High Green Primary School

High Green Primary School Wortley Road, High Green, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 4LU

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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

 Effective, determined leadership from the headteacher has successfully steered the school through a difficult period of instability and brought good improvement since the previous inspection.  Governors have played a crucial part in setting the vision for the school and driving it forward.  The headteacher and governors have successfully resolved a difficult staffing situation and recruited a strong teaching team. Their decisive action has a good impact on pupils’ achievement.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Their attitudes to school are very positive and contribute significantly to their good achievement. Pupils feel safe in school. Their attendance is above average.  The quality of teaching is good. Pupils say, ‘ You get a good education and teachers help you to learn.’ Learning is planned well. Teachers and teaching assistants work very well together to bring the best from pupils.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

above average at Key Stage 1 and are rising rapidly at Key Stage 2. Progress throughout the school shows good pace.  Good provision for children in the early years means that they make a positive start and most achieve a good level of development in readiness for Year 1.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards in writing across the curriculum, particularly for the most-able pupils, are not as high as they could be.  Subject leaders are not fully accountable for standards and improvements, including writing, in their subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 Learning was observed in a range of lessons, three of which were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with staff members, pupils, parents, a representative from the local authority and members of the governing body.  The views of 32 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire were taken into account, as well as questionnaires completed by members of staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and examined a range of documentation including: national assessment data and the school’s own assessments; external reports and the school’s own view of its work; minutes from governing body meetings; safeguarding documentation and samples of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Kevin Johnson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school in which almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  A below-average proportion of pupils is supported by the pupil premium funding. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  Provision for children in the early years is full time in the Reception class.  The school meets the current government floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  There have been very significant changes in staffing since the previous inspection, including the appointment of a new deputy headteacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing further by:  ensuring that pupils are consistently challenged to do their best writing across all subjects, particularly the most-able pupils  making sure that the marking of all writing helps pupils to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that subject leaders are fully accountable for work in their subjects and contribute to planning for curriculum improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have greatly improved the school since the previous inspection. Incisive and effective governance, and a determined effort from current staff, have created a school in which teaching and pupils’ personal development and behaviour are good. Pupils recognise that there is no discrimination and thrive on the equality of opportunity that exists.  A crucial underlying factor in the school’s improvement is senior leaders’ management of teaching. The headteacher commendably held the school together during a very turbulent time when recruitment was difficult and temporary replacements were frequent. This had an impact on pupils’ progress in Key Stage 2 during 2013/14.  Nevertheless, leaders maintained their expectations and appointed a very effective deputy headteacher who is an excellent role model for colleagues. Astute appointments of other teaching staff have strengthened teaching quality considerably, the impact of which is clearly seen in pupils’ current good

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The leadership and management are good

progress and improving standards.  The checking of teachers’ work is very robust. Senior leaders provide clear and accurate feedback to teachers about their work. Teachers’ positive response is a strong measure of their commitment to further improving the quality of their teaching.  Leaders have begun to work with a small group of schools as part of a Partners in Excellence project. This opens new horizons for staff in the beneficial sharing of leadership and teaching skills.  The local authority has supported governance and been watchful over the school’s progress. The school’s good capacity, under the current leadership, to manage further improvement is fully recognised.  The middle leadership team, responsible for subject development, is relatively new to the school. Nevertheless, it is a knowledgeable team whose members have planned an engaging curriculum which includes ideas from pupils. Pupils’ learning is enriched well by a good range of experiences out of school.

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The leadership and management are good

Middle leaders have not fully checked the impact of their planning on standards. Consequently, they do not have the information they need to plan further improvements effectively.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. ‘Treat others as you would wish to be treated’ is the guiding school rule and provides a sound foundation for fostering good relations and tackling discrimination. Pupils’ behaviour and relationships reflect this well. Pupils are expected to persevere and be determined to succeed. They learn to acknowledge and respect others’ differences and to accept additional responsibilities around the school. They are aware of the British democratic process, how leaders are elected and the responsibilities they carry.  The physical education (PE) curriculum and pupils’ well-being benefit from leaders’ effective management of sports funding. The range of activities has been increased and pupils take part in more competitive

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The leadership and management are good

tournaments. Whole-school training has boosted teachers’ skills, for example, in the teaching of dance. Teachers also work alongside, and learn from, specialist coaches. Some Year 6 pupils are appointed ‘ambassadors of sport’ and take responsibility for gathering pupils’ views about what they would like included in the PE curriculum.  Leaders manage the pupil premium funding well. They know how it is used and keep a close watch on the impact it has on achievement. The additional teaching support and learning resources that the funding provides ensures that there are equal opportunities for pupils in school and disadvantaged pupils achieve similarly to others.  There are effective arrangements for safeguarding pupils. All statutory requirements are met and administrative matters are up to date. The school promotes attendance well and works productively with parents to ensure it remains above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors responded vigorously to the issues raised in the previous report to complete a review of their work. This has significantly improved their capacity to analyse data and compare the school’s performance with that of others. Governors challenge the school robustly and have good systems in place for checking the outcomes for themselves, as well as working very closely with school leaders. A review of the range of skills among governors, together with comprehensive training, leave them well placed to maintain the good challenge and support they give the school.  Governors played a crucial part in helping to restructure school leadership and securing an effective teaching force over the uncertain period in staffing. They have a very good overview of teaching in the school. They understand the importance of performance management to reward success financially and

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The leadership and management are good

challenge teaching that does not meet expectations. Financial matters are managed well, including additional funds for sports and for disadvantaged pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy being there. They arrive punctually, smartly dressed in uniforms, and attend regularly. There is always a friendly greeting and their politeness and natural charm add to the school’s welcoming atmosphere.  Around the school, pupils behave sensibly. Their manners in the dining hall do them credit. They know how to adjust their behaviour to suit different situations, such as when attending assemblies. They enjoy each other’s company safely in the playground, which they manage to keep tidy and litter-free. Pupils say that their behaviour is usually good.  Pupils contribute much to the school by way of taking on extra responsibilities. The school council is active so that everyone has a say in school matters. Play leaders, librarians and lunch-monitors all play a part in helping school days to run smoothly.  Positive attitudes to learning, and sometimes exemplary behaviour in lessons, make a strong contribution

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Behaviour

to pupils’ good progress. Staff offer positive encouragement in lessons and progress is always the main objective. Pupils are beginning to take more responsibility for challenging themselves in lessons. While this is currently generating good achievement, it is not yet outstanding.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils have a strong sense of what is right or wrong and know how their actions may affect others.  Learning about different forms of bullying and how to avoid it have high priority. Pupils also know about the importance of safe internet use. They say that there is no bullying in the school. School records confirm that such incidents, including offensive name-calling, are extremely rare.  Pupils say that they always feel safe in school. They are confident that adults are there to help when it is needed.  Parents overwhelmingly support the school and share their children’s confidence that they are safe and well cared for.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching, with some that is outstanding, drives pupils’ good progress. There is a much-improved picture since the previous inspection and more consistency of good teaching is evident.  Teaching assistants, whose work is highly valued by the school, are an integral part of the teaching team. They know the pupils well and work effectively with teachers to ensure good progress. They question pupils skilfully, for example when assessing how well pupils may have mastered a mathematical idea. They are always sensitive to any particular needs that pupils might have.  Good subject knowledge means that learning is planned well across the range of topics. Pupils comment on how they enjoy learning through topic work as much as they do their ‘delicious dinners’. Evidence of good learning in science and art, for example, is prominently displayed; there is good provision for music and physical education.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work and resources to help pupils learn are generally well matched to pupils’ varying abilities. Good use is made of assessments when planning next steps. English and mathematics books are marked well and pupils have opportunities to correct mistakes before the next lesson begins. Pupils assess their own work as a matter of routine. They always know when they are successful and what will help them to make the best progress.  Reading, literacy and numeracy skills are taught well overall. Pupils read widely, both for learning and enjoyment, and reading standards have risen well in the current year. Pupils acquire a good grasp of basic grammar, punctuation and spelling which is generally well reflected in their writing. In one lesson, pupils learned different parts of speech (such as noun and verb) and their different uses. They cleverly used this knowledge in a very imaginative way to write descriptive poetry about Roman soldiers, linking English and

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The quality of teaching is good

history learning in a meaningful way.  Although some writing in other subjects is evident, the quality is not consistently as good as in English books. This is because marking is not as rigorous and expectations, especially of the most-able writers, are not as high as they might be.  Teaching in mathematics is good because pupils are consistently challenged whatever their abilities. Multiplication tables, number patterns and how numbers work are learned and investigated well. Pupils’ mental agility is good and they use what they know to solve problems. Excellent work was seen in one class when pupils learned and used inverse operations to check answers to number problems. There were equally high expectations of pupils’ resourcefulness in Year 5 when they worked out for themselves how to calculate the areas of compound shapes. This led to an even greater challenge for some pupils who set about measuring and calculating the area of the playground and the cost of renewing the tarmac.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils currently achieve well from their broadly typical starting points.  In Key Stage 1, teachers build well on pupils’ positive start in Reception. The proportion of Year 1 pupils who achieved expected standards in the national phonics screening check (a check on pupils’ knowledge of letters and the sounds they make) in 2014 was above the national average. Pupils currently in Year 1 are working to similar standards.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 were above average in 2014. School assessments and the quality of pupils’ current work show that similar standards are at least maintained with some improvement at Level 3 in all subjects.  There is a positive picture of progress in Key Stage 2 in the current year. School assessments show rapid progress at times across all groups and classes. This is consistent with the settled and much-improved teaching in the school since the beginning of the school year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in reading, writing and mathematics seen in pupils’ work confirm the school’s assessments and indicate significantly higher levels than previously at both an expected Level 4 and the higher Level 5. The school acknowledges that writing at the higher level has not kept pace with other subjects and is an aspect to improve.  Most recently published data for the school (2014) shows that standards and progress fell below expectations for pupils in Year 6 in that year. However, they were not significantly lower overall. The dip can be accounted for by unusually unsettled teaching which pupils encountered after the previous inspection. There is now stable staffing and the capacity for sustained good progress is strong.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This pattern of progress has been sustained. Learning is carefully matched to pupils’ needs and good quality teaching is a

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The achievement of pupils is good

minimum expectation for them. Teachers foster very good relationships with parents who share reviews of pupils’ progress and contribute to the learning plans.  The needs of the most-able pupils are increasingly provided for. Leaders recognise that pupils who achieve Level 3 at Key Stage 1 have not always achieved the appropriate Level 5 at Key Stage 2. In the current year, the most-able pupils are specifically challenged in order that they reach their potential.  Disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium funding make good progress. Data for 2014 show that disadvantaged pupils performed better than other pupils in the school in reading and mathematics and achieved as well as them in writing. When compared with all other pupils nationally, disadvantaged pupils did better in writing and were very similar in reading and mathematics. Their progress in reading, writing and mathematics was similar to that of other pupils nationally. Currently in Year 6 there are no

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The achievement of pupils is good

gaps evident. This indicates the school’s effective use of the pupil premium funding.

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The early years provision is good

 The capabilities of the intake into the early years vary from year to year but overall children’s abilities when they enter Reception are typical for their age.  Children are well provided for and make good progress. The proportion of children who reached a good level of development in 2014 exceeded the national average. A similar proportion in the current Reception class are already approaching or have reached a good level of development. Children are well prepared for their transfer to Year 1 and their achievement is good.  Effective leadership of the early years lies behind the continued good performance. There is a strong and skilful staff team whose members are knowledgeable about the early years and how children learn. Challenging activities are planned indoors and in the outdoor area. Systems for checking children’s progress are good so they are moved on to the next steps at the right time. Very good relationships are

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The early years provision is good

fostered with parents from before children start in Reception class and staff are well prepared for the children when they arrive.  Good teaching ensures that children are active and develop the skills and knowledge they need to achieve well. Teachers talk to children, challenge their ideas and help them to solve problems and improve language development. ‘ What shall we do next?’ and ‘How can we fix this?’ were questions asked of children, for example, who were building a shelter. In a mathematics activity, children had all the resources they needed to share their beans into sets of five and were well able to work beyond twenty.  Good behaviour and personal development are taught well. Children are mindful of one another. They play safely and kindly with each other. They share equipment, tidy up after activities and confidently talk to others, at the end of a session, about what they have learned.

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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 107052 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 462199

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 213 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Phil Bright Headteacher Diane Smales Date of previous school inspection 22 May 2013 Telephone number 0114 284 8264 Fax number 0114 284 8901 Email address enquiries@highgreen.sheffield.sch.uk guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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