Ark The Rookeries Carleton Primary School

The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource Carleton Road, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 3NP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy 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

 Since becoming an academy the vast majority of pupils have made at least good progress in English and mathematics and, as a result, attainment is rising rapidly.  Teaching is good overall and occasionally outstanding. Pupils work hard because they enjoy their learning. Occasionally pupils’ progress is outstanding.  Behaviour is good. Pupils are usually considerate and polite.  Pupils say that they feel safe. This is because staff ensure that each pupil’s individual needs are known and met very well.  All pupils benefit from partnership with the co- located hearing impairment unit. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ achievement in personal development.  Pupils in the hearing impairment unit try very hard to live up to the high expectations set for them by the staff. Consequently, their achievement is often exceptional.  Children in the early years make a good start to their learning. This is because staff work well as a

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

team.  The leadership has a high ambition of what pupils can achieve. Leaders have clear plans to ensure that everyone is clear about their role in improving pupils’ achievement.  All staff are given detailed and clear information about how to improve their teaching and teachers benefit from an expert teacher often working alongside them continuously to improve their teaching.  The governing body makes a good contribution to leadership. They hold leaders stringently to account for the work of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils in Key Stage 1 have, in the past, not made quite as much progress as other pupils because the middle leadership of Key Stage 1 is not yet developed fully.  Occasionally, younger pupils do not make good progress in phonics (letters and the sounds that they make).  Standards in writing are not as high as in reading and mathematics.  Pupils across the school do not make as much progress in spelling as they should. Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed several lessons, some of which were joint observations with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ books and individual learning and behaviour plans.  Meetings were held with key staff, five members of the governing body, the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, a member of the local authority and discussions were held with support staff. A telephone call was held with the school improvement partner.  The inspectors took into account 34 questionnaires from staff and 12 responses to the on-line parent questionnaire (Parent View).  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including plans for improvement, records of the school’s checks on pupils’ and teachers’ performance, safeguarding and attendance documents, minutes of meetings of the governing body and school policies.

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Inspection team

Pauline Hilling-Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

David Matthews Additional Inspector Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource converted to become an academy school in April 2013. When its predecessor school, The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be satisfactory overall. It is part of the Pontefract Multi-Academy Trust.  The school is an above-average-sized primary school with an attached unit for hearing impaired pupils.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is well above average.  The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need or an education health and care plan is well above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, is average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known

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Information about this school

to be eligible for free school meals and those children that are looked after by the local authority  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the overall quality of teaching to outstanding, especially for the most able pupils and in writing, in order to raise achievement even further by always ensuring that:  the outstanding practice evident in the school is more widely shared  the most able pupils are always challenged  all staff are well trained in the teaching of spelling  all staff are well trained in teaching phonics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  strengthening the role of middle leaders of Key Stage 1 so that they have a clear focus on and an overview of achievement, especially of the most able. Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 4 of 10

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher of the new academy has established a settled and highly-motivated team of staff who are driving the school forward at a rapid pace. Her high expectations, together with sharply focused training and the creation and development of teams of staff to put the vision into place, enable her to be a very effective leader. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher and this partnership has been pivotal in bringing about swift school improvement to bring the performance of the school to a good level.  The leadership of the hearing impaired unit is excellent. The staff in this team are highly skilled and focus relentlessly on improving sign language skills across the school. This makes a significant contribution to the achievement of everyone in the school.  The leadership of teaching and performance is very effective. Procedures to check on the quality of teaching are extensive and detailed and lead to sharply-focused plans for improvement. They enable

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The leadership and management are good

senior leaders to provide detailed coaching to support teachers in improving their practice. There is a good link between teachers' performance and their progression along the pay scales.  The school has an accurate view of its own performance. Improvement plans are effective because they are based on a thorough knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas to develop. This means that the headteacher knows that the role of the middle leadership of Key Stage 1 needs to develop further so that attainment can be raised even further.  The school’s system for tracking how well pupils are doing is meticulous, extensive and based on sound assessment. Data collection is very well organised and shows the progress of groups.  Leaders ensure that funding, such as the pupil premium, is used to good effect by providing additional targeted support in English and mathematics for eligible pupils. The primary school sport funding is used

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The leadership and management are good

effectively to provide additional classes, especially fitness for pupils and training for staff to work effectively and safely with individual pupils. It is clear that the funding is making a positive difference.  Leaders take good care to ensure that pupils with hearing impairment can be included in as many lessons in the mainstream as possible. This results in these pupils having exactly the right provision to ensure equality of opportunity, the development of good relations and the tackling of discrimination. The partnership between the primary school and the hearing impairment resource unit makes a significant contribution to this area of the school’s work.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good because pupils are able to reflect during high-quality signing choir experiences and enjoy warm relationships. A well-planned series of assemblies places a sharp focus on the understanding of British values and how to be a positive young citizen in

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The leadership and management are good

modern Britain.  The school’s range of subjects and other activities meet the needs of pupils well. The curriculum is well organised and gives priority to engaging pupils’ interests and accelerating their progress.  Partnerships are very well developed. For example, those with the other schools in the multi-academy trust make a significant contribution to all aspects of school improvement. Leaders evaluate attendance data and behaviour logs very closely to ensure that the work of the staff is targeted on where it will have the most impact.  Arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements. Procedures are well embedded and robust and, as such, are effective.  The local authority provides appropriate light touch support for the hearing impaired resource unit.  The majority of parents who responded on Parent View would recommend the school to another parent.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body contributes well to the leadership of the school because it has made sure that it has sought expert advice about effective governance and acted upon that advice. Members have an unwavering, high ambition for the achievement of the pupils who attend the school. They spend considerable time working voluntarily in the school or attending meetings or training. They gain first- hand evidence through the involvement they have with pupils, parents and staff, and hold school leaders and the trust directors to account stringently for the progress of the pupils and school improvement. Governors manage the budget effectively and make sure that all safeguarding procedures are rigorous and meet requirements fully. They are clear about how the pupil premium is spent and can identify the positive effect this is having on eligible pupils. Governors are fully included in information about how well teachers are performing and know about the quality of teaching and performance and

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The leadership and management are good

how this links to increases in salary. Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 5 of 10

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are courteous and polite. The atmosphere in school is usually harmonious and calm.  The cornerstones of behaviour management in the school are the strong relationships which exist between staff and pupils. As a result, the majority of pupils have positive attitudes to learning and they are very sensitive to the needs of other pupils. However, currently a few older boys occasionally do not behave as maturely as the majority of others. Staff are managing this behaviour well to good effect.  Pupils say that they are proud to attend this school.  Pupils with hearing impairment behave impeccably because staff are knowledgeable in managing behaviour. There are always staff on hand who sign to ensure that there are no issues arising from communication difficulties.  Pupils are well aware of how to keep themselves and others safe at all times, for example when on trips

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Behaviour

and residential experiences. They are well aware of how to keep safe in a variety of situations as a result of the information they receive from a well-planned and wide range of visiting experts.  Pupils are aware of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Records show that incidents of inappropriate behaviour are rare. Any incidents are dealt with quickly and effectively most often by the learning mentor so that time for learning is not lost.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Safeguarding practice is understood well by all staff. Any concerns are promptly notified to the appropriate agencies. Staff have a very good understanding of the individual needs of each pupil and the vast majority of staff have at least a working level of signed communication.  The school’s transport systems bringing pupils into the hearing impairment resource base are well organised and very safe. Staff are trained well and this ensures that pupils’ particular needs are attended to with great expertise and dignity.  Pupils learn to keep themselves and others safe when they think about stranger danger or when they are involved in learning experiences in the community, for example when crossing the road.  Leaders are vigilant in ensuring that full checks on the safety of premises are regularly undertaken and any issues are promptly acted upon.

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Safety

 Attendance is broadly average; most pupils attend regularly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good. Currently, the quality of teaching is improving rapidly as a result of the very closely- tailored training and coaching for staff. Consequently, teachers are very reflective about their teaching.  Teaching enables most pupils to make good progress and some pupils to make exceptional progress from their starting points.  A particular strength of the teaching in the school is the development of ideas through questioning. As a result, pupils develop their understanding well.  Pupils enjoy their learning because they are interested in what is planned for them to do.  Teachers have excellent relationships with their pupils and this results in a positive climate for learning.  The skills of teaching assistants are good and are targeted well to support individuals and small groups of pupils to ensure that they make good progress.  Pupils with hearing impairment make excellent progress in the unit because teachers have expert

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The quality of teaching is good

knowledge in the teaching of profoundly or severely deaf pupils. These pupils often make excellent progress in the mainstream classes, especially in mathematics, because they are supported very well by the instructors of the deaf. Careful attention is given to the development of writing for pupils of all abilities with a hearing impairment and, overall, pupils make outstanding progress in very small steps.  The teaching of reading is good because guided reading is organised well and older pupils have had the opportunity to be taught for a short time by specialist English teachers through the partnership with the secondary school in the trust. This means that they have opportunities to develop inference and Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 6 of 10

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The quality of teaching is good

comprehension skills in their reading even further. However, the teaching of phonics is not as effective. Occasionally, younger pupils cannot decode and read words well because they confuse letter names with the sounds they make.  Pupils have well-developed speaking and communication skills. However, not enough attention is paid to the development of spelling as pupils move up through the school. In addition, there are not sufficient opportunities for pupils to write at length and develop accuracy in their spelling. The teaching of mathematics is good because teachers have good subject knowledge and they correct swiftly any misconceptions the pupils have.  Occasionally, the most able pupils are not challenged well enough because what they are asked to do does not give them the scope to develop their ideas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils enter the school with knowledge and skills below those which would be found typically. The vast majority of pupils make good progress and now leave the school with broadly average standards. Over the last two years some pupils have made exceptional progress from their starting points.  Current school data, pupils’ performance in reading and work in pupils’ books show that pupils are set to attain above average standards by the end of 2015. This represents pupils doubling the expected rate of progress.  Current school data and work in pupils’ books show that pupils are set to attain above national average standards in maths by the end of 2015. This also represents accelerated progress since the opening of the academy.  In writing, current school data and work in pupils’ books show that pupils are below national standards at this point in the year. However, this represents a very significant acceleration in their rate of progress

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The achievement of pupils is good

since the end of Key Stage 1.  School data for the end of Key Stage 1, adjusted not to include the hearing impaired pupils, show above average standards in writing and maths and just below in reading.  Pupils make good progress in reading because they are able to develop their enjoyment and understanding of books through the development of the understanding of inferred meaning in text guided by specialist teachers from the secondary school. However, pupils do not always make good progress in phonics (the sounds that letters make) because staff are not as well trained to teach these skills.  The progress of the most able pupils is at least good across Key Stage 2 in mathematics. It is also at least good for the most able pupils with a hearing impairment in the mainstream classes. Occasionally however, pupils make slower progress when they are not challenged sufficiently or are not given enough opportunities for writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils with special educational needs in the mainstream school make the same good progress as their peers because their needs are assessed well and carefully met.  In 2014, end of Year 6 results in national tests showed that disadvantaged pupils were behind other pupils nationally by the equivalent of about a year in reading and writing and mathematics. Current school data shows that these gaps are closing to about a term and a half in reading and maths and by almost a term in writing.  The majority of parents who responded on Parent View and to the recent school survey agree that pupils now make good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Most pupils enter reception with skills, knowledge and understanding below those typical of their age. This is particularly the case in communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development.  Teaching is good in the early years and this has been the case over time. A particular strength is the way in which staff and volunteers question children to develop their understanding. As a result, pupils make good progress and are well prepared for Key Stage 1, especially in their work on numbers. Occasionally children do not have the opportunity to practise their letter shapes on a big enough scale, so staff cannot help them as well with their efforts because it is difficult to see what the children are doing.  Children feel safe and they behave exceptionally well. The safety and welfare of the children is always given a high priority. As a result, parents are very confident to leave their children in the care of the staff.

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The early years provision is good

Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 7 of 10

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The early years provision is good

 Teamwork, including very good communication, is strong.  Partnership with parents is strong. Photographs and children’s work sent home are much appreciated by families and this contributes well to the good achievement of the children. Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 8 of 10

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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. Inspection report: The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School: With Hearing Impairment Resource, 24–25 March 2015 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 139504 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 449929

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michael Farrell Headteacher Jo Heggie Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01977 600368 Email address headteacher@therookeries.net 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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