Ecclesfield Primary School

Ecclesfield Primary School High Street, Ecclesfield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 9UD

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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

 The headteacher, head of school and governors have worked relentlessly and with rigour to bring about improvements in teaching and achievement since the last inspection.  Teaching is good and this is leading to pupils making good progress.  Pupils achieve well from starting points that are generally below those typical for their age. As a result standards at the end of Year 6 are improving quickly.  A robust system for checking pupils’ progress ensures effective support is put into place when needed. This means that all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, are making better progress.  Children get off to a good start in the early years. They are taught well and become confident learners. They are well prepared to move into Year 1.  Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful to adults and each other. On rare occasions when one or two pupils find it difficult to control their actions they are dealt with effectively so that learning is not

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

disturbed.  Robust systems for ensuring that pupils are kept safe along with good relationships mean that pupils are cared for well and feel safe in school.  Parents are fulsome in their praise of the school. Excellent communications with parents, particularly in the early years, mean that parents are very positive about the support their children receive. One parent commented, ‘I wouldn’t choose any other school.’

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not outstanding. As a result not all pupils are challenged sufficiently in every lesson. Pupils’ progress varies from class to class.  Not all teachers are confident in developing pupils’ basic skills such as spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Not all teachers have sufficient subject knowledge in all areas of the curriculum.  Middle leaders do not have enough opportunities to check on how well pupils are learning and the progress they are making in the subjects they are responsible for.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching, including two observations carried out jointly with the headteacher and head of school. The inspectors also observed assembly and listened to pupils reading. They looked at examples of pupils’ work and observed pupils at lunchtime and break times.  Inspectors held meetings with pupils, staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. They spoke to parents as they brought their children to school and also on the telephone.  Inspectors took account of the responses to 26 inspection questionnaires returned by staff. There were 30 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including data on pupils’ current progress across the school, the school’s view of its own effectiveness, and how school leaders check on the quality of teaching.  Inspectors checked the arrangements for safeguarding pupils and reviewed records relating to behaviour

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Inspection team

Emma Jackson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The very large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. A small number are from minority ethnic backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above the national average  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is slightly below the national average. This is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The executive headteacher supported the school from 2012 following the departure of the previous headteacher. This arrangement was formalised in June 2014.  Early years provision in the school is full time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been a number of changes to the teaching staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding by:  ensuring the work given to pupils is neither too hard, nor too easy, so that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable in every class  placing a greater emphasis on the development of basic skills, particularly in writing  ensuring all teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge to teach all subjects effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen further middle leadership by increasing the opportunities for these leaders to check the impact of teaching on the progress pupils are making.

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The leadership and management are good

 Ecclesfield Primary School has improved markedly since its previous inspection. Decisive and determined action by the headteacher and head of school means that teaching is now good and standards are rising.  The school’s view of how well it is doing is accurate because robust systems are in place to check the quality of teaching and the progress pupils are making. Senior leaders have taken resolute action to address underperformance in teaching and, as a result, pupils are now making better progress and achieve well.  The school development plan is extremely detailed. Senior leaders have identified the right priorities for improvement. Progress against these priorities is checked very regularly and, consequently, improvements are identified early. For example, leaders and managers have addressed the need to engage boys more in their reading, and this is leading to better progress across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders, many of whom are recently appointed, have developed and now have a greater understanding of their areas of responsibility. However, they do not always have sufficient opportunities to check the impact of teaching on the progress pupils are making.  Teachers are held to account by leaders for the achievement of all pupils through rigorous performance management arrangements. Teachers’ pay progression is linked to their performance. Professional development and training opportunities are well planned to meet the needs of all the staff.  Additional funding to develop sporting opportunities is used well to promote and develop pupils’ skills both in lessons and before and after school. Pupils say they enjoy the range of sports clubs on offer and there has been an increase in the number of pupils taking up these activities.  The school uses the pupil premium effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. Extra intervention groups

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The leadership and management are good

support these pupils in reading, writing and mathematics and are helping to close the attainment gap with other pupils.  The school has rightly focused, since the previous inspection, on raising standards in English and mathematics. Recent developments in the wider curriculum and planning for the new curriculum mean that pupils are given more interesting and varied activities across a range of subjects.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well both within lessons and more widely through a variety of opportunities such as assemblies, visiting speakers and trips to different places. In particular, inspectors were impressed with the work of the school choir and their rendition of the song ‘Happy’.  Pupils are increasingly prepared for life in modern Britain. The school promotes British values well through a range of activities including school council, chosen charities and school visits.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s work to promote equality of opportunity is effective. A very effective special needs co- ordinator champions this equality and, as a result, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress.  The school has very good relationships with parents, particularly in early years. Parents speak highly of the school and feel they are kept well informed of the progress their children are making.  The local authority provides an appropriate level of support for the school and was instrumental in securing the services of the executive headteacher. The school has effective links with other schools, in particular its partner school, with which staff work very closely to share practice and improve expertise.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding and child protection meet statutory requirements and are effective in keeping pupils safe in school.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors are very effective. They have worked closely with the executive headteacher since the previous inspection to bring about a range of changes that have meant teaching has improved and pupils achieve well. They have developed their understanding of data and know how these are used to set priorities for the school.  Minutes of meetings clearly show that governors hold senior leaders to account and ask probing questions about how well pupils are doing. As a result they are well informed about the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils.  They have a good understanding of performance management and how good teaching is rewarded and underperformance tackled.  Finances are managed well. Governors hold the school to account for the spending of pupil premium funding and recognise the performance of disadvantaged pupils is improving.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Attendance has improved since the last inspection and there are far fewer exclusions.  Pupils mostly have positive attitudes and work hard in lessons. However, on some occasions when work is either too easy or too hard, a few pupils lose interest and are restless.  Pupils say that behaviour is generally good and if pupils do misbehave, teachers deal with it quickly and effectively.  There is an effective system in place to manage behaviour and good behaviour is rewarded effectively. For example, pupils say they like to receive ‘good to be green’ certificates and to visit the ‘praise pod’.  Pupils display good manners around school. They are polite and courteous to adults and each other. For example, a number of pupils held doors open for inspectors during the inspection.  Pupils value the range of opportunities they have and are eager to take on extra responsibilities in school,

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Behaviour

such as school councillors or peer mediators. This shows they are proud of their school and want everyone to do well.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils were keen to tell inspectors how safe they feel in school. Parents who responded to the online survey also agreed with this view.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They are knowledgeable about fire safety, pedestrian safety and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. They are also aware of how to keep themselves safe on the internet.  Pupils have a good understanding of the different forms of bullying. They say that bullying is extremely rare in school and is always dealt with swiftly and decisively. The school has a new online reporting system for bullying. Pupils told inspectors that they were very aware of this but said they had not had to use it.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. As a result pupils are making good progress in writing and mathematics and improving their progress in reading.  Increasingly, pupils are using their mathematical skills to solve ‘real-life’ problems. They use these skills in a range of lessons, across subjects. For example, drawing graphs in science.  When teaching is good or better, teachers plan and deliver exciting lessons, which engage all of the pupils. Pupils respond well to probing questions that move them on quickly in their learning. For example, in Year 2 history about the Great Fire of London, pupils were excited to describe the fire. They were able to use verbs and adverbs effectively to start their descriptive sentences, while also learning about the cause and effect of an historical event.  The work provided is mostly well matched to pupils’ varying abilities. However, sometimes the work set is

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The quality of teaching is good

too hard or too easy and this occasionally limits the progress some pupils are making.  Pupils’ enjoyment of books is supported by a wide range of newly purchased books and stimulating reading areas. More support for those who need it in reading has resulted in better progress across the school.  Teachers regularly mark pupils’ work. Pupils are given good opportunities to correct and edit their work, and they are given guidance on how to improve and develop their work further. As a result the work in pupils’ books shows most making good progress.  Occasionally some teachers’ planning lacks sufficient knowledge of every subject. This means that they do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving. They do not always emphasise the importance of accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar in order to improve pupils’ writing.  Support for individuals or small groups of pupils who find some learning difficult is effective and pupils,

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The quality of teaching is good

particularly disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, achieve well.  Teachers work closely with skilled teaching assistants to make sure that pupils are supported well in lessons. This has been key to improvements in teaching since the previous inspection.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement across the school is good and has improved significantly since 2012, particularly in Key Stage 1. Children start school with skills that are below those typical for their age. As a result of good teaching and a caring environment, children make good progress in the early years.  The strong focus on teaching phonics (the sounds that letters make) ensures that pupils make good progress with their reading skills in Key Stage 1. The number of pupils who pass the Year 1 phonics check is improving each year.  There has been a marked improvement in achievement in Key Stage 1 over the last two years, particularly in reading. Pupils make good progress in reading. They leave Year 2 having attained in line with the national average in writing and slightly above the national average in reading and mathematics. This is because the quality of teaching has improved and is now good.  By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve well in mathematics and writing. However, the rate of progress in

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading was slower in 2014. The work of school leaders to increase progress in reading is paying off and pupils are now making better progress.  In recent years, the performance of boys has not always been as good as that of girls. However, a focus on how boys like to learn and, in particular, what they like to read, has seen this gap begin to close.  Achievement in spelling, punctuation and grammar is not as good as other subjects. This is because teachers do not always use every opportunity to develop basic writing skills with all pupils.  The most able pupils achieve well and many reach the higher levels of attainment at the end of Key Stage 2. Across the school, however, sometimes the work is not always hard enough and the most able pupils are not always moved on fast enough in their learning in every class.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good and sometimes outstanding

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress by the time they leave school. This is as a result of effective support for these pupils, both emotionally and with their work.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. In 2014 the standards reached by disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were about two terms behind their other classmates in mathematics and nearly one-and-a-half terms behind in writing. They were one term behind in reading. They were half a term behind other pupils nationally in reading and mathematics and one-and-a-half terms behind in writing. However, this is a marked improvement on previous years and shows that the gap in attainment in comparison with their peers is closing rapidly.

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The early years provision is good

 The majority of children start school with skills that are below those typical for their age, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. They make good progress throughout their time in early years. As a result, by the end of Reception Year, the majority of children have skills above those expected for their age and are ready for the start of Year 1.  The learning environment is warm and welcoming and there is a range of areas in which children can develop skills and play purposefully. The outdoor area is large and utilised well to allow a wide and varied choice of activities. Children particularly enjoy playing in their garage and taking their vehicles to be mended. One child was excited to tell the inspector, ‘We are very good at fixing cars. We can fix your car for you.’  Teaching is good. Activities are planned to stimulate the interests of the children and resources are used well to enhance the learning. Some children were making ‘eyeball stew’ and they were able to read

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The early years provision is good

numbers and count the eyeballs. One child exclaimed, ‘It tastes just like stew!’ This type of activity contributes to the good progress children make.  Good transition arrangements from nursery settings mean that children settle quickly into their new school. Staff work well as a team and, as a result, children enjoy their learning, make strong relationships and behave well.  The leadership and management of the early years are good. The early years leader has identified where improvements can be made, including to the outdoors and to assessment procedures, which will further improve children’s learning experiences.  There is a range of information about children, including information from parents; leaders and managers use this well to assess the progress of pupils.  Staff in the early years have excellent relationships with parents. Parents are welcomed every morning to help children with their reading and other activities. Parents say they greatly value this time as it helps

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The early years provision is good

them to know how well their children are progressing. Parents also say they feel their children are cared for well and are safe in school.

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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 107001 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 453528

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 409 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Alison Warner Headteacher Joanne Eagleton Date of previous school inspection 26 March 2013 Telephone number 0114 246 7396 Fax number 0114 257 0854 Email address enquiries@ecclesfield-pri.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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