Kilnhurst Primary School

Kilnhurst Primary School Hooton Road, Kilnhurst, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S64 5TA Inspection dates 24–25 February 2016

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs, do not make good enough progress during their time in school in reading, writing and mathematics.  The attainment of many groups of pupils is lower than is expected for their age. As a result, different groups of pupils are not well prepared for their next stage of learning.  Teaching does not always ensure that work is challenging enough. Learning does not always engage pupils and where this is the case it is often because work is too easy. This can lead to some restlessness in class. Pupils report that this can cause some disruption by a minority of pupils who do not behave well.  The children in the early years do not make good progress over time. This is due to teaching which requires further improvement and some inaccuracies in the way children are assessed.  Pupils’ and parents’ perception is that behaviour is

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This is a school that requires improvement

not consistently good. They also believe that bullying is not dealt with effectively and can be an ongoing problem.  Leaders have not ensured that teaching has improved rapidly since the last inspection. This means teaching and pupils’ outcomes still require further improvement.  The systems for assessment are not sharp enough to ensure that they are easily and regularly used by teachers to plan lessons for pupils which suit their needs.  Governors are not fully aware of how well pupils are doing and, therefore, have an overly positive view of pupils’ outcomes and the impact of teaching.  The local authority has not provided the school with sharp enough support to ensure that leaders have been able to make rapid improvements since the last inspection.

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The school has the following strengths

 The attendance of pupils is good and has been consistent over a long period of time, due to sharply focused work by leaders in this area.  The nurturing of the most vulnerable pupils is good and these pupils’ well-being, as well as their academic progress, has improved rapidly in recent months.  The opportunities for pupils to enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development remains a strength from the last inspection.  Improvements in pupils’ handwriting and overall presentation have been rapid, thanks to leaders’ focus in this area.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, so that the attainment of pupils rises and they make more rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics, by:  ensuring that work is always challenging and that there are the highest expectations of all groups of pupils so that they can reach the highest levels  ensuring that the checks teachers make on pupils’ work in class and in books are used to inform the planning of activities which closely match the needs of different groups of pupils  ensuring that pupils have regular opportunities to use and apply the skills they learn in a variety of ways and across all areas of the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the behaviour of pupils, by:  making pupils work and think hard in lessons, so that they are not given the chance to become disengaged and restless  ensuring that when bullying and other poor behaviour is reported, it is dealt with rapidly and monitored carefully to ensure the problems do not persist.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management, by:  ensuring that assessment systems in place clearly identify where pupils are doing well and where groups are underachieving so that all leaders, governors and teachers are able to use the information to support pupils quickly and effectively  making sure that all aspects of the curriculum are monitored closely and accurately, so that the effectiveness of teaching in all areas is clearly understood  ensuring that the priorities for teachers are clear, such as the use of incisive feedback to pupils which they can use to improve their work, and that teachers embed the priorities into their day-to-day teaching practice, before moving onto the next priority.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance and the use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders have not made rapid enough improvements to the quality of teaching and the outcomes for pupils since the previous inspection. This means that pupils’ outcomes are still not good enough and teaching still requires further improvement. Different groups of pupils do not make good enough progress and the standards they reach in their reading, writing and mathematics are not high enough.  There are not consistently high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve and this is seen in the level of work that pupils are given in some classes. It is not always challenging enough.  Where teaching is less than good, leaders have not worked rapidly or effectively enough to ensure that this has not continued. Leaders in the school do not always have an accurate view of the quality of teaching. This has led to some over-generous views of certain teaching. As a result, staff do not receive the right

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

support to improve their day-to-day practice. Training opportunities are very regular and staff appreciate the amount of money and time that is afforded them to develop their skills. However, training is not always sharply identified for staff needs. There have been too many areas identified as priorities which has meant some of the work to make improvements has not been effective.  Leaders have worked effectively to ensure that very vulnerable pupils have received good provision to support their social and emotional well-being. This has led to these pupils having better relationships with their peers and teachers, as well as to improved outcomes for these learners.  Leaders have worked well to ensure that pupils’ presentation is now much better. This means that work is set out well, handwriting is very neat and it is evident that pupils take a real pride in their written work now.  The work to improve and maintain attendance has been effective. Leaders have worked with external

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

agencies as well as using their own incentives for pupils. This has led to the pupils having better than average attendance.  The leadership of the funding for pupil premium pupils is not good enough. The use of funding on different initiatives to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils has not been consistently effective. The gaps between the performance of these pupils and their peers in school are not closing rapidly enough.  The leadership of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs requires improvement. The most vulnerable of these pupils do well, thanks to strong leadership and good supportive strategies that are effective in improving these pupils’ work in reading, writing and mathematics, as well as their enjoyment of school. However, other pupils identified as having special educational needs are not catered for as well and they are not making good enough progress. This is because teaching does not match their needs closely

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

enough.  The performance management of staff is not incisive enough. The over-generous view of teaching by leaders obscures the needs of some staff. This means that the procedures for performance management are not working effectively.  The work of leaders to engage parents has had a mixed impact. Some parents are concerned about the school’s work to manage behaviour. Some are concerned that bullying is not dealt with so that it does not persist. Other parents are very positive about leaders in school and praise their hard work.  The school formally assesses pupils each half term and this information is tracked to provide an overview of the gaps in pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. The tracking, as well as the pupils’ books, shows that low attainment continues to be an issue in the school and that gaps are not closing rapidly enough. The use of the assessment system is not sharp enough in showing which pupils are most in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

need of support and this means that teachers are not able to use this information to ensure that the needs of different groups of pupils are met well. This means that pupils are not closing the gaps rapidly enough.  The school’s curriculum is broad but it is not balanced and subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics are not monitored closely. In some year groups, pupils’ writing, as well as their spelling, punctuation and grammar are not nearing national standards quickly enough. This is partly due to the lack of opportunity pupils have to regularly reinforce their key literacy skills across all areas of the curriculum. The expectations of pupils by teachers in their writing in the broader curriculum are not always high enough. The chances for pupils to develop their writing and to be precise in their use of spelling and grammar are not used to the fullest extent by teachers. The progress pupils make in the broader curriculum requires

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

improvement. Equally, the broader curriculum is not used to reinforce pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics and the opportunity to use and apply their key skills in a variety of contexts and subject areas is missed.  The opportunities pupils have to go on visits and receive visitors into school, as well as their assemblies and their outdoor learning opportunities, are plentiful and these parts of the curriculum are having a good impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils have the chance, for example, to learn about other religions and cultures as well as about their own culture, in historic terms, all of which interests them. They feel that going on trips makes the learning more real and pertinent, which they say makes the learning stay with them. While the learning over time in the classroom requires some improvement, the learning done away from the classroom, where available, is helping pupils to deepen their understanding. In

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

addition, these opportunities support pupils’ understanding of the world around them; the differences and similarities between their lives and those of others in their local area and beyond. In this way, the pupils have a stronger understanding of important aspects of British values. This is reflected in the life of the school; for example, pupils elect pupils to the school council, who then meet with leaders in school to influence the way the school is organised.  Outcomes for groups of pupils are too variable. Some groups’ rates of progress are slower than others. This demonstrates that the school does not provide equality of opportunity. However, there is no discrimination between different groups of pupils and parents.  The local authority does not provide a sharp analysis of the school’s needs and in this way it has not supported leaders in the school to make rapid improvements in the necessary areas, so that pupils make

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

faster progress.  The governance of the school  The governance of the school requires improvement. Since the last inspection, when it was recommended that governance was reviewed, there has been some improvement to the capacity of governors. This is apparent in the way that the governors challenged the school’s leaders and in their understanding of the school’s assessment information. However, there have been considerable changes to the governing body in the period since the review. Because of this, the capacity of governors has declined again. There is not a full understanding among all governors about the outcomes of pupils and they have an overly generous view of how well pupils are doing.  The assessment systems used by leaders are not clear enough for governors and some misinterpret what this data means, which leads them to have an overly positive view of how well pupils are doing. The use of published data is limited to a small number of governors which means that there are some

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

misconceptions by certain governors about how well groups of pupils in the school are doing, compared to other pupils nationally.  Governors are aware of the use of performance management for teachers and leaders in school and use the outcomes from this process to agree with the headteacher’s recommendation around pay progression  Governors know how the funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent but are not ensuring that changes are made to ensure that improvements for these pupils’ outcomes improve rapidly.  Governors have ensured that there is financial stability.  The school ensures that effective safeguarding procedures are in place which meet the statutory requirements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teaching requires further improvement, including teaching in the early years. This means that teaching is not having a consistently effective impact on pupils’ learning and they are not making consistently good progress. Teachers mark pupils’ work in line with the school’s policy and also provide pupils with feedback. At times, this feedback is used by pupils to make improvements to their work. However, at times, this does not happen and chances to support pupils to make improvements and make rapid progress in their learning are missed.  Teachers do not always use the checks they make on pupils’ work to inform their own planning. This means that learning activities planned by teachers do not always match their pupils’ needs closely. Where this is the case, this usually means that learning is too easy for pupils, who also comment that their work is too easy.  Sometimes, teachers are skilful at getting pupils to give full answers to their questions, including giving

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

reasons for their answers. However, this is not consistently happening and, at times, teachers accept basic answers from pupils and do not ensure that pupils have a full understanding of the answer they have given. Over time, it is apparent that pupils have misconceptions about their learning which are not identified quickly. Consequently, pupils’ rates of progress slow.  The teaching of literacy requires improvement. There have been concerted efforts to respond to areas for improvement identified in the last inspection. The efforts from this work have been seen in pupils’ handwriting and their general presentation of written work. It is also seen in certain groups’ writing and spelling, punctuation and grammar work. However, the improvements have not always been rapid enough or consistent across all groups of pupils and in all year groups.  The teaching of mathematics requires improvement. Pupils are not always given work that makes them think

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

and work hard independently. This means that different groups, even the most able, are not given the chance often enough to move to the highest standards in mathematics. This has led to below-average attainment in recent years and too many pupils currently who are not working at the expected level. As well as work which is too easy, there are not yet embedded practices to ensure that pupils regularly get to use and apply their mathematical knowledge and skills. This means there are not enough opportunities for pupils to reinforce their skills in real-life situations and use mathematics in a variety of ways. This is slowing pupils’ progress in mathematics.  The effectiveness of support staff in the classroom requires further improvement. Some teaching assistants are very well trained and highly effective. They know the pupils and their specific needs well. They also use their initiative because they understand the aims of the learning well. Conversely, some teaching assistants

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

do not work as effectively and some do not use their initiative well.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Parents believe their children are safe and happy in the school. Pupils agree; for example, the say that the school is safe because doors and gates are locked and because adults closely check who is allowed in the school. In addition, they believe that they are given good guidance around how to spot dangers when using the internet or how to use roads safely when walking around their local area. Pupils’ attendance to school is good and they arrive to school and lessons on time, because they like their school and their learning.  The attention paid to pupils with very specific educational needs has led to extensive nurture opportunities in the school, to which these pupils have responded positively. This has helped these pupils in terms of their personal development and their well-being. As a result of the nurture work, these pupils have much higher

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Personal development and welfare

self-esteem, are more willing and able to socialise with their peers and have made significant improvements academically.  The work done to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Pupils are excited about the visits they go on. They find them engaging and relevant to their learning. Pupils report that these visits make learning real. Visits also include residential trips for older pupils, who report that these are not only thrilling but also mean that they get to know their peers much better. One pupil said that the chance to spend time with her classmates made her understand them better and allowed her to realise how much she enjoys being part of her school community.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are not consistently positive. Too often, pupils are passive or disengaged and this is because learning activities are too easy at times. Pupils say this leads to some pupils becoming disruptive and that there can be silly behaviour in lessons which interrupts their learning. This in turn stops pupils making rapid progress over time.  Parents and pupils believe that general behaviour is not good enough and that bullying is apparent. The perceptions of both pupils and parents around bullying and poor behaviour are that there is not always an effective response to their concerns. Parents and pupils believe that bullying concerns are not always taken seriously enough and this means that problems can continue over time. All pupils spoken to in Key Stages 1 and 2 believed this was the case. The school’s records do not reflect the issues raised by parents and pupils.

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Behaviour

There are only a few cases of poor behaviour or of bullying logged. When asked about reporting such issues, some parents responded that the adults in school were not approachable. Other parents had the opposite view.  Pupils and the school’s records show that prejudiced bullying of a homophobic or racist nature is rare. Pupils also report that on the very rare occasions this has happened, there has been a very serious response to it with adults explaining very clearly why it is wrong. Pupils also report that there are regular assemblies about bullying which means that they are very capable of explaining the difference between bullying and having an argument with a friend.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe on the internet, explaining what they would do if they felt they were in danger. Equally, pupils are very clear about which sites to avoid because they understand that they are too young to use these sites.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Pupils do not make consistently good progress during their time at the school. This is the case in Key Stage 1 and in Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. This is also the case for different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs.  The standards that pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics are lower than is expected for their age. This means that pupils are not meeting national expectations in the key areas. This also means that pupils are not always ready for their learning as they move onto the next stage.  The outcomes in the phonics check at the end of Year 1 have improved, meaning more pupils are able to read by the end of Year 1. However, this not the case for all groups, with disadvantaged pupils’ phonics outcomes having declined in the last published data.  The achievement of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is not always good enough.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

Those pupils who are on an education, health and care plan are making good progress, thanks to the focused support for these pupils. The support has included work to help these pupils manage their feelings and to build their self-esteem. This has had a good impact on these pupils’ learning, seen by the rise in their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. However, other pupils with special educational needs do not make as strong progress.  Disadvantaged pupils do not make good progress and their attainment is usually lower than that of other groups in school in reading, writing and mathematics. While the school is aware of this issue, the information it holds for disadvantaged pupils currently in school shows that there are still gaps between these pupils and other pupils in school and nationally.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Most children start school with skills and knowledge typical for their age, or below what is typical for their age. In recent years, a higher than average proportion of children leave with a good level of development. However, this proportion dropped significantly in 2015. The rate of progress made by children currently in the early years is not consistently good.  The teaching of children requires improvement and this is partly due to the fact that the assessment information held on children is not thorough enough. For example, the children’s profiles have records of observations on children in only a limited number of areas. There is not enough of a focus in the children’s records of their development in most areas, except their reading, writing and mathematics work. This means that the activities planned do not always reflect children’s needs in the broader aspects of their curriculum.  There are wider-than-average gaps in the progress made by different groups of pupils, including

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Early years provision requires improvement

disadvantaged pupils, whose progress is slower than non-disadvantaged pupils in school.  Children’s conduct in their learning and at times of play is good and their attitudes to learning are also positive. Children demonstrate a lot of enthusiasm for their learning and are keen to learn. They also attend well and are punctual to school. Children say they feel safe.  Children trust the adults in the provision, who are firm yet kind and parents say staff are friendly and approachable. In the early years, parents appreciate the good communication between home and school. The school’s procedures for helping children to settle in, and to feel safe, when they first start school work well, according to parents.  The school’s leaders know that the early years provision is not as effective as it could be. The assessment of children’s progress in the early years lacks rigour in some areas and this means planning for children’s

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Early years provision requires improvement

learning is not as sharp as it should be and does not meet the children’s needs effectively. School leaders are aware that this part of the school’s work needs to be improved in order to ensure that the youngest children are given every opportunity to do as well as possible and are, therefore, well prepared for Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 106878 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 10002049

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 223 Appropriate authority Local Authority Chair Mrs Alison Lee Headteacher Mrs Susan Roberts Telephone number 01709 570590 Website www.kilnhurstprimary.org Email address admin@kilnhurstprimary.org Date of previous inspection 7–8 November 2013

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are White British.  A much lower than average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  A broadly average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged. These pupils are supported through the pupil premium funding, which is additional government funding provided to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.  Children enter the school in the Reception class on a full-time basis.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed a range of lessons.  The inspectors observed and spoke with pupils during lessons and at breaktime. They also met formally with groups of pupils from Key Stages 1 and 2.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders. Meetings also took place with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ work and a range of documents, including the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, performance management procedures, and pupils’ attendance data. Inspectors also looked at information about pupils’ progress and attainment.  Inspectors considered 47 parental responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also spoke with parents as they brought their children to school during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Fiona McNally, Lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Elaine Watson Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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