Chapel Allerton Primary School

Chapel Allerton Primary School Harrogate Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 3PD

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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 school has improved well since the previous inspection. This is because the headteacher and other leaders have been successful in making sure the areas for improvement have been dealt with.  Pupils achieve well and make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children in the early years get off to a good start, make good progress and are looked after well.  Teaching has improved and is now good with some teaching that is outstanding.  Pupils behave well in class and around the school. They say they feel safe and they like their teachers.  The school’s curriculum and out of school activities strongly promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Middle leaders carry out their duties well.  Governors provide good challenge and support to school leaders and are keen to become even more effective.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to enable pupils to make rapid rather than good progress.  Teachers’ marking is not always effective in enabling pupils to improve their work.  Opportunities are missed for younger pupils to use and develop their number skills consistently well.  In some classes not enough attention is given to pupils developing good punctuation and spelling skills.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in all year groups, including one observation carried out jointly with the headteacher. The inspectors also observed group work and listened to pupils reading. They observed pupils as they arrived for school and at break and lunchtimes.  The inspectors carried out a scrutiny of pupils’ work.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff and members of the governing body, and with a local authority officer.  A wide range of documentation was considered, including systems for tracking pupils’ progress, safeguarding arrangements, policies, a record of the leaders’ and managers’ lesson observations and pupils’ work in their books.  Pupils’ views of the school were gathered through informal discussions with individual pupils in lessons and at break and lunchtimes. Discussions were also held with representative groups of pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 and with parents.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered 39 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and responses to the staff questionnaire. In addition, the responses made by parents to the school’s own questionnaire were considered.

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Inspection team

Geoff Yates, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than most primary schools.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those supported through the pupil premium, is above the national average. The pupil premium 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 school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The Nursery provides part-time early year education and the Reception classes provide full-time early years education.  The school has received support from a national leader in education from Morley Victoria Primary School.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve further the quality of teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress even more by: – making sure pupils are given clear information about just what it is that will help them improve their own work and that checks are made to show they have taken notice of the advice given – providing younger pupils with more opportunities to use their numeracy skills well – making sure that across the school pupils develop good skills in using correct punctuation and accuracy in spelling – building further on the good use made of performance management information to improve the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and is successful in fostering good relationships and in addressing all forms of discrimination. It promotes qualities such as kindness, care and respect for others. As a result, pupils from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds are considerate towards each other and get on well together. The school uses these strengths well in supporting the work done in preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain.  The headteacher’s decisive leadership and determination, well supported by the leadership team, have ensured that this is now a good school. Teaching is good and weaknesses in mathematics in Key Stage 2, identified in the previous inspection, have been eliminated.  The leadership team, including governors, have an accurate picture of the school and know what needs to be done to boost pupils’ learning further.  Since the previous inspection, with the support of a national leader in education, the middle leadership

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The leadership and management are good

team has been re-organised and developed. Middle leaders are now effective in making sure the teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility are of a good quality.  The systems in place for staff appraisal are effective and clear targets for improvement have led to good improvements in the quality of teaching.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well because it tracks the progress pupils make accurately and uses the information to provide clear targets for improvement, and to ensure that this happens.  The provision for pupils with disabilities and special educational needs and for those supported with additional funding (the pupil premium) is managed exceptionally well to the benefit of those pupils.  Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements.  Pupils benefit from a well-planned curriculum with topics chosen carefully to specially interest them. For example, during the inspection a whole-school event ‘magical mathematics’ included a visit to school by a

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The leadership and management are good

well known author whose books are aimed at making mathematics exciting and more interesting for children.  The primary school sports funding is used effectively enabling more pupils to take part in sport and to help them benefit from a wider range of sports. A sports coach also works in school with pupils to develop their skills.  The local authority, since the previous inspection, has monitored and helped the school to improve. As a result the level of help now provided is not as high, as the school is now regarded as providing a good quality of education.  The governance of the school:  The governing body plays an effective role in school improvement and is well led. Through a close analysis of data about pupils’ achievements, it knows the strengths and weaknesses of the school well. Governors ensure the systems to check on the performance of teachers are thorough. They receive information about the quality of teaching and seek assurance that any salary increases are linked to

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The leadership and management are good

performance. Governors make sure that the school’s finances are used well and that additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils benefits greatly this group of pupils, as shown by their improved attainment. They also make sure that additional primary schools sports funding benefits the school’s pupils, with more pupils now involved in sporting activities.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and show an enjoyment of school not just in lessons. For example, during the inspection, before-school activities for selected pupils to help them boost their basic skills were well planned and captured pupils’ interests well.  Pupils say that staff are caring and they trust them. Relationships between staff and pupils are good.  When pupils find good behaviour difficult, good support is provided to ensure their behaviour improves quickly.  Pupils are polite and friendly and are willing to share their experiences about school. For example, pupils were rightly proud to tell an inspector how well they had done in an athletics competition held the previous day. When pupils were asked what it felt like to be on the school council a typical comment was, ‘It makes us feel good inside.’  Pupils and most parents agree that behaviour is good.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour around the school is also good in a building that is spread out on a large site. For example, pupils say thank you when other pupils hold open a door for them.  A scrutiny of records and observations during the inspection, show that behaviour over time is good. Isolated incidents of unacceptable behaviour are dealt with well.  Attendance is above average, demonstrating pupils’ enjoyment of school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  R ecord keeping and follow-ups with parents about safety issues including minor bumps are effective.  Pupils are confident that any issues they raise will be dealt with promptly by the school.  Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. They know the different forms that bullying can take, including cyber-bullying.  Safeguarding processes are followed by all staff and pupils. For example, pupils are very aware of the potential dangers of the road outside the school. They are pleased about the steps taken to keep them safe in school, for example, knowing you should only speak to a visitor if they are wearing the school visitor’s badge.  Parents and staff think that pupils are cared for well and are safe in school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good, with evidence of some outstanding teaching.  Teachers are secure in their subject knowledge, have good relations with their pupils and good classroom management skills.  Parents who completed the online survey agreed that their children are well taught and make good progress.  In many lessons, teachers provide exactly the right level of challenge for all pupils. Where an age group of pupils are taught in three groups based on prior attainment, teachers are very aware that within these groups there is still a range of attainment levels and match the work accordingly.  The school has improved the teaching of mathematics. There are some good opportunities for pupils to practise and develop their mathematical skills. For example, in Year 5, pupils were challenged to work out whether it was better value to buy items on offer at ‘buy 2 get one free’ with a unit price of £1.60 or to

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The quality of teaching is good

take up the offer of ‘buy one get one half price’ at a higher price per unit. However, there are missed opportunities for younger pupils to carry out written number calculations for themselves.  Pupils enjoy learning. They respond extremely well to their teacher’s high expectations of them. In lessons, teachers constantly make sure that all pupils understand what is being taught. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions and say when they do not understand something.  Teaching assistants are good in their support of pupils experiencing difficulties in their learning or for those with physical disabilities. Bilingual assistants support any pupils at an early stage of learning English well.  The approach to teaching literacy is successful. Pupils like to read and say they love books. There have been improvements in the teaching of early reading skills as shown in the outcomes from the 2014 Year 1 phonics (the sounds that letters make) assessments.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils do not always benefit from clear teaching about punctuation and spelling and, as such, in some classes, pupils’ punctuation and spelling skills are not consistently good.  Marking is constructive but at times written in language too difficult for pupils to understand.  Good use is made of educational visits to support learning in the classroom. For example, pupils in Year 3 really enjoyed their visit to a city museum and this trip helped them improve their understanding of local history. Pupils also have opportunities to extend their skills and confidence by taking part in a wide range of after-school clubs such as choir and sporting activities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From their starting points, the vast majority of pupils make good progress and meet expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment at the end of Year 6 is in line with national expectations. Pupils also achieve well in other subjects such as science.  Pupils overall attainment in national tests in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 in 2014 was the highest for five years. Inspection evidence points to these improvements continuing this year and this is supported by the school’s own tracking information based on pupils’ progress.  Pupils make good progress in reading and the school is taking effective action to make sure the most able pupils achieve well in reading. Younger pupils’ learning about letters and sounds is secure so that by the end of Year 1 the majority of pupils reach the standard expected for their age in the national screening for phonics.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to write in different styles. While much of the writing content is

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The achievement of pupils is good

of a good quality, in some classes pupils’ lack of good punctuation and spelling skills impacts adversely on the overall quality of their writing.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are making good progress and are achieving well. They are well supported and systems to monitor the effectiveness of that support are effective.  Pupil who speak English as an additional language achieve well.  The most able pupils benefit from activities which provide them with a good level of challenge that enables them to achieve well. For example, in the 2014 Year 6 national tests in mathematics, pupils did as well as those in other primary schools nationally at the highest possible level.  The results gained by disadvantaged pupils in the 2014 national tests indicated that their attainment was just over two terms behind other pupils in the school in reading, just under three terms behind in

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The achievement of pupils is good

mathematics and around three terms behind in writing. These results also showed that disadvantaged pupils were just over a year behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally in reading and writing and about two and a half terms behind in mathematics. Records of the achievement of disadvantaged pupils currently in the school show that they are catching up with their classmates. This demonstrates the school’s success in narrowing the gaps between disadvantaged pupils’ achievements and that of other pupils. The progress disadvantaged pupils in school make is in line with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.  Additional sports funding is used well. Pupils now enjoy a wider range of sporting opportunities and uptake is high. Pupils are achieving success in local competitions.

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The early years is good

 The early years provision is good and enables children to develop skills and abilities well. Children understand and respond well to daily routines. As a result they behave well, settle quickly and very happily into school life. There is good provision for their safety and personal development.  The leadership is good and ensures that assessments are accurate and the work children are asked to do both in the classrooms and in the outside areas is well matched to their needs.  Good quality, highly enthusiastic teaching from teachers and teaching assistants makes sure that expectations are high and children really enjoy their learning. Following on from a visit to a local shop to buy noodles to help celebrate the Chinese New Year, children were keen to talk about what they had experienced and appropriately described the noodles as looking like ‘wiggly worms’.  Early reading and numeracy skills are taught well with clear signs of improvement since September in

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The early years is good

children’s writing skills.  Children, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs, make good progress. They start school with skills and abilities below those expected for their age. In 2014, the proportion who achieved a good level of development was above average. As such, children are ready to access the Key Stage 1 curriculum.

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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 107903 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 455944

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 467 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simeon Perry Headteacher Nicholas Sykes Date of previous school inspection 20 November 2013 Telephone number 0113 2624851 Fax number 0113 2374797 Email address n.sykes@chapelallertonprimary.co.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

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

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