Thorne Moorends West Road Primary School

West Road Primary School West Road, Moorends, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN8 4LH

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ achievement is good because they make good progress throughout the school in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children in the early years make good progress and are well prepared for their next stage of education.  Teaching is good. The work set for pupils is interesting and helps them to learn well.  Skilful questioning challenges pupils well. Pupils answer questions fully which supports good learning and understanding for all of the class.  Teaching assistants provide high quality support for pupils’ learning in class and for small groups of pupils outside the classroom.  Pupils behave well and lessons flow smoothly. They say they are safe and enjoy school.  The curriculum provides a wealth of exciting opportunities that broaden pupils’ experiences. In particular, there are many opportunities for pupils to produce high quality writing in a large number of subjects.  Leaders, managers and governors have developed

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

a strong sense of purpose amongst all staff to drive forward sustained improvement. This contributes well to ensuring good teaching and achievement.  The headteacher and governors have a good understanding of how well the school is doing and what needs to be done to further improve standards for pupils.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is a small amount of teaching that requires improvement.  Occasionally, there is not enough challenge for the most able pupils to reach the highest standards in mathematics.  Pupils do not always have the chance to apply their skills in mathematics in other subjects.  Sometimes, marking of pupils’ work is not precise enough to help them to improve and make even better progress.  Leaders and managers have not ensured that the best practices in the teaching of English grammar, punctuation and spelling have been shared among all staff to drive up standards.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons taught by 14 teachers and one sports coach. Three observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders. In addition, an inspector visited a school assembly and small groups of pupils taught by teaching assistants.  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 five 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 30 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 31 questionnaires

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Information about this inspection

completed by staff.  Inspectors spoke with some parents at the end of the first day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

James McGrath, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Suzanne Lithgow Additional Inspector Yvonne Shaw Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There are more girls than boys in the school.  The proportion of pupils known to be disadvantaged is well above average and almost twice the national average.  Almost all pupils are White British. The vast majority of pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational need is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school works in the ‘Thornes Moorends Pyramid’ with four other local schools and the local high school.  The school holds the Basic Skills Charter Mark and the Anti-Bullying Charter Mark.  The headteacher was appointed from the 1 January 2011 and the deputy headteacher from 1 February

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so it is consistently good or better in order to further raise pupils’ achievement by making sure that all teachers:  whenever possible, set challenging work for the most able pupils, particularly in mathematics  create more opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in a wide range of subjects  provide clear information when marking pupils’ work that tells them what they need to do to improve  provide enough time for pupils to respond to teachers’ comments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact of leadership and management by:  eradicating the small amount of teaching that requires improvement  ensuring that the best practices, in the school, in the teaching of English grammar, punctuation and spelling, are shared among all staff to raise standards, particularly for boys.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and governors have developed a strong sense of purpose among all of the staff and are ambitious for the pupils. As a result, teaching is good and pupils make good progress throughout the school. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress thanks to the systems that are in place to support them.  Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Plans for improvement correctly identify the main priorities for the school. Leaders are clear about how actions will improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  There is a strong focus on the development of good or better teaching. Senior leaders and middle leaders check the quality of teaching regularly using a wide range of evidence. When it falls short of what is expected they take action to ensure it is improved. As yet, teaching is not always consistently good.  There is a thorough system for monitoring pupils’ achievement. This allows senior leaders to identify those

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The leadership and management are good

pupils who might be falling behind and to provide additional support for them. In particular, the support has helped pupils to make rapid gains in reading during the past year.  The system to check the performance of teachers is thorough and identifies the skills they need to improve. Training for teachers and teaching assistants includes using expertise within the local partnership for schools. This has supported good progress in writing and a wide range of literacy opportunities across the school. The school has not, however, made use of its own good teachers sufficiently well to ensure consistently strong teaching of English grammar, punctuation and spelling.  The headteacher and staff are working with the ‘Thorne Moorends Pyramid’, which includes an outstanding school. Headteachers work together to observe teaching and check the accuracy of their assessments of its quality. Inspectors found that senior leaders assess the quality of teaching accurately.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum provides exciting opportunities for pupils. They gather information from visits to support their work. A visit to an aircraft museum and an archaeological dig in York supported projects on flight engineers and Vikings. Across a wide range of subjects there are many opportunities for pupils to develop their good literacy skills. Inspectors saw much high quality writing in pupils’ topic files. The school promotes British values well through assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons. Its commitment to art, music, modern foreign language and sport contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The additional primary school sport funding provided to improve sporting opportunities is used well. The school has increased the amount of competitive inter-school sport and increased the number of pupils participating in sporting activities. Additional training for teachers has increased the number of sports that

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The leadership and management are good

are in the school’s physical education programme. Pupils say they enjoy sport.  The local authority has provided effective support and challenge for this good school. It has challenged the school about a dip in standards in 2013 and this has supported improvements in standards in 2014. It has provided training for new governors and helped governors to ask probing questions to hold the headteacher and other leaders to account for their work and the performance of the school.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of how well the school is doing. They visit the school to see the work of the pupils and teachers. Governors are clear about the progress being made by the pupils through their progress review committee. They challenge and support the headteacher very effectively and have been closely involved in planning for improvement. They have audited their training needs

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The leadership and management are good

and are working with the local authority to ensure that they have appropriate skills to contribute further to school improvement. Governors use their skills well to check the school’s budget. They are clear about the impact additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is having on their achievement. Governors understand the arrangements linking teachers’ performance to pay. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

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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. Occasionally some pupils, particularly boys, lose concentration and have to be prompted by their teachers to focus on their work.  Around the school pupils are well behaved as they know what is expected of them. They are exceptionally polite and are confident when speaking to adults.  Pupils get on well together at lunchtimes and playtimes. They are very active in their play and enjoy using the equipment that is set out for them by pupils who are ‘play leaders’. When necessary, playground ‘buddies’ look after vulnerable pupils to ensure they are safe and happy in the playground. Pupils enjoy school and are proud of it.  The few school rules are known exceptionally well. Pupils know that when there is any bad behaviour adults deal with it quickly and fairly. They enjoy collecting ‘smileys’ for good behaviour and for playing

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

well.  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.  Pupils know about all forms of bullying. They say bullying is rare and it is not tolerated by the school. They are confident that, when bullying is reported, the school takes swift action. The school council has worked with pupils from other school in the local authority to develop an ‘Anti-Bullying Charter Mark’.  Pupils have a good understanding of internet safety and know what to do should there be any cyber- bullying or communications from unknown people. The NSPCC, the local police force and the fire department work with children in the school to ensure pupils know how to manage risks to their safety.  Many pupils attend the daily breakfast club organised by the school. This provision makes a good contribution to pupils’ health and well-being. Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable at these sessions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are developing a good sense of caring for others. They support cancer research through ‘Race for Life’ as well as ‘Guide Dogs for the Blind’, a charity chosen by the school council.  Attendance has improved and is average. Rewards for good attendance and celebration assemblies promote attendance well. Regular monitoring and swift action by the school have rapidly reduced the number of pupils who are regularly absent. However, a few pupils are still absent too often.  Staff and parents are overwhelmingly confident that children are safe and happy at school and behaviour is good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is usually good, with some examples of outstanding practice. As a result, most pupils make good progress and achieve well.  The work set for pupils captures their imaginations and interest them. There are many opportunities for all pupils to write at length with high quality writing being a key feature of pupils’ work. Older pupils have written about pestilence, ‘The Black Death’ and ‘Time Travelling’ to support their learning of history, science and geography. Teachers are developing pupils’ curiosity and an enjoyment of learning well.  Questioning is used well to involve pupils and to search out what they understand. Pupils are given time to explain fully what they have learned. Their responses are used skilfully to assess what an individual might know and to search out the knowledge of others and deepen their understanding.  Good opportunities are created for pupils to use computers to develop their work. Younger pupils in Key

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The quality of teaching is good

Stage 2 were typing in their stories about ‘The Hungry T-Rex’ into the computer. They used headphones to listen to the text being played back to them so they could edit their work. Pupils corrected their errors and made good progress with their writing.  Mostly, pupils are set to work quickly with clear explanations about what is expected of them. This contributes well to pupils’ good progress. Occasionally pupils lose concentration when they listen for long periods. Generally, it is usually boys who lose concentration and the pace of their learning slows.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly. However, there are occasions when suggestions for improvement are not precise enough for pupils to understand how to make their work better. As a result, English grammar, punctuation and spelling are not always progressing consistently well as pupils are not prompted to improve these skills well enough.  An analysis of work in pupils’ books showed that they were making good progress because of good

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The quality of teaching is good

teaching. Sometimes, however, work in mathematics is not challenging enough for the most able and they find the work too easy. When this occurs their progress slows and they do not have opportunities to work at the highest standards expected of them. Also, inspectors found that there are too few opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills in other subjects.  Highly skilled teaching assistants make an exceptional contribution to the learning of pupils. They are well managed and support pupils very well. They work skilfully with individuals or groups of pupils, both inside and outside the classroom.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good. Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics in each key stage. Children in the early years make good progress.  In Key Stage 1, standards have improved year on year since the last inspection. From starting points that were below and sometimes well below average, pupils make good progress to reach standards that in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.  Through Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress overall. They reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. In particular, standards in reading have improved rapidly during this last year thanks to better teaching and the additional support given to pupils.  An analysis of pupils’ work and the school’s progress information shows that improvements in pupils’ achievement will be sustained.  At the end of Key Stage 2, standards in English grammar, punctuation and spelling improved and are now

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The achievement of pupils is good

close to average. Boys do not achieve as well as girls in these aspects as they are not as conscientious in checking their work and improving it.  The few most able pupils reach standards in writing and reading that are the same as similar pupils nationally. In mathematics, not enough reach the highest standards as they have not always been challenged sufficiently well enough by the work that is set for them.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. In writing and mathematics they make similar progress to other pupils in school and nationally. In reading, they make better progress than others in school and nationally. In Year 6, in 2014, their attainment in writing was the ahead of others in school by one term and ahead of others nationally by six months. In mathematics, their attainment was six months behind others in school and nationally. In reading, they were two terms behind others in school and one term

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The achievement of pupils is good

behind others nationally. The gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils, and others in the school, are closing in reading and mathematics and have closed in writing as a result of the good support they receive.  Good leadership and staff training mean disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are now doing better than in previous years. They are making the same progress as other pupils in reading, mathematics and writing.  Leaders have invested considerable time in training staff to teach reading well. The most recent check at the end of Year 1 showed that pupils’ skills in linking letters and sounds have improved well and are now average. Highly-skilled teaching assistants support disadvantaged pupils and others. This highly effective use of additional support has rapidly improved standards in reading for all pupils. Pupils appreciate the wide range of books available to them and are keen and eager to read.

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The early years provision is good

 Most children enter the Nursery class with skills that are below those typical for their age. A few enter with skills that are significantly below those typical for their age. Children are least skilled in using language and communicating. Teachers and other adults identify children’s needs very quickly and skilfully develop activities that help children to make good progress. The calm, purposeful environment and the interesting work, covering all of the areas of learning, help children to develop good attitudes to learning. As they settle into the early years, children begin to select purposeful activities for themselves and to explore the well-equipped outdoor learning area.  Leadership is good. Children’s skills are assessed accurately and adults are well deployed to support all children in making good progress. Children develop the skills to work together and are respectful to each other and to adults. They listen well to stories and the instructions given to them, and they have good

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The early years provision is good

opportunities to talk about what they might decide to write. Thanks to good teaching, children’s skills develop well, particularly communication and language skills.  Children are safe and happy because of the secure procedures that exist in the early years. Adults know the needs of the children well and give them good care and attention. Children quickly develop good social skills and understand what is expected of them. The activities children take part in promote good physical development and emotional well-being. A wide range of activities make a good contribution to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.  In the Reception class, children enjoyed constructing models of pirates, counting cannonballs and describing size and weight when listening to the story of ‘The Three Bears’. Adults develop well-planned opportunities for children to begin to link letters and sounds to start to read and write. Children are well

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The early years provision is good

prepared in the early years for the next stage of their education.

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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 failing

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 106691 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 449136

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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 385 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Pettigrew Headteacher Patricia Dyson Date of previous school inspection 4 November 2010 Telephone number 01405 812734 Fax number 01405 740874 Email address admin@westrd.doncaster.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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