Petteril Bank School

Burnett Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 3BX

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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 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

 Not enough pupils in Key Stage 2 make good progress; therefore, the standards they reach at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics are not high enough.  Pupils’ progress in reading is weaker than in other subjects because they do not have enough opportunities to read widely and frequently. Books and other resources to stimulate a love of reading are not always readily accessible to pupils.  Teachers do not always plan sufficient opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in reading, writing and mathematics across a range of subjects and this limits progress.  Teachers’ assessments of pupils’ individual starting points and of their work are not always accurate. As a result, the information school leaders have about pupils’ progress is insecure and does not always support effective future planning for improvement.  Pupils’ behaviour and the school systems to keep pupils safe and secure require

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

improvement. A few pupils become inattentive in some lessons and their behaviour deteriorates so that others find it hard to concentrate.  Actions taken by leaders and managers to bring about improvements have not yet resulted in good teaching or achievement for pupils in Key Stage 2.  Governors do not fully understand the purpose of pupil premium funding. This weakens their ability to challenge school leaders to make the very best use of this funding and make sure that the progress of those pupils who are eligible to receive a free school meal continues to improve at an even faster rate.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is improving because standards have risen at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 where teaching is good.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and parents say that they find the staff are kind and approachable.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is thorough and gives helpful guidance on how to improve further.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed nine lessons or parts of lessons.  Inspectors spoke to a range of pupils about their work and play in school.  Inspectors held meetings with two members of the governing body, school leaders and with a local authority representative to discuss support for the school.  There were insufficient responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) for inspectors to be able to access them. Inspectors took account of 12 responses to the staff survey and the results of the school’s recent survey of the views of parents.  The inspectors observed the overall work of the school and checked various documents and procedures, including the school improvement plan and systems for checking pupils’ progress. They also looked at documents relating to safeguarding and behaviour.  Inspectors listened to some pupils reading and looked at a wide range of other evidence including pupils’ current work in books.

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Inspection team

Janette Corlett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sheila Iwaskow Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average primary school. The number of pupils on roll is increasing.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards that are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  There is a children’s centre and a Community Café on the school site. These did not form part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching in Key Stage 2 so that progress accelerates and the proportion of pupils reaching expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is at least in line with the national average by:  making sure that teachers’ checks on pupils’ ability are accurate, enable school leaders to set challenging targets for further improvement and drive up standards rapidly  ensuring that teachers plan frequent tasks and activities across a wide range of subjects for pupils to practise and develop their skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ reading skills by:  giving them plenty of opportunities throughout the school day to read widely and often  making sure that books are always readily accessible, displayed attractively to tempt reluctant readers and available to take home every day to encourage further reading at home.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve behaviour and safety by:  making sure that all staff understand and follow the school’s behaviour policy so that learning is not disrupted by poor behaviour  carrying out rigorous risk assessments to fully ensure pupils’ safety and checking that the procedures in place are strictly followed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership by:  making sure that school leaders hold individual teachers to account at least once every half term for the progress of all pupils from individual starting points and, where there are indications of potential underachievement, take rapid and effective action to address this.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance and pupil premium spending should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress across Key Stage 2 is not consistently good. Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics remains below average in all subjects at the end of Year 6.  While progress in writing and mathematics has improved, pupils’ progress in reading is less rapid. This is because the teaching of reading is weaker than that of writing and mathematics throughout the school. From the earliest stages when pupils learn to identify letters and sounds, the resources available to stimulate learning and to foster a love of reading are not always accessible and attractive to youngsters.  Not enough of the most able pupils reach the highest possible standards because they do not always have enough opportunities to develop their skills across a broad range of subjects.  Pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding make better progress than other pupils in the school. As a result, those eligible for free school meals reach

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

similar standards overall in reading, writing and mathematics as all other pupils in the school but remain almost a year behind pupils of the same age nationally.  Children enter the school with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age and for a significant proportion their attainment is well below. Due to good teaching and the school’s friendly and welcoming approach, children make good progress and just over half of them reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year.  This good progress continues in Key Stage 1 and by the end of Year 2, standards are broadly in line with the national in reading, writing and mathematics. Boys’ performance is weaker than girls. The school is aware of this and the actions in place to improve this, for example by making sure that topic work is appealing to boys, are beginning to show impact and narrow the gap in performance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who have special educational needs are well supported, frequently by skilled teaching assistants, and make good progress from their individual starting points.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good across all subjects and across all year groups. While there is much good teaching and an increasing proportion of outstanding teaching, weaker teaching in some lessons in Key Stage 2 means that pupils do not make enough progress.  As pupils move through the school, teachers do not provide enough opportunities to read widely across a range of subjects and this limits pupils’ progress. In some Key Stage 2 classes, pupils are only allowed to take books home to read on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is a great pity because it reduces the potential for pupils to read more frequently and for pleasure at home.  Teachers generally have good subject knowledge and use this to give clear step-by-step instructions to pupils. For example, in one mathematics lesson involving pupils with a very wide range of ability from Years 4, 5 and 6, the teacher used her good knowledge of decimal

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

fractions to ensure that all pupils were very secure in their understanding and that any misconceptions were quickly sorted out.  Teachers’ checks of pupils’ levels of ability are not always accurate. While samples of work indicate these checks are made, the National Curriculum level awarded does not always match the level of skill demonstrated. For example, pupils were assessed as working at the highest level in writing when they were not yet demonstrating accurate use of basic skills such as capital letters, commas and full stops in sentences.  In some lessons teachers use questioning effectively to make pupils think carefully and deepen their understanding. In other lessons questioning is less skilful and opportunities are lost to move the learning forward. For example, in one lesson in Key Stage 2 pupils were asked to use good adjectives to describe the First World War. Pupils’ responses included

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

‘amazing’ and ‘fantastic’ and the teacher did not take the chance to ask pupils to think again or give an explanation as to why they felt these adjectives were appropriate in the circumstances.  Teachers conscientiously mark pupils’ written work. Teachers’ comments give pupils clear guidance on the next small steps in their learning and pupils are given time in lessons to follow up on these comments and respond to them with corrections or improvements. This is contributing to the improvements which are beginning to be evident in pupils’ writing, for example.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour requires improvement. While most pupils’ behaviour as they move in and around the school is generally sensible, there is some low-level disruption to learning in those few lessons when a small minority of pupils lose concentration on a task and start to mess about.  The school has a behaviour management policy, but it is not followed by all teachers. This means that the impact of having a consistently applied, school-wide approach to behaviour management is reduced.  Most pupils are smartly dressed in their school uniforms. However, a significant number of pupils do not bring a sports kit to school and this means that they are not all appropriately dressed for physical education lessons. During the inspection, for example, some pupils went outside in the extremely warm weather in their normal school uniform to complete a physical challenge activity and then had to spend the remainder of the day in the same clothes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement. Not all risk assessments are sufficiently detailed or rigorous and when in place are not consistently applied by all staff. The school is aware of this and is making certain that future arrangements are robust and strictly adhered to every day.  While there is a small amount of litter on the school yard, most pupils take good care of the building and treat resources and equipment with respect.  Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school and they know how to keep themselves safe including when using the internet. They say that there is little bullying of any kind and that any incidents are always treated seriously by staff and dealt with appropriately. Parents agree. Responses to a recent survey sent out by the school show that most parents are happy with the school and confident that their children are safe and happy there.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Occasionally there are fights in the yard, but pupils usually treat one another and adults and visitors to the school with respect and courtesy. This is an inclusive school that welcomes and supports a number of youngsters who have moved from other local schools sometimes with a history of serious behavioural issues and/or special educational needs. The behaviour of these pupils is well-managed and gives these vulnerable children a further vital chance to succeed in their education.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Actions put in place by school leaders to improve pupils’ achievement have not yet been fully effective in raising attainment and bringing the school’s performance above the government’s floor standard. While standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have improved rapidly, standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2, although improving, remain below average.  Teachers’ checks of pupils’ levels of ability are not always correct, and this sometimes slows the identification of possible underachievement.  The school records the attainment of groups of pupils, including those pupils who are eligible for free school meals, but evidence of their progress from individual starting points is less well analysed. This means that school leaders and governors do not always know whether any extra support they put in place is effective or not in improving achievement and the school’s evaluation of its overall performance is not always accurate. Additionally, it means that school

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The leadership and management requires improvement

leaders miss opportunities to challenge and hold teachers to account regularly enough for the progress of pupils in their class. This slows the rate of improvement in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The headteacher is totally dedicated to the pupils and families within the local community and is determined that the school will continue to improve. Recent improvements to teaching and to standards in Key Stage 1 demonstrate the school’s capacity to improve further.  Subject leadership of English, mathematics and of the Early Years Foundation Stage is increasingly strong and the school has plans in place to develop these roles further.  The arrangements for the performance management of teachers have improved and link further upward movement on pay scales to improved outcomes for pupils. The impact of these improvements is yet to be fully felt in consistently good teaching. The objectives set for

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The leadership and management requires improvement

individual teachers are too general and not sufficiently related to improving specific aspects of their teaching or to measurable outcomes for pupils.  The curriculum meets requirements but is not yet used as effectively as it could be to improve pupils’ progress because pupils do not always have enough opportunities to practise their skills in reading, writing and mathematics across the full range of subjects. School leaders are aware of the need to improve the curriculum, particularly in science, and plans are in place to do this in the next academic year.  The local authority has provided good support to the school for managing pupils with behavioural difficulties, particularly that of those pupils who have transferred from other schools. Additionally, the attached adviser visits the school once every term and has provided effective support for the headteacher and senior leaders in monitoring the quality of teaching

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The leadership and management requires improvement

in lessons.  Pupils’ participation in physical activities and sports is increasing as the school has used the primary school sport funding to train staff and increase the resources available for activities such as participating more widely in competitive sports with other local schools. This is supporting pupils in adopting healthier lifestyles.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported through the ‘U Can Shine’ project that raises pupils’ aspirations for the future, develops their self-confidence and helps them to be ready for the next stage in their education.  The governance of the school:  Governors are informed about pupils’ progress through termly headteacher’s reports. They understand that progress needs to improve so that more pupils reach national expectations. Governors are aware of the school’s arrangements for staff pay and progression, including that of the headteacher but do not yet use this effectively to tackle any weaknesses in

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The leadership and management requires improvement

teaching. They have some understanding of pupil premium funding but do not yet rigorously challenge the school leaders to maximise the impact of this significant amount of funding and ensure that pupils eligible to a free school meal make even more progress and reach the highest possible standards.  Governors ensure that the school meets the statutory safeguarding requirement to check on the suitability of adults working with children in the school, and that the school’s financial arrangements are secure. However, other safeguarding requirements are not quite so secure because risk assessments are not all sufficiently detailed.  Governors are actively involved in the life of the school. One governor regularly supports small groups of pupils to increase their confidence in mathematics calculation skills and another recently supported a school ‘science week’.

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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 112220 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 442414

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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 152 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stewart Young Headteacher Jose Hodgkins Date of previous school inspection 11 December 2012 Telephone number 01228 631650 Fax number 01228 539383 Email address head@petbank.cumbria.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

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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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