Knowleswood Primary School

School report Knowleswood Primary School

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Knowles Lane, Holmewood, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 9AE

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Pupils’ progress is not yet quick enough to compensate for past weaknesses in their learning.  Teaching does not always challenge pupils effectively to ensure that they reach the levels of attainment of which they are capable. Indeed, the most-able pupils are not moved on at a rate to enable them to make even better gains in their learning.  Behaviour requires improvement because positive attitudes to learning are not sufficiently developed across all year groups.  Recent changes to the curriculum and the increased challenge in pupils’ work have had insufficient time to embed and therefore do not have the full impact on pupils’ progress and attainment.  Leaders and managers have not secured good achievement in writing and mathematics for all pupils since the previous inspection.  Not enough opportunities are provided for pupils to use and develop their communication and writing skills across subject areas other than English.

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

 Insufficient time has elapsed since the previous inspection to enable leaders and managers at all levels, including governors, to analyse and evaluate fully the recent improvements in pupils’ progress and sharing existing good practice across the school.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils say they feel safe in school and relationships between pupils and staff are positive.  The headteacher and his newly-formed senior leadership team have the raised expectations of both pupils and staff and, as a result, the pace of improvement is accelerating.  Progress has started to improve across school. Pupils’ current attainment in writing and mathematics is moving closer to expected levels.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to help others in school, look after and care for their school pet tortoise ‘Woody’ and use the Rainbow Room for quiet time and reflection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed the school’s work, looked at work in pupils’ books and scrutinised information on pupils’ progress.  Inspection time was spent in classes observing lessons, including two joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. Observations were also made of small groups of pupils working with an adult other than their teacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 2 and 6 and talked to them about their learning.  Inspectors also talked to a small group of children on the playground, in the dining hall and around school.  Meetings were held with leaders, members of the school staff and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the views of a small number of parents spoken to on the morning of the inspection. They also considered the 18 responses to the Ofsted on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the 50 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Maureen Coleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average sized primary school.  The number of pupils who receive support through the pupil premium (additional funding provided by the government for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.) is twice the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is similar to that found in most schools.  The school does not meet 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.  There have been a number of staff changes and the establishment of a new senior leadership team since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that a higher proportion of pupils makes better than expected progress in order to raise standards by: - teaching being consistently good or better - checks made on pupils’ progress and attainment being always accurate and leading to work which is set at the right level, especially for the most able - raising the expectations of what pupils can achieve - pupils practising and reinforcing their writing and communication skills in subjects other than English - providing pupils with more opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further develop leadership and management by: - developing the role of senior and middle leaders to be more effective in raising pupils’ attainment by sharing good practice across the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher, the recently appointed deputy head and senior leadership team have taken actions which have brought about improvements in school performance. However, although pupils’ understanding and knowledge are beginning to improve, this is yet to be reflected in national tests. The sharing of good practice across the school is underdeveloped.  There have been a number of recent changes in staff responsibilities, which has helped to clarify roles and responsibilities and hold everyone, including middle leaders, more accountable to the headteacher and governors. This has resulted in some leaders not yet having enough time to be fully effective in influencing and sustaining improvements.  Although changes to the leadership and management structure have been relatively recent, there is already sufficient evidence to demonstrate capacity to secure further improvement.  Staff have worked hard to implement the new curriculum which prepares pupils well for life in modern

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Britain.  The regular monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ progress are used to assess teachers’ performance and inform decisions about their pay and career progression. Staff are wholeheartedly supportive of the headteacher and the new leadership team and welcome the support and bespoke training now being provided for them.  The local authority has an accurate view of the school’s performance and provides effective support.  Parents who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire, and those who inspectors met at the beginning of the school day, spoke highly of the school. They commented on the positive changes made since the appointment of the current headteacher. They feel welcome in school and are encouraged to take an active part in their children’s education.  There is appropriate provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Equality of opportunity underpins every aspect of the school’s work. Pupils who might be at risk of underperforming

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The leadership and management requires improvement

are quickly identified, supported, and make gains similar to those of other pupils as a result of effective targeted support, funded by the pupil premium.  Sport is especially valued across school. The primary sport funding is being used appropriately to provide opportunities for pupils to participate in a range of activities, including a girls’ and a boys’ football club, and opportunities for cheer leading.  The ‘Roots and Wings’ additional provision provided by the school and, currently focusing on medieval literacy, is having a marked impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school tackles discrimination in all its forms and fosters good relations.  The governance of the school:  The governance of the school requires improvement. Governors have not sufficiently addressed the school’s past underperformance to drive forward improvements in pupils’ progress. However, recent

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The leadership and management requires improvement

training and the improved sharing of information about pupil progress, has enabled them to be more rigorous in their monitoring and evaluation of the school’s current performance. Governors are now well informed from first-hand information gathered from their regular visits to classrooms. They review accurate assessments of pupils’ achievements at pupil progress meetings and have regular discussions with the senior leadership team. They are also aware of how well the school is performing in comparison to local schools and schools nationally. This revised role of the governors has not yet had time to take full effect.  The governors ensure that both the performance of the headteacher and checks on teachers’ pay and progression are routinely monitored. Governors oversee that day-to-day safeguarding and checks on staff appointments are also completed. As a result, safeguarding and child protection arrangements

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The leadership and management requires improvement

meet requirements. The school budget is well managed and finances are secure.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils talk positively about school and have noticed there have been many changes for the better since the previous inspection. However, their attitudes towards learning are not consistently positive. In some lessons, where activities are not well matched to their interests or abilities, pupils become restless and the pace of learning slows.  Pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of the different forms of bullying and say instances of bullying in school are rare. Pupils report that the school listens to any concerns they have and deals quickly with any incidents of bullying.  Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when using the Internet and say that cyber-bullying is not an issue for them. They value the opportunities they have in school, especially in their new computer suite, to use technology to support their learning.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils enjoy attending the breakfast club which provides a calm and enjoyable start to the day.  Attendance has significantly improved over the past couple of years and is now broadly average.  Pupils are happy to attend school and one pupil, expressing the views of many, commented, ‘Our teachers are like parents. They look after us really well.’

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Over time, expectations of what pupils can do have not been high enough and teaching has not helped pupils make faster progress to compensate for past weaknesses in their achievement. However, the quality of teaching has improved over the past year and actions taken by leaders to address weaker teaching are having a significant impact on pupils’ learning and leading them to make better progress.  Teachers provide appropriate activities in reading, writing and mathematics which build effectively on what they have learned already. However the level of challenge, particularly for the most able, in writing and mathematics does not move pupils’ learning on quickly enough.  Opportunities for pupils to use mathematics across the curriculum are limited.  The most-able pupils are not always challenged effectively and some pupils confirm they would like work which is more demanding.  Pupils eligible for support through additional funding benefit from more direct teaching and support and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

make rates of progress similar to those of their classmates.  Some pupils take a pride in the presentation of their work, particularly the older pupils. This, however, is not consistent across all year groups and classes.  The assessment of pupils’ attainment is now more accurate. Classroom activities are more closely matched to individual needs, enabling pupils to improve their work at a faster rate.  A comprehensive marking policy is now in place and there are some examples of very strong marking in some classes. Pupils’ responses to marking provide teachers with valuable information about the level of their engagement, the appropriateness of the challenge and the learning taking place. This clearly supports accelerated learning.  Where pupils learn well, teachers and teaching assistants build effectively on their previous learning. Skilful questioning and the reshaping of tasks successfully deepen and extend pupils’ knowledge and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

understanding. For example, in Year 6 literacy, pupils benefit from searching questions about their own experiences before they begin to write a persuasive letter.  The use of new technology is used well to support pupils’ learning.  The quality of work in pupils’ books reflects an improving picture, particularly from the beginning of this academic year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although now beginning to accelerate, pupils’ achievement over time requires improvement. Attainment is not yet as high as it should be.  Overall, children enter the early years provision with skills and knowledge which are significantly below those expected for their age. Their communication and literacy skills are particularly behind those typically found and staff work hard to provide an enriched and stimulating environment to promote early language. As a result, children are making gains in speaking and listening, but their progress still requires improvement.  The proportion of pupils in Key Stage 1 reaching expected standards in the phonics (the sounds that letters and combination of letters make) screening check for last year has improved markedly.  As a result, significant progress in reading has been made across all year groups, and pupils talk with enthusiasm about the books they are reading. They make good use of the school’s new, attractive and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

well-resourced library.  In 2014, results in the national tests for Year 6 were well below average, particularly in mathematics. Although progress in reading has improved, too few pupils are given opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills and writing in other subjects. Pupils respond well to questions from teachers and visitors, but do not always express themselves clearly when talking about their learning.  Progress for the most able is not consistent across all year groups. Too few pupils are given the opportunities to move on to more challenging tasks to enable them to make more-than-expected progress and thus reach the levels of attainment of which they are capable.  Pupils supported by additional funding, the pupil premium for example, make progress in reading, writing and mathematics similar to that of their classmates. However, their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is about half a year behind the attainment of non-disadvantaged pupils in school and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

nationally.  Achievement in reading is better and pupils are now making rapid progress in all year groups.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is better than for other pupils in school and nationally, as a result of timely and effective interventions.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Children enter the Nursery with skills and knowledge which are significantly below those expected for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy and personal, social and emotional development.  Staff take into account children’s interests when planning activities and this, together with the welcoming environment, enables children to settle quickly.  From their very low starting points they are beginning to make better progress through Nursery and Reception in all areas of learning and development. However, achievement still requires improvement.  By the end of the Reception, although the gap between children’s performance and national expectations has begun to narrow, the proportion achieving good levels of development is below average, particularly in communication and literacy.  Provision is thoughtful and thorough and children enjoy a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. A

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The early years provision requires improvement

den-building activity in the outside learning area promoted communication and team-building skills successfully. This activity was carried out enthusiastically out by the children who showed reluctance when it was time to return inside, despite it being a very cold and wet day.  Phonics are taught well and give children key skills to support emerging reading and writing.  Regular meetings to discuss provision, progress and assessment combined with the strong purposeful leadership from the early years leader, are driving forward improvements. However, the full impact of these new initiatives on children’s overall progress and achievement is not fully apparent.

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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 132183 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 442284

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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 449 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tony Cairns OBE Headteacher Dean Tombling Date of previous school inspection 18 December 2012 Telephone number 01274 778177 Fax number 01274 778255 Email address d.tombling@knowleswood.co.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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