Park House Primary School

School report Park House Primary School Rupert Street, Lower Pilsley, Chesterfield, S45 8DB

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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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils flourish at Park House Primary School because they are taught well, are exceptionally well cared for and feel safe.  The quality of teaching is good. There are examples of outstanding teaching over time. Teaching is strongest in Key Stage 2 (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6).  All groups of pupils make good, and in some cases, outstanding progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school highly values music and sport and as a result pupils are creative, confident and active in all aspects of their learning.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning, feel safe at school and behave well at all times of the day with all members of staff.  Pupils are very proud of their school. They are confident and eager to tell visitors how much they enjoy their learning and how much they respect and like their teachers. Their attendance is good and improving year-on-year.  Staff have excellent relationships with parents and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

carers. The local community is extremely proud of Park House and as a result the school is always oversubscribed.  The headteacher is respected by parents, pupils and staff alike. He is a passionate and creative leader who has unfailingly high aspirations for his school and his pupils.  The headteacher works in close partnership with a strong governing body. As a result the school is well managed and there is a strong commitment to school improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching, particularly at Key Stage 1, is outstanding.  Some teachers do not always have high enough expectations of all pupils. As a result their lessons do not always enthuse or challenge pupils sufficiently and learning is sometimes slowed.  Although teachers’ marking is regular it does not consistently result in rapid improvements in pupils’ work.  Planning in the Reception class does not always link closely enough with the observations and assessments which teachers do. As a result, there are not always clear ‘next steps’ for learning and some children are not always challenged enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 12 lessons and one assembly. The headteacher joined them in three observations of teaching and learning.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documents, including: the school improvement plan, the school’s self-evaluation, minutes from governors’ meetings, and records and policies about teaching, learning, behaviour and safety.  Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils at playtimes and spoke to individual and groups of pupils about what they most enjoyed about their school.  Inspectors listened to a sample of pupils from all year groups read and visited lessons where pupils were learning about letters and sounds.  Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and on display throughout the school.  Inspectors sought the views of parents and carers by talking to parents in the playground and considering the 58 responses to the online survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Clare Cossor, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dorothy Bathgate Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Park House Primary School is a slightly smaller than average-sized Primary School.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The number of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well below the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of pupils supported through a statement of special educational needs is below average, as is the proportion of pupils who have an education and health care plan.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher has been in post for nine years.  The school has gained a number of awards including the Healthy Schools Award and Music Quality Mark.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the amount of outstanding teaching in Key Stage 1 by:  improving the quality of planning  making sure that all teachers always provide the right of level of challenge for all groups of pupils  ensuring that teachers expectations are consistently high in all classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Review the marking policy to ensure that:  pupils always know how to improve their work  all teachers make sure that pupils respond to comments following marking and so improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In the Reception class, ensure that planning is always informed by what the children can already do so that expectations are always high and all children are effectively challenged.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is deeply passionate about the care and achievement of all pupils in his school and is held in high regard by staff, parents and pupils. He works in close partnership with a skilled and effective governing body. As a result the school continues to go from strength to strength.

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The leadership and management are good

 Issues from the previous inspection have been dealt with well, resulting in improved outdoor learning for Reception class children and improved attainment in writing across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and self- evaluation is effective. The headteacher recognises that some targets in the school improvement plan are very broad. On occasion this makes it difficult for leaders and teachers to easily measure how different actions are impacting upon the progress of different groups of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders have a secure knowledge of their subjects. They observe colleagues regularly and team teach alongside them to model best practice. As a result teaching has improved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has effectively led the implementation of the new National Curriculum. He has ensured that teachers have received the information and resources they need. As a result teachers morale is high and they are all committed to the successful introduction of the new ‘Cornerstones’ curriculum.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders have been proactive in making arrangements to work alongside other local schools to introduce a consistent and effective way of assessing pupils learning following the removal of National Curriculum levels. The headteacher has secured the confidence of teachers in making a good start to this transition.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers understand that they are accountable for pupils’ progress and that senior leaders check their work against the Teachers’ Standards. The headteacher invests heavily in high quality training for teachers and teaching assistants and this contributes to the high standards of attainment and progress in school. He recognises that there is more to be done to extend the amount of outstanding teaching in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural and social development is outstanding. The energy and enthusiasm for a broad and creative curriculum is championed by the headteacher. His strong presence in daily assemblies, classrooms and out of school activities ensures that this is a strength of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure that good systems are in place to keep all pupils safe. They work effectively with staff from other agencies and carry out all the required checks on staff and visitors.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders successfully ensure that additional funding, including the pupil premium, and the primary sport funding, is used effectively to narrow gaps in achievement and increase participation and excellence in sport.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has supported the school effectively over time but has an understandably ‘light touch’ because standards in the school are good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are highly committed and visit school regularly. As a result they have a good understanding of the quality of teaching and learning, including the arrangements for rewarding good performance. They are particularly aware of the impact of pupil premium and sport funding in the school. They are supportive of the headteacher and are increasingly confident to challenge senior leaders when required. Governors’ personal and professional expertise is used to good effect to support their work. All current statutory duties are met including those for safeguarding and employment.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. All staff model expectations for behaviour. As a result, pupils' behaviour is excellent both in and out of lessons.

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Behaviour

 Pupils start work promptly in lessons because they understand what is expected of them. They show respect to all adults throughout school and to one another.

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Behaviour

 Pupils told inspectors they are “never afraid to make mistakes” because as long they always do their best, they know that teachers and teaching assistants will always help them.

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Behaviour

 All staff teams share concern for the welfare of pupils. The special educational needs co-ordinator and learning mentor lead effective partnerships working with health, welfare and educational psychologists. This ensures that all pupils make good progress in their learning.

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Behaviour

 Pupils talk about their school and teachers with enthusiasm and pride. They recognise one another’s talents and one year four girl was eager to tell me that her friend was “a brilliant speller – in fact a walking dictionary!”

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour make an exceptional contribution to progress because they are so well focused on learning.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is above average because pupils enjoy coming to school.

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Behaviour

 Well established systems at playtimes, ensure that pupils thrive in terms of their overall well-being. The ‘friendship stop’ and role of ‘friendship buddies’ make sure that all pupils know what to do if they are worried or want more company. Although pupils feel very cared for by staff they are also aware of their own responsibility in looking after one another and rise to this expectation with confidence and pride.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Safeguarding processes are rigorous and meet statutory requirements and all staff follow effective policies and procedures.

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Safety

 Pupils feel safe at school and parents have the highest possible confidence that this is the case.

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Safety

 Pupils have a clear understanding of different types of bullying and how to stay safe both in and out of school and when on line. They are becoming well prepared for later life and learning.

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Safety

 Pupils are confident that bullying in school is very rare and that problems are dealt with quickly by staff. There are a variety of well-established and effective ways in which pupils can seek help including class worry boxes, worry clouds and talking to members of the school council.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good across the school because teachers know the pupils well. Parents and carers have high levels of confidence in the quality of teaching at Park House Primary.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers capture pupils’ interest well and motivate them to want to learn. For example, in a Year 4 lesson, pupils took great delight in taking on the role of either ‘the ‘defender’ or ‘attacker’ to learn more about the battle of Hastings.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is strongest in Key Stage 2. In these classes, planning is consistently ambitious and teachers and teaching assistants use questions well to find out what pupils already know and to challenge their thinking.  All of the classrooms in the school are well organised and inviting. Pupils’ work is displayed with care and creativity. Pupils are enthusiastic and proud to talk about their work and how their skills and knowledge are improving over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of good teaching and planning. Teachers and teaching assistants build on pupils strengths and in doing so, enable them to achieve more than was thought possible.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well across the school. Pupils of all ages read with confidence and understanding. Two Year 6 pupils were proud to tell one of the inspectors that they were chosen for ‘lead parts’ in a recent school play because they were able to ‘read so expressively’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Middle leaders, with responsibility for literacy and mathematics have high levels of expertise in their subjects. They work effectively alongside teachers and teaching assistants. This is helping to increase the amount of outstanding teaching in the school and to accelerate progress and attainment in all year groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Improvements in the teaching of writing since the last inspection have had a direct impact upon the progress and attainment of writing of all groups of pupils in both key stages.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Information and communication technology is used well to support pupils’ learning particularly in mathematics. The skills of an experienced and knowledgeable teaching assistant are used to excellent effect in group activities in the school computer suite. These sessions are enabling the most able pupils to excel.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils work regularly but there is inconsistency in practice across the school. Not all teachers make it crystal clear to pupils what they need to do to improve. There are also occasions when pupils do not respond to teachers' comments and as a result, mistakes are repeated.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In some Key Stage 1 classes, time is sometimes wasted because pupils are doing work which is too easy for them. As a result they are not always challenged sufficiently or make as much progress as they could. During a mathematics lesson one pupil commented that “I could do this at the start of the lesson”.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics during their time in Key Stage1. Attainment in writing has improved over the last three years due to improvements in planning and teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics reading check (the sounds that letter make) has risen steadily over the past three years and is consistently above the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress, and in a significant number of cases, outstanding progress during their time in Key Stage 2. They typically leave Year 6 with standards in reading, writing and mathematics which are significantly above those expected for their age. This means that they are very well prepared for the next phase of their education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More able pupils make good progress from their starting points and this is accelerated during their time in Key Stage 2. This is a result of the high expectations of teachers and well planned support from teaching assistants. In these classes staff use questioning effectively to encourage pupils to think for themselves. The headteacher recognises that there is more to be done to spread this outstanding practice consistently across the school so that more pupils make outstanding progress in Reception and Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school uses its pupil premium effectively and imaginatively to help the small group of pupils, who are eligible, make good progress and reach standards similar to other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the end of year 6 in 2013, 100% of pupils made expected progress in writing and over 94% in reading and mathematics. The most able pupils make good and in some cases outstanding progress. School data for 2014 indicates that the most able pupils achieved level 6 in maths for the first time in the school. Standards of achievement have been good over time but are becoming even better.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In all classes there are occasions when teachers do not make sure that pupils respond to their marking corrections. As a result mistakes are repeated and progress is slowed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is good. Pupils of all ages and abilities are confident readers because of the well-structured and creative way that it is taught across the school. Even the younger pupils can talk enthusiastically about their favourite authors and illustrators. Pupils were keen to praise the excellent range of fiction and information books which they enjoy reading from the school’s impressive library.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good progress from their starting points. Senior leaders ensure that their needs are assessed accurately and their progress is carefully checked. This success is also due to the school’s outstanding partnership working with families and other agencies. Parents say they feel extremely well supported by the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The headteacher is determined that all pupils achieve success across the widest possible range of subjects. As a result pupils develop a love of sport, music and the creative arts during their time at Park House. The quality of singing in the school is exceptional. During a typical morning assembly, pupils sang harmonies and parts with tremendous confidence and skill. The primary sport funding is used ambitiously. Each year a group of the most able pupils spend time at the University of Bath to take part in a week of coaching and skills work. On their return to school they take on the role of ‘sports ambassadors’ and lead sporting activities with other pupils.

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The early years provision is good

 Children typically start school with knowledge in skills broadly in line with those normally expected for their age apart from speaking and listening where skills are often at an earlier stage of development.

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The early years provision is good

 The majority of children make good progress during their time in the Reception class and are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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The early years provision is good

 The quality of teaching in the Reception class is good. The atmosphere in the class is friendly and fun and this helps the children settle well within a very short space of time. Staff quickly identify the needs of all children and this gives parents great confidence in the care which their children receive when they first start school.

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The early years provision is good

 The quality of the outdoor environment has dramatically improved since the previous inspection. It is now an exciting place to learn and play. This has resulted in children making more progress across all areas of their development.

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The early years provision is good

 A well balanced range of activities is provided inside and out. There are some instances when planning is not always sharp enough and children spend too much time waiting for their turn in an activity.

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The early years provision is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants make accurate assessments of children’s learning. However these observations are not always used to inform planning or to identify next steps for individual children. This sometimes means that children are taking part in activities which are too easy for them.

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The early years provision is good

 The Reception leader is passionate about the importance of this stage in the children’s learning. She recognises that although significant improvements have been made, that there is still more work to be done so that more teaching is outstanding and children make even more rapid 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 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 112606 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 448662

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 208 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Dore Headteacher Gerard Philbin Date of previous school inspection 9 February 2010 Telephone number 01246 851185 Fax number 01246 857423 Email address info@parkhouse.derbyshire.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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