Ainthorpe Primary School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Requires improvement 3

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ progress is not consistently good in all year groups, particularly in writing. Too few pupils are reaching the higher levels in their work.  Not enough teaching is good or better in writing. Not all pupils know what they are aiming for or how much they have achieved. They do not always have opportunities to use and apply their skills in lessons.  The school’s system for marking and feedback is not consistently used by all teachers.  Pupils are not sufficiently inspired to write and do not know how to use all the skills that they need to write well. They do not all know the purpose for their writing.  There is not a consistent approach to developing good handwriting skills.  The early years outside environment does not provide enough opportunities for children to explore, investigate and use their imagination. This limits their overall achievement.

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The school has the following strengths

 The Executive Principal and acting Associate Principal provide strong leadership. They are well supported by middle leaders who share the same determination to improve the school. As a result of their very effective actions, teaching and pupils’ achievement are improving.  The Academy Improvement Board are committed to making further rapid improvements to the school and have taken decisive action to strengthen the leadership of the school.  The curriculum provides a range of additional activities daily after lessons, which are varied and bring enjoyment to pupils’ learning.  The teaching of reading and mathematics has improved, pupils make good progress in these subjects and standards are rising quickly.  Pupils behave well and are proud to be members of their school community. Relationships between pupils and adults are strong. The school’s work to keep pupils safe is good and pupils feel safe.  The school provides a good range of opportunities

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The school has the following strengths

for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils make good progress from their starting points.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning throughout the school. They observed pupils at work during visits to classrooms. One observation was jointly carried out with the Executive Principal and one with the acting Associate Principal. In addition inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 2 and 6. They also looked at work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors considered 12 responses to the Ofsted on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and 20 questionnaires completed by the staff. They considered the school’s own survey of parents’ opinions.  Inspectors held meetings with pupils in Years 5 and 6 and the school council. They talked informally with pupils at break times and lunchtimes. They talked with the Chair of the Academy Improvement Board and had a discussion with academy trust’s improvement advisor.  Inspectors held meetings with leaders within the school including the leader of the early years provision,

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Information about this inspection

the special educational needs coordinator and other middle leaders.  Inspectors observed the school at work and looked at a range of documentation, including information relating to pupils’ progress, school improvement planning and the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its own performance. They considered reports written by the academy’s trust improvement advisor, documents relating to the management of teachers’ performance and safeguarding and child protection documents.

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Inspection team

Peter Evea, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school became an academy on 1 November 2013. It is sponsored by the David Ross Education Trust and the school is part of a local cluster of eight primary schools led by an Executive Principal.  The David Ross Education Trust is a partnership of 35 primary and secondary schools.  The headteacher was not present during the inspection and the school is currently being led by the Executive Principal from the Trust, supported by an acting Associate Principal also from within the Trust. The school’s local governing body has been reconstituted and the academy improvement board has been overseeing the school in the interim period.  There have been significant changes in staffing during this academic year.  This is a larger than average size primary school and the number on roll is increasing.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for the pupil premium, is higher than average. The

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Information about this school

pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children looked after by the local authority.  The vast majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils or who have special educational needs is slightly above average.  Children attend the Reception class on a full-time basis.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better in order to increase the rate of pupils’ progress and raise attainment further by:  ensuring that all teachers use the school’s system for marking and giving feedback  making sure that pupils in all groups have opportunities to use and apply their skills and knowledge to meet challenges set by their teacher  checking that pupils know what they are aiming for and how well they have achieved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In writing, increase pupils’ rate of progress and so raise their attainment by:  developing a consistent approach to the development of good handwriting skills  providing pupils with more inspiration to write and making sure that they know the purpose for their writing  making certain that pupils know how to combine all their skills in order to write well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the early years provision by providing more opportunities in the outside area for children to explore, investigate and use their imagination.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Academy Trust took swift action following a review of the school’s performance and an Executive Principal aided by an acting Associate Principal from the Trust are providing very strong leadership in ensuring that the academy improves. They are now effectively aided by middle leaders to enhance the quality of teaching and to raise pupils’ achievement.  The Executive Principal and acting Associate Principal have taken swift action to address weaknesses in the quality of teaching and pupils’ slow rates of progress. They have introduced more rigorous systems for checking on the performance of the school and have been relentless in focussing on improving teaching and making sure that pupils make faster progress, as a result, both are improving. This is the case in reading and mathematics and in the early years. However, the full impact of these improvements has yet to be seen in published test results.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders now have a much more accurate view of the school’s performance and have produced very effective plans for school improvement. They have made sure that all the staff are aware of their responsibilities for ensuring the best outcomes for their pupils and are rigorous in holding them to account. The staff have welcomed the changes and share the same commitment to school improvement.  The leadership of the provision for pupils with disabilities or who have special educational needs is effective. The special educational needs coordinator ensures that pupils' needs are identified accurately and in a timely manner and they receive the support they require. As a result, these pupils make good progress.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and is enriched by a range of activities and trips. Traditional British values are well developed through the curriculum and

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The leadership and management are good

pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and for the next stage in their education. The school council is an elected body and this is an example of how pupils begin to experience democracy.  The school works successfully to foster good relations, tackle discrimination and to remove any barriers to learning so all pupils have the same opportunities to do their best.  There are now effective systems to check on teachers’ performance and there are clear links between their performance and any salary increases.  Leaders use the pupil premium funding well and provide extra support and resources to those pupils eligible for support. As a result, disadvantaged pupils typically make better progress than their peers and gaps in achievement between these pupils and others nationally are closing.  Leaders ensure that all safeguarding and child protection practices meet requirements and are effective in

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The leadership and management are good

keeping pupils safe.  Good use is made of the primary school sport funding to allow pupils greater access to a range of sport and activities. Pupils are proud of their sporting successes and say how much they enjoyed the recent rounders competition with other schools.  The David Ross Education Trust has provided significant and very effective support, especially in strengthening the leadership and management of the school.  The governance of the school:  The local governing body has been reconstituted and in the interim period the academy improvement board has carried out its duties very effectively. Members know the school well and have a detailed knowledge and understanding of school data relating to pupil achievement and also the quality of teaching. As a result, they provide accurate strategic direction for the school. Following a review of the school’s performance by the Trust members took swift action to address concerns about the quality of

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The leadership and management are good

teaching and pupils’ performance. They strengthened the leadership of the school by providing additional leadership capacity.  The academy improvement board (AIB) holds leaders to account for the performance of the school and ensure that systems for monitoring teachers’ performance and pupils’ progress and attainment are rigorous. Members ensure that there are clear links between teachers’ salary increases and their performance in class. The AIB oversees the spending of pupil premium and sport funding and are aware of the positive impact these funds are having. The AIB ensure that all safeguarding and child protection policies and practices are in place and meet all current requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are unfailingly polite and well mannered and get along together very well. They are proud of their school and welcome visitors warmly. Pupils play well together. They are particularly smart and sensible when moving around the school and always hold doors open for others.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good and even on the rare occasions when lessons do not excite or interest them they cooperate well and follow instructions quickly. There have been clear improvements in pupils’ presentation of their work in recent months.  Pupils take on roles of responsibility willingly and carry out their duties conscientiously. Older pupils are trained as play leaders and there is an active school council.  Pupils’ attendance is improving slowly and is just below the national average. The school works very hard to ensure that pupils and parents alike are aware of the need for regular attendance and its links with

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Behaviour

progress. Pupils are typically punctual to school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe and appreciate all that adults do to keep them safe. Parents agree that the school is a safe and secure environment and that their children are happy.  Pupils understand many of the risks they might face. Emergency services make regular visits to educate pupils about different risks and pupils understand how to keep themselves safe including when using the internet, riding their bicycles and when near busy roads.  Pupils say that bullying has decreased and that it rarely happens now. They have a clear understanding of its different forms including cyber bullying and know what to look out for. They are confident that when any bullying occurs it is dealt with swiftly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is not consistently good or better. There is evidence of good teaching, particularly in reading and mathematics. The overall quality of teaching is improving but it is not yet good enough in the writing aspects of literacy to ensure that all pupils make consistently good progress.  Writing is not taught effectively. There is no consistent approach to the teaching of handwriting and pupils’ fluency of writing suffers as a result. Pupils are not sufficiently inspired to write and do not always understand the purpose of their writing. Although they develop different writing skills, they do not always understand how to combine them in order to write well.  Not all teachers follow the school’s system for marking and giving feedback. While some do and pupils’ work improves, this is not consistent across the school. Teachers plan work that is hard enough for pupils of different abilities and include an application challenge for the most able pupils. However, other pupils

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

do not have the opportunity to apply their skills and understanding to tackle challenges which then gives a real meaning to their learning.  Teachers have good relationships with pupils and there is typically a calm and purposeful atmosphere in which to learn. Teachers work hard to make classrooms stimulating and provide aids and resources which pupils use well to help their learning. In a Year 4 and 5 mathematics lesson, pupils used thermometers to make the links between science and mathematics.  Teaching assistants are deployed well and use their skills and knowledge of individual pupils’ needs to support their learning, both in and out of the classroom, particularly those with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils.  The teaching of reading is effective and pupils develop good reading habits from an early age. They are encouraged to read at home and each class has its own library. Many pupils bring in favourite books from

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

home and are happy to discuss their favourite authors. As a consequence, progress in reading is accelerating and standards are rising quickly.  Mathematics is taught well. Teachers plan lessons which pupils enjoy and make them want to learn. An increasing number of pupils are making good progress and standards in mathematics are rising. In a mixed Year 4 and 5 class, for example, pupils enthusiastically used thermometers and bowls of ice to explore the concept of negative numbers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not make progress quickly enough in developing their writing skills. As a result, overall attainment is not high enough.  Children join the school in the Reception class with skills and knowledge below those typical for children of their age. By the end of Year 6, standards in the 2014 national tests were broadly average in mathematics and reading and below average in writing. However, pupils’ current work, as well as the school’s own data, indicate that progress is quickening and standards are rising. These improvements are not yet seen in the published results of national tests.  There are inconsistencies in the rate of pupils’ progress in different subjects, different classes and year groups, because the quality of teaching is not always consistently good or better, especially in writing. The proportions of pupils making the expected progress or good progress are rising. Pupils make more rapid

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

progress in mathematics because the teaching of mathematics is consistently good or better and pupils have opportunities to use their skills and knowledge to solve problems in other subjects.  Pupils read well and standards are rising year on year. Currently, Year 6 pupils’ reading skills are overall above those expected for their age. Younger pupils use their knowledge of phonics (the sounds letters make) to build words. Adults and older pupils set good examples and pupils develop a real enjoyment of reading. They have regular opportunities to read in school and are encouraged to read regularly at home.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Their needs are identified accurately and skilled adults support them effectively.  The school uses the pupil premium funding effectively to promote equality of opportunity. In 2014, pupils who were eligible to receive support made good progress from their starting points and the proportion of

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

pupils who made more progress than was expected of them was higher than other pupils in the school. Their progress was more rapid than other pupils nationally.  Over time, the gaps in attainment between eligible pupils and other pupils nationally are narrowing and in the school have closed. In 2014, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment was just under half a term behind other pupils nationally in mathematics, three terms behind in reading and almost three terms behind in writing. Compared to other pupils in the school they were two terms ahead in mathematics, reading and writing.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Children join the early years with the skills and knowledge below those typical for their age. In 2014, the proportion of children leaving the early years with a good level of development was below the national average, this represented no better than expected progress.  In the current Reception class children are making increasingly rapid progress and a greater proportion are ready for learning in Year 1. Currently there is an increased proportion of children attaining a good level of development.  The effective early years leader, supported by another leader from the academy trust, have brought about clear improvements to the learning environment, especially the indoor classroom. Children benefit from interesting learning activities planned carefully by adults who know the children well. However, the outside area, while much enjoyed by the children, does not sufficiently enable children to explore, investigate and

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The early years provision requires improvement

use their imagination to learn. This is a contributory factor to children’s achievement requiring improvement rather than being good.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent. It is stronger when children are learning inside and when children are learning directly with adults. When the children are allowed to choose their own activities it is less effective and some adults are not sufficiently skilled to intervene to support children’s learning, especially when it takes place outdoors.  Behaviour is good. Children are happy and play and learn together well. They take turns and share equipment happily and quickly settle into the routines which allow the early years to function smoothly.  Safety is very important to all and adults share the same determination as others in the school to make sure that children are safe and happy while in school. There are well thought-out systems to make sure that children are safe at the start and end of the school day. Parents appreciate the care of all the adults

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The early years provision requires improvement

and value the opportunities to play a part in their child’s learning.

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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 139570 Local authority Kingston upon Hull City of Inspection number 450091

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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 sponsor-led Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 272 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Leah Charlesworth Headteacher Anita Gladwin Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01482 353963 Fax number 01482 573021 Email address head@ainthorpe.hull.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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