Ley Top Primary School

Ley Top Primary School Avenel Road, Allerton, West Yorkshire, BD15 7PQ

p.1

Overall effectiveness

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

p.1

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

 Since the previous inspection, the progress made by pupils has not been consistently good in writing and mathematics.  Children in the early years do not make enough progress to be well prepared for their next stage of education.  Pupils do not make consistently good progress in Years 3 and 4.  Teaching requires improvement as expectations of pupils are not consistently high enough. High quality writing and presentation is not always insisted on. Too few pupils reach the highest standards in writing.  Pupils, particularly the most able, are not given enough opportunities to solve practical problems in mathematics. Nor do they use their mathematical skills often enough in other subjects.  The quality of marking is inconsistent. When marking books, teachers do not always provide pupils with precise guidance on how to improve their work.  There are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop their writing and use their mathematical

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher, governors and the senior leaders have a clear view of how successful the school can be. Actions are becoming more effective. As a result, students’ achievement is improving.  Systems to check students’ achievement and the quality of teaching are more rigorous and teaching is improving. Staff have a more accurate picture of those pupils who are falling behind in their learning and need extra help.  Leaders and managers provide a wide range of training for teachers and this is beginning to improve the quality of teaching.  Progress in reading is accelerating due to well- targeted use of additional government funding.  Behaviour and safety are good. Pupils say they feel safe in school. Parents are very confident that their children are safe at school.  Recent actions reflect increasing strength in leadership. The school is improving and is in a stronger position than at the time of the previous

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons taught by 14 teachers. Two observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders. In addition, an inspector visited a school assembly.  Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils about their learning in lessons and their safety in school. Inspectors also listened to some pupils reading.  Meetings were held with the three 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 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 their books.  Inspectors analysed the 34 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 32 questionnaires

p.2

Information about this inspection

completed by staff.  Inspectors spoke to some parents at the start of the school day.

p.2

Inspection team

James McGrath, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above average and almost twice the national average. (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.)  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above average and is increasing. More than a third of the pupils across the school do not 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 below average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The headteacher was appointed from the 1 January 2013 and the deputy headteacher from 1 November

p.3

Information about this school

2013. Since the last inspection there have been significant changes in teaching staff and in the leadership team.  The school holds an award for its involvement in sport and healthy schools award.  The Child’s Play Neighbourhood Nursery shares the school site, but is not administered by the school’s governing body. It receives a separate report which will be available on the Ofsted website.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better so that all pupils make at least good progress in all of their subjects, especially in Years 3 and 4, by ensuring teachers:  raise expectations of pupils so that they improve the quality of their writing, handwriting and presentation  challenge pupils, particularly the most able, to improve the quality of their written work by developing their skills in drafting and editing  provide more opportunities for pupils to write at length, particularly in subjects other than English  ensure that all pupils, especially the most able, have sufficient time to apply problem-solving skills in mathematics and use their mathematical skills in other subjects  give clear information when marking pupils’ work that tells them what they need to do to improve and make good progress  have opportunities to improve their practice through working with the most effective teachers in the

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that more children in early years are better prepared for their next stage of education by ensuring they make rapid progress to attain skills that are typical for their age. Develop more opportunities to extend children’s communication and language skills.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher quickly gained an accurate view of how well the school was doing. She and the governors recognised that progress had not been fast enough due to the quality of teaching and leadership. Actions taken were purposeful with a close eye on checking pupils’ progress and improving the quality of teaching. Changes are driving improvements in pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching although the full impact has yet to be seen.  The new leadership team has an accurate view of what is working well. Plans for improvement indicate the main priorities and actions are clear. Success is emerging in many areas especially in reading.  A thorough system for checking students’ progress is used. Leaders and managers monitor the performance of each pupil and the different groups of pupils. This is starting to close gaps in attainment between the different groups of students and raise achievement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders check the quality of teaching regularly and take action if it falls short of what is required. Training and advice are linked to teachers’ needs and more teaching is now good although this is not yet consistent and there is no inadequate teaching. Effective action is most evident in Years 5 and 6 and in the early years where progress has improved quickly very recently.  Recent appointments have strengthened the leadership team. Leaders are now more effective and understand their roles and responsibilities in holding teachers to account for pupil progress. The impact of their action is evident in the sharp rise in pupils making the progress expected of them although this is not yet consistent across all years. Their actions led to good progress being made by those pupils who left the school at the end of Year 6 in 2014.  The system to set teachers targets based on their performance is robust and identifies the skills teachers

p.4

The leadership and management are good

need to improve. Training for staff includes using the expertise within the local area partnership for schools and coaching methods. The school is yet to make use of its own good teachers sufficiently well to ensure consistently strong teaching.  Leadership is using pupil premium funding well to support improvements in progress and attainment for disadvantaged pupils. They have reduced class size, employed additional support for individual pupils and purchased a wide range of new books. Reading is now good and there are improvements in both writing and mathematics for disadvantaged pupils.  The curriculum is changing in response to the new government requirements for English and mathematics. The school takes account of the interests of pupils and finds out ‘what makes them tick’ so teachers plan activities that are engaging. The school promotes British values well through assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons. The school’s commitment to art, music, modern foreign

p.4

The leadership and management are good

language and sport contribute well to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are exposed throughout the whole of the day to classical music played across the school. They have visitors such as Zulu dancers who help pupils to broaden their understanding of other cultures and nations.  Pupils speak positively about the range of sporting opportunities available to them. They are enthusiastic about sport. The ‘sports’ coach’ encourages pupils’ involvement in a range of sporting activities at break times, lunchtimes and after school. The additional money provided to improve sporting opportunities is being used well and has increased participation in sport.  The local authority has provided effective support and challenge since the last inspection to assist the school in improving the quality of teaching. The local authority has provided consultancy support to assist the school in developing its teaching of mathematics and English. The work of the local authority

p.4

The leadership and management are good

supported the much improved achievement at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014.  The governance of the school:  Governors are supporting and challenging the headteacher well. They ask challenging questions to gain a good understanding of the work of the school and how effective it is. They have supported the headteacher well through a turbulent period of staffing. Governors understand pupils’ progress data and are ambitious for the pupils. They are challenging and supporting the headteacher to improve progress for pupils. They use their skills to check the school’s budget and know the plans for new sports funding. Governors have approved the use of pupil-premium funding to provide additional support for pupils and are clear about its impact. Governors understand the arrangements linking teachers’ performance to pay. Governors have received safeguarding training and ensure that the school’s arrangements meet

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They follow the instructions of their teachers very well and are keen to learn. They listen well to others and treat each other with dignity and respect.  Around the school pupils are well behaved as they know what is expected of them. They are polite and are confident when speaking to adults.  Pupils get on well together at lunchtimes and playtimes. They use the games equipment and the trim trail exceptionally well and enjoy playing together. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 act as play leaders and ensure younger pupils are safe and happy. Pupils enjoy school and are proud of it.  They take pride in their appearance and wear their uniform well. However, they do not always take pride in the presentation of their work and their handwriting.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe knowing that they are well-supervised by staff. The school rules are known exceptionally well by the pupils.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say ‘bullying is very rare’ and they know that it is not tolerated by the school. They are confident that, when bullying is reported, the school takes swift action. They have a good understanding of all forms of bullying and prejudice.  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 and pupils gain a clear understanding of aspects relating to safety. They have visits from the local fire department and police officers to help in educating them about how to stay safe.  Many pupils attend the daily breakfast club organised by the school. This and the after-school provision make a good contribution to pupils’ health and well-being. Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable at these morning and evening sessions.  Staff and parents are confident that children are safe and happy at school and behaviour is good.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement as over time there has been too much variation in its quality from class to class. Recent changes by leaders and managers are starting to make pupils’ achievement more consistent. However, especially in Years 3 and 4, teaching has not yet led to consistently good progress.  Expectations of the quality of pupils’ writing and presentation are not always consistently high. Weak presentation, inaccurate grammar and spelling, and untidy handwriting are not always addressed swiftly enough to ensure that pupil progress is good. The most able are not challenged often enough to draft and edit their work to reach the highest standards in writing.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly. However, suggestions for improvement are often not precise enough for them to understand how to make their work better. When suggestions are clear, pupils respond well and improve their work.  There are well-planned lessons that develop good writing and mathematical skills. However, in some

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

lessons the work does not build on the previous skills learned and is not planned well enough to enable pupils, including the most able, to develop good skills in mathematics and writing, and therefore make good progress.  In mathematics, pupils are set work that is appropriate to their level of understanding and includes interesting practical problems. However, they are not given enough time to be able to attempt or to solve the practical problems before another topic is taught. This limits opportunities, particularly for the most able, to reach the highest standards and make good progress.  Work set interests pupils but does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to write at length, particularly in subjects other than English. There are too few opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in other subjects.  Leaders’ focus on improving teaching is reaping benefits. They have trained teachers and teaching

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

assistants in how to improve pupils’ reading skills. Teachers are providing many opportunities for pupils to use their reading skills in most subjects. As a result, reading is generally good in school.  Questioning is used well to involve pupils and to find out what they understand and to deepen pupils’ knowledge.  Teaching assistants are well briefed and offer effective guidance to pupils of all abilities.

p.5

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 While there are aspects of good progress, this is variable and not consistently good. Achievement requires improvement because pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics is not yet consistently good throughout the school. Since the previous inspection progress has varied considerably particularly in writing and mathematics.  Progress measures used by the school and inspectors’ analysis of pupils’ work from the recent academic year indicate that progress requires improvement for pupils who were in Years 3 and 4. The quality of pupils’ written work and their progress in mathematics did not improve quickly enough. Turbulence in staffing, now resolved, in Years 3 and 4 led to teaching that did not always support good learning for these pupils.  From starting points at the beginning of Key Stage 2 that were well below average, those pupils leaving Year 6 in 2013 made too little progress in all of their subjects. Despite making better progress from

p.5

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

January 2013, when the new headteacher was appointed, pupils had fallen too far behind in their learning to benefit sufficiently from the additional support given to them. Progress was especially slow in mathematics for this year group.  In 2014, from starting points that are well below average on entry to Key Stage 2, those pupils leaving Year 6 made good progress. There were improvements in teaching in Year 6 and improved additional support provided by the headteacher. Standards in reading were average and close to average in writing and mathematics. Standards in English grammar, punctuation and spelling were below average although an improvement on attainment in 2013.  Due to the efforts of the new leadership team teaching is improving at Key Stage 1. However, pupil progress, at present, remains as expected with standards remaining below average in reading and writing and average in mathematics by the end of Key Stage 1.

p.6

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most able pupils attain standards in reading and mathematics that are below similar pupils nationally. Standards in writing are four terms behind similar pupils nationally. When checking pupils’ books inspectors found too few opportunities for the most able pupils to draft and edit their work for further improvement.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to other pupils.  Disadvantaged pupils make similar progress to other pupils. In Year 6, in 2014, their attainment was the same as others in school in reading, four months behind in mathematics and six months behind in writing. In comparison to national averages disadvantaged pupils in the school are four months behind in reading, six months behind in mathematics and eight months behind in writing. The attainment gaps in the school are less than the national gaps.  Due to recent good leadership and staff training disabled pupils and those who have special educational

p.6

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

needs are now doing much better than in previous years. They are making the same progress as other pupils in reading and mathematics. They are making less progress than other pupils in school in writing. The school is aware of this and is providing additional support to assist pupils.  Leaders have invested considerable time in training staff to teach reading well. The new headteacher set reading as a key priority for the school. The school has purchased a large number of new and interesting books for class use and for the library. Pupils appreciate the wide range of books available to them and are keen and eager to read. They enjoy reading and say ‘reading is fascinating as your imagination can work so that you make up a movie in your head’. The most recent phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 showed that pupils’ skills in linking letters and sounds to read are improving and are now closer to

p.6

The early years provision requires improvement

 Children enter Nursery with skills that are below those typical for their age. They are particularly behind in their communication and language skills. Over time, teaching and leadership has not been good enough to ensure that pupils catch up rapidly. Children have not been well prepared for their next stage in learning as too few develop the key skills necessary for the next stage of their education. However, recent action taken by leaders and governors has ensured that children are now receiving much better teaching and as a result they are making more progress. Inspectors found that the calm environment and the interesting work in the early years provision is helping all children to develop good attitudes to learning and to make progress at a faster rate than previously. They play well with each other taking turns and cooperating in some activities such as the exciting water play area or the construction corner. Sometimes adults do not

p.6

The early years provision requires improvement

extend children’s understanding of words and meanings through play. Children’s’ behaviour is good and they respond well to the adults who look after them. For some, English is not their first language. Teachers take account of this and help them to develop their English so they can start to learn the way letters and sounds work. The learning area is bright and stimulating with good facilities for outdoor play.

p.6

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 failing

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 107241 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 431636

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

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 319 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Robertshaw Headteacher Sandra Rouse Date of previous school inspection 12 September 2012 Telephone number 01274 541554 Fax number 01274 546945 Email address office@leytop.bradford.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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 .

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

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

p.9