Sutton Park Primary School

Sutton Park Primary School Marsdale, Hull, HU7 4AH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 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

 Leadership, management and governance are outstanding. As a result, pupils’ attainment is rising and the quality of teaching, especially that of teachers new to the school, is improving.  Parents and pupils regard the school highly. The school has improved well over the last few years and has excellent capacity to continue to improve in the future.  In the early years, effective provision enables children to get off to a good start so that they are very well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils’ attainment is rising. Last year, Year 6 pupils left the school with above average attainment in reading, writing and mathematics and pupils in Year 6 this year are on track to attain similarly.  Pupils make good progress throughout the school. The progress made by disadvantaged pupils was much improved last year and these pupils continue to make excellent progress this year. The most able pupils, disabled pupils and those with special

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

educational needs make good progress.  Teaching is usually good and sometimes outstanding. Reading is taught particularly well. Teaching assistants are trained very well, deployed effectively and have a strong effect on pupils’ progress.  This is a happy school where relationships are good. Pupils behave well around school and learn to behave well and concentrate in lessons. They say they feel extremely safe in school and act with great respect for the safety of others.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some classes, pupils do not pay enough attention to teachers’ marking.  In some classes, teachers occasionally miss chances to develop the skills of writing and mathematics in other subjects such as history, geography and science.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors saw teaching and learning in all classes, including two joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, a number of shorter visits were made to the early years and to see particular aspects, such as the teaching of reading, physical education or pupils participating in support programmes. A range of other school activities including playtimes, lunchtimes and an assembly were observed.  Past and current work in Key Stages 1 and 2 was scrutinised and some pupils were heard reading.  Meetings were held with school leaders and other staff and with the Chair of the Governing Body.  Documents, including school improvement planning and reports showing the school’s view of its own performance, safeguarding documents, and policies and records relating to behaviour, safety and attendance were inspected. A range of information on the performance of the school in comparison with

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Information about this inspection

other schools nationally was analysed. The school’s records of pupils’ progress were also reviewed.  Inspectors held short discussions with 58 parents of a total of 96 children at the beginning of the second day of the inspection. The results of the most recent school survey of parents’ views held by the school in November 2014, when 151 parents responded, were also taken into account. Too few parents responded to the on-line ‘Parent View’ questionnaire to provide useful evidence.  Inspectors received the views of staff through discussions and by analysing the 10 responses to the inspection survey of staff views. They received the views of pupils through both informal and pre-arranged discussions.

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Inspection team

Roger Sadler, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sutton Park Primary School converted to become an academy school on 1 April 2013. When its predecessor school, Sutton Park Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall. Although the school is currently not a member of any academy trust, the governing body is intending to join an academy trust during this school year.  In this larger than average sized primary school, most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  There is an above average proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for support through the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school has an early years unit which nursery-aged children attend part-time and reception-aged children attend full time.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above average.

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Information about this school

 The school has established a support unit for its own pupils who have a range of learning difficulties or individual additional needs. Approximately 15 pupils attend, mainly full time. There is no specific limit to the number of places available in this support unit.  The school met the government’s current floor standards which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Four new teachers have joined the school since September 2014 and there have been considerable changes in leadership and management due to staff absence and changes in personnel.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of teaching by ensuring that pupils always give sufficient attention to teachers’ marking.  Ensure pupils in all classes develop the skills of numeracy and literacy taught in mathematics and English lessons, in other subjects such as science, history and geography.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Excellent leadership and management by the headteacher and deputy headteacher have ensured that staff and governors fully understand the part they need to play to enable each and every pupil to do his or her very best.  Leaders know the school inside out and staff agree what needs to be improved and how to bring about any necessary changes. Consequently, the school has improved well and is excellently placed to become even better.  Systems to check the quality of teaching and learning are thorough and fully effective. There is careful analysis of each pupil’s progress. This, along with perceptive and demanding observations of teaching and regular checks on pupils’ work are all discussed at termly meetings between senior leaders and each class teacher. Any potential underachievement is recognised and effective plans are made to provide extra support where needed.  Staff training and guidance are excellent. Teachers, especially new teachers, appreciate the effort leaders

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The leadership and management are outstanding

put in to help them improve their work and to understand fully school policies. They know who to turn to for advice or support whether it be their professional partner or another member of staff. Strong leadership is helping teachers, especially new ones, to improve the quality of their teaching to the good standard of more experienced staff. Teaching assistants are also continually helped to improve their work and they play a strong role in pupils’ learning.  The excellent leadership of teaching and learning has a positive effect on pupils’ good achievement and behaviour. As a result, pupils’ attainment and the quality of teaching are improving.  Although the school is not a member of an academy trust, its membership of the Brandsholme and District Learning partnership has helped ensure that staff work with others to help improve their practice. The work of subject leaders has been enhanced through this partnership.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Staff thoroughly research issues they are trying to improve. For example, following disappointing results last year, the school has recently been working to improve the achievement of girls in mathematics in Key Stage 1. Subject leaders ensured that they researched best ways of doing this before leading a staff meeting on this topic so that all staff were aware of how they might improve their work.  Subject leadership is much improved and is now fully effective, despite recent staffing changes. The work of these middle leaders is organised well and they all share an understanding that their prime role is to help each teacher help each pupil do his or her very best.  Leaders work successfully to involve parents in the school and the learning of their children. Many parents told inspectors how welcoming the school was and how they felt fully involved in their children’s learning. Parental support for the school is very strong indeed. In a recent survey, 98% of the 151 parents who

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The leadership and management are outstanding

made a return indicated that they would recommend the school to another parent. The remaining parents did not know yet whether they would because their children were new to the school.  The curriculum is excellent. Strong emphasis is placed on helping pupils develop basic skills but never at the expense of other aspects. There are many additional and sometimes quite unusual enhancements to the curriculum. For example, all Year 4 pupils receive a weekly trumpet or trombone lesson for a year. They enjoy these immensely and they are able to make an informed choice as to whether they wish to continue with instrumental lessons later. There is a wide range of after-school clubs and many pupils participate. The curriculum is modified effectively to meet the learning needs of all learners and all pupils are given an equal opportunity to do well.  The curriculum to support pupils’ personal development is a great strength and pupils’ spiritual, moral,

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The leadership and management are outstanding

social and cultural development is given appropriately high priority so that each of these aspects is strong. They are taught to know, understand, respect and reflect upon British values. For example, in an assembly concentrating on recent tragic happenings in Paris, pupils learned the importance of tolerance and respect for the values and ways of life of others.  The effective use of the primary sports funding has led to improvements in provision for physical education and games. The funding has been spent wisely on providing more sporting opportunities, as well as on staff development so that the future provision for sports is of good quality. Pupils’ participation in sport, both during and after the school day, has grown substantially.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is committed to ensuring the school continues to improve. Governors have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school and what could be improved. They know about the school

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The leadership and management are outstanding

through regular governing body and committee meetings and through school visits.  Governors’ expertise and skills are used well in order to provide appropriate levels of support and challenge through an effective committee structure. Governors review data on the school’s performance and compare the performance of the school with other schools nationally.  Governors also know about the quality of teaching in the school and how leaders are working to improve teaching and learning and how underperformance is tackled. They know that teachers’ performance management is closely linked to school priorities and that teachers’ pay is related to the impact of their teaching on the pupils’ progress.  Governors manage finances effectively. They are clear about how additional funding, such as the pupil premium for disadvantaged pupils and primary sports funding is used. They check carefully the impact of the additional funding.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors have ensured that safeguarding and child protection requirements are fully met and these arrangements are highly effective.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and well-mannered and they treat adults in the school and each other with respect. Assemblies, playtimes and the dining hall are pleasant and civilised because pupils are expected to behave well. Pupils like the school’s system for giving penny rewards to individuals and the class, which are then saved up for treats.  Pupils say behaviour is always good at their school. They say staff are fair and they recognise that they are treated in a similar way by all adults. This is due to good staff training on the management of behaviour and regular checks by senior leaders. The recent comprehensive check and report by the headteacher on behaviour throughout the school day was fed back to all staff. This has helped all staff fully understand how they can work consistently and fairly.  Behaviour in the breakfast club is very good. Pupils enjoy these sessions and they are well prepared for

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Behaviour

the school day. Behaviour around school is good and sometimes excellent. Pupils who have particular emotional or behavioural needs or difficulties are managed well and the impact of any poor behaviour on others is kept to an absolute minimum.  Pupils in the special educational needs support unit behave very well and show very positive attitudes to learning and make good progress.  In almost all classes, pupils’ behaviour and concentration are good, except in a very small minority when a small amount of low-level disruption spoils concentration. In the two classes for older pupils, behaviour is invariably excellent, enabling them to make excellent progress.  A strong emphasis is placed in the early years on helping children learn quickly how to behave well. This provides a first rate grounding in how to behave in school and provides strong preparation for their life in school.  Attendance has improved to average since September 2013 due to excellent leadership of this aspect and

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Behaviour

because pupils clearly enjoy school. Regular attendance is valued and rewarded by the school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Excellent safeguarding systems fully meet requirements and pupils unanimously reported to inspectors that they feel safe and secure in school.  All pupils and the vast majority of parents reported a complete absence of bullying in their school. Pupils clearly understand the different ways that bullying can take place. Pupils show full confidence that if there was any bullying, it would quickly be stopped by adults.  Pupils respect and trust staff. Older pupils in particular enjoy taking on responsibilities around school and behave in a mature and sociable way with visitors, staff and each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good overall. It is outstanding in a few classes, especially the two classes with the oldest pupils. It is not outstanding overall because, at times, teaching still requires improvement. Due to the school’s excellent staff development processes, the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning in classes where teachers have less experience have improved since September and all staff have a very clear idea of how to bring about the necessary improvements.  Teachers who have worked in the school for some time, work very consistently and adopt similar approaches to managing pupils’ behaviour and their learning. Clear guidance and regular follow-up checks help new teachers make good progress in fully understanding and adopting school policies.  The school has done much to improve the quality of teachers’ marking and to help pupils see where and how to improve their work. Although marking mainly provides very clear guidance to pupils on how to

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The quality of teaching is good

improve their work, in a few classes, senior leaders are aware that pupils are not required sufficiently to respond to teachers’ marking.  The deployment, training and effectiveness of teaching assistants are a great strength. Teaching assistants, who often become specialists and experts, make a particularly strong contribution to the progress of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs or those who find learning more difficult. Teaching assistants have made a strong contribution over the last year or so to the much improved progress made by disadvantaged pupils.  The school has turned its attention to improving provision for the most able pupils. A greater proportion of these pupils, especially older pupils, are on track to attain above the standards expected for their age by the end of this school year than was seen previously.  Pupils find the checklists of what teachers expect from them in a piece of work to be a helpful guide as

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The quality of teaching is good

they try and assess and improve their work. Teachers and teaching assistants monitor pupils’ work very carefully in lessons to ensure pupils are concentrating on the right things and making the necessary improvements. This effective guidance for learning helps pupils to make good progress in lessons.  Reading is taught particularly well. In classes with younger pupils, a good grounding in using the sounds letters make (phonics) to help pupils read and spell unfamiliar words, coupled with daily basic skills and guided reading sessions, enable pupils to make faster progress in reading. In writing, the school’s growing emphasis on extending pupils’ vocabulary and on guiding their talk is helping them improve their extended writing. In mathematics, staff are working hard to improve pupils’ basic skills in number and calculation and to help pupils apply their basic skills to solving problems.  Leaders have recognised the need to adopt a better approach to developing the teaching of mathematics

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The quality of teaching is good

and writing, not only in English and mathematics lessons, but also in other subjects such as science, history and geography.  Pupils are taught to develop very good learning habits. They are taught to behave and concentrate well, to do their best and to have a go, even when they are not quite sure.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the 2014 national tests and assessments, attainment rose and Year 6 pupils attained significantly above average standards in mathematics, reading and writing. This year, Year 6 pupils have also made good, and in some cases excellent progress from their starting points, and are on track to attain only a little short of these high standards  Pupils, including the most able, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good progress throughout the school because teaching and provision meet their needs well.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who attend the school’s resourced provision also achieve well. This is because their individual needs are met well and the atmosphere in the unit is conducive to helping these pupils learn well.  In last year’s national curriculum assessments for Year 6, the most able pupils did well but some did not make the best possible progress. In response to this, the school has undertaken some useful work to

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The achievement of pupils is good

accelerate the progress of the most able and, currently, more pupils are on track to attain the higher levels by the time they leave school. In the two classes with the oldest pupils, these pupils are making outstanding progress due to consistently excellent teaching.  The use of the pupil premium funding to provide extra support for disadvantaged pupils is outstanding. Disadvantaged pupils at Sutton Park left only a term behind other pupils at the school and attained results in line with national averages in mathematics, reading and writing and therefore made excellent progress from their starting points.  As leaders constantly analyse the detail of pupils’ achievement throughout the school and take action to address relative weaknesses, pupils’ achievement is improving. Leaders notice when any aspect is a little below par and ensure that any possible weaknesses in provision are addressed. For example, they noticed

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The achievement of pupils is good

the need to further improve pupils’ spelling by helping them apply their well-developed knowledge of letters and sounds to help them to improve their spelling. Staff are also working to extend the breadth of vocabulary pupils use in their writing through emphasising reading and providing more opportunities for pupils to improve their speaking and listening skills.  In Year 2 in 2014, end of key stage results were below average. Although these pupils made expected or better progress from when they joined the school, staff are now making sure that extra help is provided to enable these pupils to catch up and reach higher standards.

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The early years provision is good

 When children start school, their skills are often below those typical for their ages. In their personal and language development, they are often significantly below what is typical. In some year groups, such as those who moved up into Year 1 this year, the great majority of children started school with a level of knowledge and skills significantly below those typical for their age.  As well as promoting their numeracy and literacy skills, the school appropriately places particularly strong emphasis on children’s personal development. As a result, children’s behaviour is excellent in the early years. Children learn quickly to sit well, listen carefully and concentrate for sustained periods in lessons. When they work independently, they are sensible and learn well.  Due to good provision and teaching, children make good progress from their starting points and develop good attitudes to school and learning. Even so, a smaller proportion of children attain at least a good level

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The early years provision is good

of development than the national average.  The proportion of children who read well is growing due to daily good quality teaching of letters and their sounds. This helps children to read unfamiliar words and enjoy books.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs are given sensitive and effective support and this helps them enjoy school, get on with other children and enjoy their learning.  All children are treated as individuals. Regular assessments of the progress of each child, in each area of learning, enable adults to tailor their work with each child to best meet his or her needs. The most able children receive their share of attention and make good progress.  A good range of activities captures children’s interests and motivates them. For example, they particularly enjoy writing letters in coloured sand and searching for three-dimensional shapes around the school.  Safeguarding is secure and parents are rightly confident that their children are looked after well and enjoy

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The early years provision is good

school and learning.  The outdoor area provides well for children’s creativity and their physical development, but opportunities for using writing and mathematics skills outside are a little lacking.  Parents regard the early years provision and staff highly. They are appreciative of the good arrangements to introduce their children to the school which enable them to make such a good start.  Teamwork is effective and all adults are consistent in the way they treat and teach children. Leadership and management are good and staff have a clear understanding of which aspects of provision they are working to improve.

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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 139513 Local authority Kingston upon Hull City of Inspection number 453401

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 400 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sandra Cooper Headteacher Deborah Tague Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01482 825502 Fax number 01482 825501 Email address head@suttonpark.hull.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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