Lound Infant School

Lound Infant School Sherburn Gate, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 2EU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Good 2

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

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement in reading and writing, particularly that of the most- able, boys and disadvantaged pupils .  A minority of pupils leave the school unable to use their knowledge of phonics (the sounds letters make) to help them to read and write.  Rates of current pupils’ progress varies in their workbooks. Pupils do not always present their work well because not all teachers expect them to.  Teaching is not consistently good or better in all classrooms and subjects.  The quality of teachers’ assessment varies. Teachers do not advise pupils consistently on how to check and improve their own work so that they can make faster progress.  Since the school became an academy, the co- headteacher has not checked systematically the quality of teaching and progress in pupils’ books in order to identify and act upon emerging weaknesses.  Middle leadership is underdeveloped because the middle leaders, new to the role, are not fully

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

involved in checking the quality of teachers’ work.  School leaders’ understanding of achievement data is not always accurate. This inhibits their ability to prioritise key actions.  Due to major changes in staffing and to the organisation of the school, governors have not challenged the leadership team with sufficient rigour about the quality of teaching and learning or supported them sufficiently to plan for improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is a safe, caring and happy place to learn. The needs of all pupils, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those who are most in need, are provided for well.  Behaviour is good. Pupils know how to work together. They relate well to their teachers and to each other which helps to create a friendly, harmonious school.  The curriculum is interesting and engaging and is designed to support progression and a deeper understanding of new learning. Pupils enjoy finding out about their own local area and the wider world.  Provision and progress in the early years are good. Leadership of the early years is effective. Activities are carefully planned and children enjoy learning inside and outdoors.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed a range of lessons, two of which were observed with the headteacher.  A wide range of pupils’ books and learning records were reviewed, both within the classroom and during a session of work scrutiny.  Meetings were held with the co-headteacher of the infant school and the co-headteacher of the junior school, groups of pupils, members of staff, five members of the governing body, which included the Chair of the Governing Body for the infant school and the Chair of the Academy Trust Board, who is also the Chair of the Governing Body for the junior school.  Two groups of six pupils read to inspectors and discussed their views on the school.  The inspection took account of 49 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey, Parent View. Responses from 10 staff to the inspection questionnaire and the results of a recent school survey of parents’ and pupils’ views were also reviewed. Discussions were held with two groups of parents at the start of the

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Information about this inspection

school day.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including achievement data, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the school’s development plan, behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Pauline Pitman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Lound Infant School converted to become an academy school on 1st July 2013. When its predecessor school, Lound Infant School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall. It is part of the Lound Academy Trust which includes Lound Junior School.  Lound Infant school is smaller than most primary schools. There are two classes in each year group, including two reception classes.  The school does not have nursery provision, but has two full-time reception classes.  There are more boys than girls in the school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for funding through the pupil premium is below average, although there has been an increase in numbers more recently. The pupil premium is additional government funding which supports pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is lower than the national average.  The school provides a breakfast club and a number of after-school activities. These are run by the governing body.  The co-headteacher of the infant school was appointed in January 2015 alongside the co-headteacher of the junior school. This was as a result of the retirement of the previous headteacher at Christmas 2014. Both co-headteachers work closely together to support the cohesion and smooth transition of pupils between schools. They bring different skills and experiences to the role.  To increase leadership and management capacity and to support the sharing of expertise across the two schools in the Academy Trust, two assistant headteachers, who are also subject leaders, were appointed in the summer of 2014.  The school works collaboratively with nine schools in their family of schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the achievement of all pupils, but particularly the most-able, boys and disadvantaged pupils by:  building pupils’ confidence and encouraging them to have high expectations so that they are better able to challenge themselves to reach the higher levels  refining the range of interesting and appropriate resources and curricular experiences to engage the boys and disadvantaged pupils better in their learning, so that they become fluent readers and writers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by:  supporting all teachers to recognise emerging misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ learning so that they can advise their pupils on how to improve their work  encouraging all pupils to listen to, and act upon, teachers’ advice so that pupils can understand how well they are progressing and what they need to do to improve  expecting all pupils to practise and improve their handwriting in their workbooks and to understand that good presentation will help them to make better progress  identifying more quickly pupils who have greater difficulties in using their knowledge of phonics so that swift actions can be taken to address any gaps in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of the leadership and management of the school, including governance, by:  clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the co-headteacher within the academy trust to ensure that teaching and the scrutiny of pupils’ progress in workbooks are checked systematically and any weaknesses are acted upon quickly  placing a greater emphasis on regular self-evaluation and the interrogation of the school’s data so that senior leaders are in a stronger position to identify key actions and teachers are clear about the school’s priorities  developing the role of middle leaders so that they can effectively check the work of teachers and use the outcomes of this activity to provide training and professional development  making sure that governors have access to pertinent information so that they can ask questions and offer even greater challenge to the school’s leaders and so support ongoing improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The newly developed role of the co-headteacher in the infant school is not having a full impact because the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and the scrutiny of pupils’ progress in workbooks have not been rigorous enough to secure teaching which is consistently good or better.  Due to recent changes in the organisation and staffing of the academy trust, school self-evaluation is not as precise as it should be. Some of the key data about pupils’ achievement have not been interpreted as accurately or as quickly as necessary. Internal school trend data have not been considered and the school has pursued a wide range of initiatives and training which has left less time to focus on key priorities.  The newly appointed middle leaders are enthusiastic and valuable members of the school. They are ambitious for the school and are keen to support school improvement. However, given the very brief time

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The leadership and management requires improvement

they have been in post, they are still developing the skills and expertise needed to check on teachers’ work and subject knowledge of all teachers.  The academy trust is very supportive and highly committed to high quality provision and a consistent approach to teaching, learning and behaviour for the pupils. The co-headteacher of the infant school collaborates very closely with the junior school’s co-headteacher. This has led to improvements in transition arrangements and in building leadership and management capacity and the sharing of teaching expertise.  Approaches to teachers’ appraisal and performance management are well documented and are beginning to be used to build a picture of individual teacher competencies and areas for development. This helps teachers to understand the relationship between performance and pay. The infant co-headteacher is a strong leader of inclusion and special educational needs. This has resulted in the creation of a very

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The leadership and management requires improvement

nurturing, caring and inclusive learning environment where provision for the pupils who are most in need is good.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements and parents, staff and all the pupils are confident that safeguarding arrangements are effective.  The curriculum is well developed and engaging and includes a local dimension which adds interest. Professional development has helped to equip teachers with the skills needed to deliver the new National Curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to understand what life is like in modern Britain and they are supported to understand and respect other cultures and religions. School leaders are aware that they need to do more to explore what interests the boys in school, so that they can support them better to improve their reading and writing.  Termly pupil progress meetings are used to discuss the progress of all pupils, including disadvantaged

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The leadership and management requires improvement

pupils. Decisions about the effective use of funding, such as pupil premium, are then made to promote equality of opportunity and to enhance the progress of those who may be falling behind. Actions taken have not yet had time to have a full impact on raising achievement. Funding is also used to widen pupils’ experiences by offering them access to residential visits, music opportunities and out-of-school clubs. A family liaison worker has been appointed and intervention and nurture groups have been set up to support pupils most in need of it because they find it more difficult to manage their own behaviour or to learn.  A detailed plan is in place for how the school, in conjunction with Lound Junior School, will use its primary school’s sport funding. A recent audit of staff skills recognised the need to develop expertise in the teaching of gymnastics, which led to initial training for the leader of physical education. The school has

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The leadership and management requires improvement

worked hard to involve parents and values their involvement. Parent feedback about the school is very positive.  The governance of the school:  Members of the Lound Academy Trust Board, including the Chair of the Governing Body of the infant school, understand their roles and responsibilities and are deeply committed to improving the school. They have been kept up to date about the quality of teaching and have supported the headteacher to tackle the underperformance of teachers. Governors have a good understanding of performance management and the link between pay and performance.  Due to the work involved during the setting up of the academy and the significant changes to staffing, governors have not been in a strong position to monitor the quality of teaching and learning of the school nor to hold the school to account as effectively as they should. Governor sub-committees and measures for success are still being developed.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Financial management of the school is effective. This has enabled the trust to think more creatively about how funding will be deployed. Governors have knowledge of the impact of funding available for disadvantaged pupils and have asked relevant questions about their achievement in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The co-headteacher, in conjunction with the academy trust, has communicated the core values and policy for behaviour so that all pupils understand how the school expects them to behave. The school values the principles of respect and care for others, politeness, team work, pride in their work and in trying hard. The school aspires to making ‘children at the heart of everything they do’.  The co-headteacher takes equality seriously and has created a very inclusive and supportive learning environment. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, as well as those who are most in need, are supported extremely well. This helps them to improve behaviour, to be included in the life of the school and to make progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils know how to behave and demonstrate good attitudes towards their learning. Lessons are very rarely interrupted by poor behaviour, so classrooms are calm places to learn.

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Behaviour

 Incidents of bullying are extremely rare and always dealt with quickly. Pupils can explain what they would do if someone said something hurtful or were unkind. Pupils really enjoy ‘Golden Time’ as a reward for good behaviour. For example, one Year 2 boy was allowed to present his rock band while a girl was given extra time to do craft work.  Attendance is above the national average and continues to improve. There were no persistent absentees last year. This is because the school works very closely with two family support workers, employed across the two schools.  Pupils work well together and support each other in the playground and in the classroom. They have built some good relationships with their teachers and each other. They act out the core values of team work, politeness and care for each other. However, some pupils have not been taught to take pride in their work.  Lunch time is a pleasant occasion. All pupils, including the youngest children, are encouraged to eat

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Behaviour

appropriately and to socialise with their friends. The playground is a hive of activity. Sometimes there are not enough toys to occupy pupils during lunchtime and some staff, although vigilant, do not always actively support pupils to learn how to play.  Parents and staff agree that behaviour in the school is good.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The school undertakes careful checks on all adults entering the building. Particular attention has been paid to recent legislation on keeping young children safe in education.  Pupils are taught during assemblies and in lessons how to look after themselves and keep safe. E-safety is taken seriously, particularly by the governor with this specific responsibility. Pupils are encouraged to think about keeping safe on the Internet and are supported to use a safety button if they are upset by anything they see on the screen. Parents are actively encouraged to monitor their children’s use of the Internet.  The site manager, supported by the governing body, has ensured that perimeter fencing is secure and that all entrances, during the school day, are closed and that the school is accessible only via the main office.  Parent questionnaires and discussions with pupils indicate that they feel this is a very safe place to learn.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Observations of teaching during the inspection, progress in pupils’ books and in the school’s assessment information indicate that the quality of teaching over time is variable and not consistently good. This prevents some pupils, especially the boys, the most-able and disadvantaged pupils from making good progress and reaching the higher levels. Some teachers do not check their pupils’ work consistently or effectively, so that they can quickly intervene and offer advice and support. Pupils do not always act upon verbal or written advice so that they can learn from their mistakes.  The school has worked diligently to provide weekly opportunities to improve handwriting so that pupils can display their ‘best’ writing around the school. However, the quality of presentation in workbooks is variable, because some teachers have not expected their pupils to form letters and numbers correctly or to write neatly, as part of their everyday learning in lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The expectation that all pupils, particularly the most able, should reach the highest levels possible is not consistent across all classes. The most-able pupils sometimes lack the confidence to challenge themselves, extend their thinking or tackle more complicated work. This has meant that the most-able pupils are not reaching the levels of which they are capable. Although teachers are beginning to work with pupils to change their ‘mind set’ and to improve their attitudes to learning, this has not become an integral part of every teacher’s work.  Teaching assistants are an important part of provision in school. They support pupils with special educational needs and disabled pupils very well. More recently some have been supported well to develop literacy and numeracy skills in specific sessions. Effective professional development has helped the school to develop a more consistent approach to the resources they use.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is often interesting, well planned and highly engaging and has a positive impact on the progress of pupils. Teachers question pupils effectively to tease out their understanding of key skills and concepts to help them to progress. For example, in history in Year 2, all pupils loved the input from a visitor who talked about life in 1666 and the Great Fire of London. This enabled pupils to use more sophisticated language to enhance their writing. However, some teachers do not provide sufficient challenge to engage boys in their learning so that they can become fluent readers and writers.  Teachers and their pupils have developed good relationships which help to make the school a very happy and comfortable place to learn. Although further developments are under way to improve the quality of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of the curriculum, pupils understand and respect each

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

other and frequently support one other to succeed.  Pupils are expected to complete homework, which is well advertised in school newsletters and on the website. This is helpful to parents. For example, Year 2 pupils read and spell some tricky topic words. More recently, support is being targeted more effectively for pupils with special educational needs and other pupils, who may be falling behind, from programmes of support funded through the pupil premium.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Many children, when they arrive in Reception, have skills which are below what is typical, particularly in reading, writing and their knowledge of the world. By the time they enter Year 1, they are well prepared to learn.  The achievement of Year 1 pupils in the national phonics test was better than for pupils nationally. However, over half of pupils, particularly boys, did not achieve well in the Year 2 retake of the phonics test. This meant that these pupils were not able to make good use of their phonic skills to help them to read and write effectively when they entered Key Stage 2.  In 2014, the standards reached by pupils in reading, writing and mathematics were similar to the national average. Pupils are encouraged to think about and use accurately their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects, particularly in topic lessons.  The proportion of Year 2 pupils reaching a Level 2A in mathematics was significantly above others

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

nationally. However, the proportion of the most-able pupils reaching the higher levels was lower than the national average in reading and writing. Boys did less well than the girls.  Pupils’ workbooks, in classes and across different subjects, indicate that the rates of progress of pupils currently in the school are variable. In some classes, pupils are deepening their understanding and presenting their work well and understand what they need to do to make good progress. In other classes, pupils are struggling to complete tasks, misunderstand concepts and are not always helped to improve their work.  All pupils, including the youngest, enjoy reading and take books home regularly. They can talk about the books they read and are proud to show visitors their reading records. Tricky topic words and vocabulary are given to pupils who are encouraged to read and spell these words as part of their homework tasks.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Parents are made aware, through the class newsletters, about the amount of time their children should spend reading at home.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve less well than other pupils in the school and nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. This means there is an attainment gap of approximately two terms compared with other pupils in school and nationally in all three subjects. The school’s leadership team has access to trend data for the past three years, but has not analysed this information.  The majority of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their different starting points, particularly in the Year 1 phonics check and in reading. A small minority of these pupils, who have made less progress, are now well supported and their achievement is checked on more closely during pupil progress meetings.

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The early years provision is good

 Children arrive in Reception from 13 different pre-school settings. The school assesses each child on entry and finds that many have skills that are below what is typical for their age in many areas of learning, but particularly in reading, writing and their knowledge of the world.  Children settle in quickly and achieve well. They are offered a very caring and safe environment in which to learn. Support programmes are quickly put in place so that, by the time they enter Year 1, more children than average have reached a good level of development. This represents good progress during their first year in school from their individual starting points.  Following some staffing changes last year, leadership and management of the early years improved and are now good because the early years coordinator works successfully with her colleagues to create a purposeful and effective team. Staff work well together, teaching is interesting and well planned and all

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The early years provision is good

staff evaluate effectively the impact of their work on children’s development.  The gathering and recording of assessment and progress data have improved, particularly with the introduction of electronic record-keeping. Information is used well to plan learning activities and to improve provision. However, the identification of individual children and groups of children who are underachieving is not as well developed.  A broad range of activities, both indoors and outside, helps to engage and stimulate even the most reluctant learners. Adults are proactive and support children effectively to develop their confidence as learners and are quick to identify gaps in learning. This allows all staff to focus their teaching and planning to address individual needs.  Phonics are taught consistently well across Reception Year classes. Teachers and teaching assistants are trained well to use the resources and articulate and model sounds appropriately. Children enjoy a broad

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The early years provision is good

range of activities to help them to recognise letters and the sounds they make and to write words and letters fluently and accurately.  Children enjoy coming to school and so they are cooperative, happy and sociable. Behaviour is good. The children work well together, are inquisitive and are not afraid to try new activities. They are quickly developing the skills and attitudes they need to become effective learners. Support for children with social and emotional needs is very effective so they do as well as others.  There is good communication and sharing of information with parents. Parents are highly appreciative and complimentary about the rates of progress their children make. They are pleased to be invited to contribute to the record of their children’s development.  Safeguarding procedures are good and parents agree that their children are safe and secure.

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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 139862 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 449980

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 181 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Janet Grainger Headteacher Catherine Cotterill (Co-headteacher, Infants) Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0114 246 2181 Fax number Not applicable Email address enquiries@lound-inf.sheffield.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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