.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, especially when using the internet. Year 6 pupils spoke very highly of a recent educational visit which taught them about different ways to keep safe and included very good information on fire safety.  Pupils know about different types of bullying as the result of considerable work by the school council on anti-bullying. Pupils take part in anti-bullying activities and are confident to talk to staff about this issue.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Appropriate policies are in place and pupils say that they feel safe and happy in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The quietly determined headteacher is described by governors as being ‘relentless’ in her drive to improve the school. This is evident in the rapid and considerable improvements made in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement since the last inspection. The headteacher has high expectations of her staff and they work hard as a team to meet these expectations.  The school works extremely well with parents, involving them in school life as much as possible. There are several opportunities for parents to take part in workshops to develop the skills to give their child more help. The school has very effective strategies to work with parents who speak English as an additional language.  Careful use of the new primary school sports funding has increased the opportunities for pupils to take part in a range of sports and sport competitions. More pupils are taking part in sport and expert sports coaches are working with teachers to train them to help pupils reach the

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The leadership and management are good

performance levels of which they are capable. Pupils are learning about healthy lifestyles and the school has been proactive in providing workshops for pupils and their parents to learn about making healthy packed lunches.  Procedures to safeguard pupils are good. Policies and training are up-to-date and a detailed audit of safeguarding is undertaken annually by the headteacher and a governor.  Senior leaders have commissioned effective support from independent consultants and this has contributed to the improvements since the last inspection. The local authority has provided appropriate support to this rapidly improving school.  The leadership and management of the school are good but not yet outstanding because pupils’ achievement is not yet outstanding. Also, subject leaders are developing their skills to help the school improve, but not all of them are yet fully involved in checking on, and improving, the

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The leadership and management are good

quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in their subject.  The governance of the school:  The governing body makes a valuable contribution to the school. Governors have reorganised the governing body since the last inspection and, as a result, it is much more effective in checking on the quality of teaching and the progress that pupils make. These checks take place regularly and governors ensure that all groups of pupils achieve well, including pupils who speak English as an additional language, pupils in receipt of the pupil premium funding, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The governing body works closely with the headteacher to evaluate teachers’ performance, and any underperformance is tackled swiftly and effectively. An appropriate policy is in place to reward teachers who ensure that pupils make good or better 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 134302 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 442313

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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 505 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Colin Havard Headteacher Evelyn Abram Date of previous school inspection 10 October 2012 Telephone number 0114 2551704 Fax number 0114 255649 Email address info@sharrow.sheffield.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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