Jacksdale Primary and Nursery School

Jacksdale Primary and Nursery School Main Road, Jacksdale, Nottingham, NG16 5JU

p.1

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils thrive in the caring environment of this improving school. They become confident and capable learners who are prepared well for the next stage of their education.  The headteacher provides good leadership and has the full support of the staff and governors. All have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development.  Through their good management of teachers’ performance, leaders, including governors, have successfully improved the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement since the last inspection.  As a result of good teaching across the school, pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, and standards are rising.  Children in the early years achieve well due to good teaching and interesting activities that motivate them and help them to learn effectively.  Pupils are extremely polite and well behaved in lessons and around school. They play and work together harmoniously and are proud of their

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school.  Pupils say they feel safe in school, and parents overwhelmingly agree with this view.  Classrooms and corridors are colourful and exciting. There are many displays of pupils’ work, and good reminders and examples for pupils to use to help them produce high-quality work.  Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively, preparing them well for life in modern Britain.  Since the previous inspection, governance has improved. Governors are very supportive and ask challenging questions to make sure that leaders are improving the school.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to write at length in different subjects, or to practise their grammar, spelling and punctuation skills.  Occasionally the tasks set in lessons do not challenge the most able pupils.  Teachers’ marking is not always sufficiently detailed to guide pupils to higher standards.  The outdoor area and outside resources for Reception children are dull and uninspiring. They do not promote learning as well as those provided for Nursery children.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons, three of which were seen jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with staff, groups of pupils and five members of the governing body. A meeting also took place with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors heard pupils read, and talked to them formally and informally at break and lunchtime.  Account was taken of the 93 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Inspectors had conversations with parents at the start of the school day, and also considered the 31 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress; planning and monitoring documentation; reports on the quality of teaching over time; records relating to behaviour and attendance; the school’s improvement plan; documents relating to safeguarding; and records of various meetings, including those of the governing

p.2

Inspection team

Lois Furness, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 In this average-sized primary and nursery school almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is slightly lower than the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The early years children are catered for in a part-time Nursery class and a full-time Reception class.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school works closely with the Selston partnership of schools.  Since the previous inspection a new deputy headteacher has been appointed, and a newly qualified teacher started at the school in September 2014.

p.3

Information about this school

 Approximately one third of the pupils in Years 3 to 6 join the school in Year 3 from a nearby infant school.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve teaching to raise standards by making sure that:  the most able pupils are given work that makes them think hard, and deepens their understanding  marking guides pupils to attain higher standards in their work  pupils have regular opportunities to write at length in different subjects, and to practise their grammar, punctuation and spelling skills.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure the Reception outdoor learning environment supports and inspires learning as effectively as that of the Nursery.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, staff and governors have successfully tackled all areas for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection. As a result all aspects of the school’s work are now good. Teamwork is strong and this contributes effectively to the positive environment in which pupils learn and grow.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and what needs to be done to further enhance teaching and achievement. The quality of teaching is checked carefully through observations of teachers’ practice. Detailed records for each teacher identify strengths and any areas to be improved. A wide programme of training has helped to improve the quality of teaching. All teachers have challenging individual targets that are regularly reviewed. These have to be met before they can be considered for promotion, or pay awards.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders manage and lead their areas well. The English leader, for example, has raised the profile of reading throughout the school through training, new resources and vibrant displays of books and authors. Consequently attainment in reading is much improved. Provision is good in the early years because of the leader’s good understanding of how children learn. The early years leader has identified that the outdoor area for Reception children requires improvement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school has successfully adapted its curriculum to comply with new national requirements, and to ensure that activities are interesting, generate pupils’ enthusiasm and promote a desire to learn. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. Activities and trips, such as visits to Eden Camp and the Soldiers’ Day Parade, help to develop pupils’ understanding of the effect of war on peoples’ lives. The atmosphere in school is one of harmonious respect. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. Leaders ensure they have a good understanding of British values such as democracy, understand the need for rules, and have respect for different faiths and beliefs.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The primary sport funding is used well to offer additional clubs and activities both during and after school. It has also been used to provide additional specialist training for all staff to develop their teaching skills and to provide swimming lessons for Years 2 and 3 pupils. As a result, more pupils now take part in a range of different sports and this has had a positive impact on their performance and well-being.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders’ work to ensure a culture in which pupils attend school regularly, behave well and feel safe is good. Through working closely with parents, pupils’ attendance has risen to average. Parents are positive about the school and the work it does with their children. They particularly value the way their children enjoy school, and are safe and looked after well.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided effective support over time, for example in providing training for governors. Recently it has provided only routine annual support, recognising the good leadership of the school. The Selson Partnership of schools have worked together to develop aspects of teaching and learning, with good effect.   The governance of the school:  Governors are clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This good knowledge enables them to help set the school’s strategic direction and to hold leaders to account for its performance. They make effective use of a range of data and have a good understanding of the quality of teaching. They ensure that teachers’ targets are used to reward good performance.  Governors are kept well informed about changes to the curriculum and to assessments, and they have ensured that the school is prepared for the changes being introduced nationally. The governing body

p.4

The leadership and management are good

has supported staff well in ensuring that tolerance, respect and understanding of others help pupils to develop positive values.  Governors monitor the impact of spending carefully. For example, they keep track of the use of the pupil premium through checking the effect on eligible pupils’ progress. They know that the primary sports funding is providing more opportunities for pupils to take part in physical activities and improve their physical skills.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are considerate, courteous and respectful to all staff and to each other. They are extremely polite to visitors, spontaneously opening doors and wishing them ‘good day.’

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils’ behaviour in class is impeccable. Pupils are always ready to learn and listen carefully to the contributions of their classmates and to their teachers’ instructions. This allows lessons to run smoothly without interruption. Good attitudes to learning and good behaviour are developed well in the early years.

p.5

Behaviour

 The few pupils who sometimes have difficulty controlling their behaviour are managed well and any incidents are dealt with sensitively and appropriately. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good, and staff are caring, considerate and sensitive to the needs of all pupils in school. Pupils who join in Year 3 quickly settle into school life.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils are proud of their achievements and have positive attitudes towards school. The vast majority wear their uniform with pride and look smart. Attendance is improving and is now average as a result of effective work with the few pupils who do not attend school regularly enough.

p.5

Behaviour

 Assemblies support pupils’ personal development in ways that are both fun and help pupils to think carefully about a range of spiritual and moral issues. Behaviour monitors studiously hand out stickers during assembly, to reward those pupils who are behaving well and listening carefully to the important messages.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils unanimously say they feel safe and know who to speak to if they have a concern.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils know about different kinds of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and are able to distinguish this from other forms of misbehaviour. While admitting that sometimes pupils misbehave, they are convinced that bullying in the school is very rare, and confident that adults would deal quickly with any issues that arose.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils are given guidance in lessons about the safe use of the internet. Most are clear about how to search the internet safely for their work, and staff check websites carefully before pupils use them in school. Good guidance for parents is given through the school’s own website.

p.5

Safety

 The school site is secure and checks on the suitability of staff to work with children are robust. All staff consistently follow policies and procedures. The school undertakes rigorous risk assessments whenever pupils take part in additional clubs or after-school activities.

p.5

Safety

 The responses to the online questionnaire Parent view showed that most parents believe that behaviour is good and staff keep their children safe.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan and provide lessons that help pupils to learn quickly in a range of subjects. They mainly show high expectations of pupils. If an individual or small group of pupils needs additional support or explanation, they or the effective teaching assistants will quickly provide it. For example, a group of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils who were unsure of how to use a protractor correctly were given specific help to master this skill. As a result, they successfully used a protractor to measure accurately the angles of different triangles.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make it clear to pupils what they are going to learn, and demonstrate what successful work will look like. In mathematics, teachers ask well-chosen questions to check that pupils understand what they are learning. Pupils are given many opportunities to talk about their activities. This successfully develops their communication skills and their use of specific mathematical vocabulary, for example.  The teaching of reading is good throughout the school. Phonics (letters and the sounds they make) are taught particularly well in the early years, and throughout Years 1 and 2. Skilled teaching assistants play an important part in this. This good teaching is continued in other year groups, and there are many planned opportunities for pupils to read, both for pleasure and to find out information.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers provide interesting topics for pupils to write about, but sometimes teachers concentrate on the imaginative content of pupils’ writing at the expense the amount or the correct use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Also, the work in pupils’ books shows that they do not have enough opportunities to practise and apply their literacy skills in writing longer pieces of writing in different subjects.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported in lessons. Adults work very effectively alongside pupils, checking they understand what to do, and breaking down tasks into smaller steps so they can succeed.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 There is a good atmosphere for learning throughout school. Relationships between teachers and pupils are warm and respectful. Teachers consistently praise pupils for their effort and contributions, and this helps to raise their self-esteem. Classrooms are well resourced and attractive. The development of display as a source of information, and a resource to guide pupils as they learn, is very successful.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ books are regularly marked. However, comments do not always give clear guidance to help pupils improve their work, so that they can show they understand what they have learned.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Just occasionally the most able pupils are not stretched by the work given to them, as the tasks are too easy and they are not fully challenged.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 The work in pupils’ books, displayed on walls and in the school’s tracking system all confirms that current pupils are making good progress and achieving well in English and mathematics.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 More children than is usual enter the early years with skills and knowledge below those typical for their age. Children’s skills in communication, language, number and personal and social development are particularly weak. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of Reception is close to the national average, which shows good progress.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 At the end of Year 6 pupils’ attainment has been average in mathematics, reading, writing and the English grammar, punctuation and spelling test. This shows good progress from their starting points on entry to Year 3. In 2014, fewer pupils than average exceeded nationally expected progress in mathematics, but current assessment information shows that all groups of pupils are now making accelerated progress in this subject. The emphasis on improving pupils’ number skills, including calculation, is having a good effect.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is proving an increasing strength throughout the school. Over the last two years the proportion of Year 1 pupils attaining the pass mark in the national screening check has been above average. Pupils throughout the school clearly enjoy books and reading. Older pupils read with confidence and with fluency, and interpret texts well.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils generally make good progress overall, and in 2014 a small number of pupils reached the higher Level 6 in mathematics. However, in 2014, fewer pupils than the national achieved the higher levels at the end of Years 2 and 6. The work in books and assessment information shows that the most able are not consistently making the progress they are capable of. Leaders recognise that it is a priority to ensure the most able pupils are fully challenged to achieve their very best and make more rapid progress.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. They are given specialist help, when needed, from both teachers and teaching assistants. This enables them to successfully complete the same or similar work to their classmates. Pupils new to school in Year 3 are supported well and make good progress.  In 2014 the progress of disadvantaged pupils was similar to that of their classmates in reading and mathematics but slower in writing. In comparison with other pupils nationally there is a similar picture. Those in Year 6 were three terms behind the other pupils in mathematics and reading, and four terms in writing and grammar, spelling and punctuation. In comparison with other pupils nationally, the difference was three and a half terms in mathematics, reading and writing and five terms in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Current assessment information shows that the gap this year is narrowing quickly in all

p.6

The early years provision is good

 As a result of good teaching in Nursery and Reception, children make good progress in all areas of learning. The proportion achieving a good level of development has increased rapidly over the last two years, and 70% are currently on track to achieve this level. Children are prepared well for their learning in Year 1.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children behave well in the Nursery and Reception classes. They soon learn to share and take turns when using equipment and most can concentrate and follow instructions. They are well cared for by well-trained staff. Sensible routines ensure children are kept safe and learn how to stay healthy.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 The skilled and caring staff are sensitive to children’s individual abilities and any special educational needs. Adults engage purposefully with the children during their play, asking them to explain their ideas and understanding. This extends the children’s vocabulary, raises their confidence and improves their ability to express their thoughts clearly. It also makes sure that their learning moves forward consistently well. Phonics skills are taught well, as are children’s number skills. This was seen as Reception children confidently identified numbers to 20 and numbers that came before or after a number such as 15.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of the early years are good. Staff are used effectively to support learning and good systems to assess children’s work ensure that their progress is tracked carefully. The leader has successfully improved the outdoor area for Nursery children. There have also been some improvements in the Reception outdoor area. However, it is not yet sufficiently attractive or exciting to fire children’s imagination, and encourage them to want to learn by playing in, and exploring the physical environment.

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 122580 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 453556

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

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 248 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Betty Dixon Headteacher Peter Stonier Date of previous school inspection 12 February 2013 Telephone number 01773 783930 Fax number 01773 783931 Email address office@jacksdale.notts.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10