Summerfield Primary School

Summerfield Primary School Intake Lane, Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS13 1DQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 This is a school where leaders and staff rigorously tackle discrimination and strive to give their pupils, whatever their circumstances, equal opportunities to succeed.  Pastoral support is strong. Pupils say they feel safe in school. Staff are very caring and provide one-to-one support, where necessary. This helps pupils learn well and feel valued.  The headteacher has successfully harnessed the whole staff team in robustly addressing the issues identified at the time of the last inspection as requiring improvement. As a result, leaders, manager and governors have ensured that many key aspects of the school’s work, such as teaching and pupils’ achievement, have significantly improved.  The quality of teaching has improved due to the strong leadership of teaching and learning and the very committed and hardworking staff team. Most of the time, teaching is now good and sometimes is even outstanding.  Attainment is rising rapidly at every key stage,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

particularly among those pupils who remain at the school for an extended period. Many pupils are now making rapid progress.  Children get off to a good start in their learning in the early years. They settle into school life quickly and really enjoy many of the activities on offer.  Pupils behave well and now attend more regularly. They conduct numerous roles of responsibility in school with empathy, care and understanding, such as that of peer mediator and sports leader.  Governors know what is going on in the school and offer a good level of challenge and support to school leaders in equal measure.  An improving curriculum is motivating pupils to work hard and make faster progress. Pupils also enjoy the opportunity to learn key life skills, such as how to cook a healthy meal.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Attainment remains a little lower than average because recent improvements have not been sustained over a long enough time to bring it in line with the national averages.  Teaching is not outstanding. Some of the most able pupils do not reach their full potential.  Pupils do not make quite as much progress in mathematics as they do in reading and writing.  A period of some less consistent teaching has left pupils with a legacy of a few remaining weaknesses in their basic number skills. Some aspects of the mathematics curriculum have not been covered in enough depth, at times.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 part-lessons and made several other short visits to lessons to observe teaching and learning. Six were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors spoke with governors, a representative from the local authority, senior and middle leaders and staff.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work from every class from this year and last year.  A discussion was held with some Year 6 pupils. Inspectors listened to some pupils read and observed break times.  A number of documents were examined. They included leaders’ views of the school’s performance, records of the checks made on teaching and learning, the school improvement plan, information about pupils’ progress and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents through informal discussions with parents and analysis of the school’s own questionnaires to parents. The 11 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View)

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Information about this inspection

were also scrutinised.  Inspectors analysed the 32 responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire about the school.

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Inspection team

Fiona Gowers, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a broadly average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are therefore eligible for support through the pupil premium is much larger than that found nationally. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average, as is the proportion who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported through school action is broadly average. However, the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is much higher than in most other schools.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at other than the usual times is much higher than that found nationally.  Two of the classes are taught by teachers who joined the school during the period after the last inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding, so pupils’ attainment continues to rise at every key stage, particularly in mathematics and among the most able pupils by:  ensuring expectations of what pupils can achieve are high in every classroom  ensuring that all aspects of the mathematics curriculum are covered in sufficient depth so pupils gain a good grasp of the key concepts  ensuring teachers identify and address any weaknesses in pupils’ basic number skills and that marking in mathematics helps pupils improve their work  checking regularly that the most able pupils in every class make progress at an even faster rate than currently.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other adults in school endeavour to get to know each individual pupil very well. All try to ensure that every pupil at Summerfield has equal opportunity to succeed.  Staff responses to the inspection questionnaire about the school were almost all entirely positive about every aspect of the school’s work.  Other leaders in the school work under the headteacher’s strong direction. Relationships are strong and there is a tangible corporate approach. Effective senior and middle leadership has led to improvements at every key stage, in the leadership of many aspects of the curriculum and in the school’s work with disadvantaged pupils, as well as those with special educational needs.  Pupils’ progress information is used well to improve achievement for all groups of pupils. The school carefully and regularly checks how well each pupil is doing and identifies those in need of additional

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The leadership and management are good

support. Leaders carefully check that the additional pupil premium funding is helping pupils to learn at a faster rate.  The leadership of teaching and learning has been effective because staff work together to consider how well their teaching helps pupils learn and corporately consider how they can help pupils do even better. This has led to a high degree of consistency in the teaching approaches used throughout school.  Performance management procedures are used well to reward good teaching. Pay progression is closely linked to pupils’ outcomes.  Parents who responded to the school’s own questionnaire and those who made their views known to an inspector were overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Parents are kept well informed through weekly updates on the school website and enjoy the opportunity to attend school ‘open days’, as well as joining their children for a school lunch.  The curriculum has developed well since the last inspection. In particular, pupils now have many more

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities to practise and improve their literacy skills in other subjects. The curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain and supports well the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are helped to gain a deeper understanding of other faiths and cultures, as well recognising the importance of democratic processes in decision making.  The primary school physical education and sports funding is used well. Pupils say they really like keeping fit and they are taking part in an increasing range of sporting activities. Specialist teachers work alongside staff in school and this is helping to improve the teaching of physical education. During the inspection, pupils participated in sporting activities with great gusto. They were encouraged to ‘go up a gear’ and continually improve the quality of their work and they certainly did. School records confirm that some high

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The leadership and management are good

quality teaching in physical education is a common feature of the curriculum.  Strong partnerships with other schools in the locality are developing well. This is helping leaders to check the impact of the school’s own work, as well as providing opportunities for the school to share its own areas of strength with other schools.  The local authority has provided good support for the school. It has supported the role of the governors in checking on the work of the school regularly and effectively, as well as helping increase staff expertise and confidence. The local authority is confident that the school provides a good education for pupils and that it will continue to go from strength to strength without the need for much additional support.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of teaching, the performance of the school, school data and pupils’ achievement. They are knowledgable about the school’s work to reward good teaching and

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The leadership and management are good

tackle underperformance.  They regularly check the effectiveness of their role and bring into school many key skills and knowledge in areas such as health and safety, human resources and finance, as well as strong community links. They are proactive in seeking additional training to ensure they maintain the necessary skills to both support and challenge the school’s performance.  The work of the governing body has led to improvements in many areas, notably in checking that: the curriculum helps boys learn; the pupil premium funding is used well to support the learning of disadvantaged pupils and that pupils continue to feel happy and safe in school.  The governing body ensures safeguarding procedures meet current requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are polite and courteous. They show good levels of respect for each other and for the school environment.  Pupils discuss and establish a set of rules for their classroom. These clearly help keep classrooms calm and well organised, which helps pupils to learn well.  Pupils respond well to the clear whole-school behaviour procedures which are consistently carried out by all staff. In particular, adults make good use of very specific praise to reinforce good behaviour and positive attitudes. Pupils are clearly delighted when they are praised for making a ‘sensible choice’ or for ‘listening well’. This, in turn, does much to help pupils manage their own behaviour well.  Most pupils show good attitudes to learning and are keen to learn. They listen respectfully to adults in school, although very occasionally pupils lose interest at times when they find their work too easy or a

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Behaviour

little confusing.  A scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks throughout school shows that the majority of pupils try very hard with their work. However, some pupils do not always take quite as much care with their work as they should because adults’ expectations are not high enough in every classroom.  Pupils carry out many roles of responsibility in school, which help them develop many important life skills. Peer mediators learn to develop empathy, understanding and care for others. As one typically explained: ‘I am a peer mediator because I like helping other people. I keep problems private!’ Through their work on a whole-school democracy project, school counsellors ensure they use democratic processes to select a beneficiary for their charitable fundraising.  Those who find it more difficult to learn or to manage their own behaviour are supported very well. Many have the chance for a one-to-one discussion with an adult who they trust. They are helped to explore

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Behaviour

what seems to be getting in the way of their learning and this in turn helps them feel more confident and make faster progress.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Child protection procedures are rigorous. Pupils say they feel happy and safe at school and all parents who responded to Parent View at the time of the inspection confirmed this was the case.  Day-to-day pastoral support provided for pupils is strong and is greatly appreciated by many pupils and parents alike. Parents typically described the level of care provided as ‘absolutely brilliant’! This is a school clearly focused on providing the very best level of care for its pupils. School leaders recognised that the records of the very isolated incidents of poorer behaviour were not always detailed enough. Stringent steps were subsequently taken to tighten up procedures.  Rewards for good attendance promote attendance well. Attendance has risen speedily over the last year and is now in line with the national average. School staff work extremely hard with families of the small

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Safety

minority of pupils who do not always attend as well as they might. Staff also ensure any unnecessary absences are avoided.  Pupils know how to stay safe and avoid unnecessary risk, including the use of the internet and social media sites.  Pupils have a good awareness of what might constitute different forms of bullying. They say that bullying is rare and that it is not a big problem in school at all. A group of pupils agreed: ‘We feel safe because adults in school deal with things.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection.  Teaching is now good and sometimes it is even better. A scrutiny of pupils’ work from this year and last year and the school’s own records confirm this is typical.  Pupils’ learning is highly valued and celebrated throughout school and this motivates pupils to work hard.  The school’s records confirm lessons are typically well structured and well planned.  The teaching of reading has improved. Pupils enjoy using the recently refurbished vibrant library and reading the new books in school. Older pupils take the position of librarian very seriously and have been well trained by local librarians. All-in-all, much has been done to raise the profile of reading. School staff are successfully fostering a real love of reading among pupils.  A whole-school approach to improve the structure of pupils’ writing has had a marked degree of success. Teachers are careful to incorporate themes in their lessons that motivate boys, as well as girls, to write.

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The quality of teaching is good

For example, pupils have clearly enjoyed work related to sporting brands, King Kong and Greek mythology.  Pupils stay engaged in mathematics because they often have a wide variety of interesting activities to tackle. For example, in lower Key Stage 2, pupils really enjoyed learning more about odd and even numbers through the use of stories and games and by testing their own predictions when they added odd and even numbers. In upper Key Stage 2, mathematics work linked to a golf challenge motivated pupils to try hard.  A period of staffing changes has led to some less consistent teaching of mathematics since the last inspection. This has left a minority of pupils with some key gaps in their mathematics skills and knowledge because not all aspects of the mathematics curriculum have been covered in sufficient depth. This has hampered pupils’ progress in mathematics at times.  In some classes, teachers have high expectations of the most able pupils. For example, a scrutiny of

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils’ workbooks from Year 6 shows that pupils are regularly encouraged to edit and improve their work. A scrutiny of their workbooks from this term shows many pupils really rise to the high expectations set, as they write their own versions and movie clips of ancient myths and legends, and consider what they can find out about warfare from Greek artefacts. Nevertheless, a scrutiny of workbooks throughout the school also shows that expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve are not always high enough in every class.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are provided with learning activities that are adapted well to their particular needs. They are supported well by effective questioning and strong pastoral care.  Teaching assistants are deployed well in classes. They keep a careful check on pupils’ understanding and well-being so they can readily clarify any misconceptions and boost esteem. They know pupils well

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The quality of teaching is good

because they work with pupils from a range of ability levels.  The quality of marking has improved since the last inspection. Marking of pupils’ written work often shows pupils what to do to improve their work. However, feedback and guidance are less clear in some mathematics books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good from pupils’ individual starting points.  In some classes, almost half of the pupils can change from the time they enter Year 1 to when they leave Year 6. This high level of coming and going has led to some fluctuation in overall standards in some year groups. However, a check on the work and progress records of pupils who are new to the school show that these pupils do just as well as others.  Published data in national tests in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 do not always give a full picture of pupils’ achievements, because of the high levels of in-year mobility and the specific characteristics of pupils in some classes.  Standards in Key Stage 1 are rising at a fast rate, although they remain a little below those typically expected for pupils’ ages. This is partly due to the specific characteristics of pupils in some classes. Pupils at Key Stage 1 are improving their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make. In 2014,

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The achievement of pupils is good

approximately two-thirds of pupils reached the required standard. This was a significant improvement on the 2013 results.  Many pupils at Key Stage 2 are also making much faster progress than at the time of the previous inspection, particularly in reading and writing. Standards remain below the 2013 national averages, particularly in mathematics. However, the majority of pupils who stay at the school for an extended period reach the age-expected levels by the end of Year 6.  In 2014, the proportion of the most able pupils reaching above-average attainment rose at Key Stage 1 in all subjects and rose at Key Stage 2 in reading and writing. However, expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough in all classes and so some of the most able pupils, in particular, do not make rapid enough progress to reach their full potential. A minority of pupils have not covered aspects of the mathematics curriculum in enough depth and this sometimes prevents them from reaching the above-

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The achievement of pupils is good

average standards they should.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do just as well as other pupils in school, relative to their individual starting points. Each pupil is very much known as an individual and staff work hard to provide tailored support and guidance so pupils can benefit from all the school has to offer.  Pupil premium funding is used well. In 2013, test results at the end of Year 6 showed that the attainment of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the funding, when compared to other pupils in the school, was one term behind in reading, two terms behind in writing and a year behind in mathematics. When compared to similar pupils nationally, pupils in school were one term behind in reading and writing, and two terms behind in mathematics. However, most disadvantaged pupils throughout the school now make as much progress as other pupils in school and as much as similar pupils nationally and some do even better. Their

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The achievement of pupils is good

rate of progress matches that of other pupils nationally. School leaders not only keep a very careful check on their progress, but also try hard to boost pupils’ confidence in their own ability.

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The early years provision is good

 Children settle well into the early years. The setting is well-organised and relationships are warm and welcoming. Children’s behaviour and the work of adults to ensure children’s safety are both good. Children respond well to the clear, age-appropriate guidelines. They learn to use the equipment sensibly and to use ‘walking feet’ when in school, for example.  When they start school, many children’s skills are below those typically expected for their age and some are significantly so. However, from their various starting points, children of all abilities make good progress. Children are well prepared for the changeover to the Year 1 class as shown by the good work and conduct of those children who have recently moved on up to Key Stage 1.  Children enjoy a good balance between adult-led activities and a wide range of activities that they explore for themselves. Children clearly love many of the activities provided as shown by their smiling faces and

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The early years provision is good

occasional squeals of delight. For example, a group of children were thrilled to develop their numeracy skills as they baked some biscuits with an adult and then thoroughly enjoyed going on to practise their own ‘baking’ in the ‘mud kitchen’.  The early years is well led. Staff are reflective and regularly check that the activities in the setting help children to learn effectively and develop well. For example, staff noticed that some boys were not doing as well as the girls in literacy and mathematics and so made sure they were given some activities that would appeal to this group of boys in particular.  Leaders identified that the outdoor learning experiences were less rich than those indoors. New learning resourses are already in place and staff are working hard to ensure the learning activities challenge and inspire children to extend their skills further in all areas of learning.

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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 107967 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 442223

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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 254 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Fletcher Headteacher Karon Wittmann Date of previous school inspection 5 February 2013 Telephone number 0113 205 7520 Fax number 0113 205 7537 Email address wittmake01@schoolslink.net 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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