Park Grove Primary School

Park Grove Primary School Park Grove, York YO31 8LG

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The standards pupils reach by the end of each key stage are now in line with or above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics, representing a strong improvement.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This includes disadvantaged pupils, boys and girls, and pupils who have special educational needs or disability.  Teaching is generally good and has improved well since the last inspection. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and understand the needs of their pupils, which they cater for in the activities they plan for them.  Pupils’ conduct is good. They follow instructions well and there is very little disruption in lessons, allowing learning to continue without interruption.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning, seen by their engagement in and enjoyment of their learning. They report they love coming to school, which is seen in the high and improving attendance of pupils.

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This is a good school

 Pupils are safe and report that they feel safe. Parents also feel confident about this. Pupils are proud of their school and parents remark on the headteacher’s effective work to make improvements in the school.  Leaders, in particular the headteacher, have made rapid improvements to key areas of concern. This has led to better teaching. The headteacher, supported by governors, has made very difficult decisions which have led to much better outcomes for the pupils.  Governors have responded positively and successfully to a review of their effectiveness. They are now well informed and challenging partners to the headteacher and the leadership team.  Children in the early years achieve well, which demonstrates a strong improvement. The setting is led well and children are given every chance to reach the expected level by the end of the Reception Year.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teaching is not at a good enough standard and the progress in a small minority of classes is too variable, with pupils not always reaching the standards of which they are capable.  Pupils do not make sufficient improvements to their work as a result of teachers’ marking. This is because teachers do not always follow the school’s marking policy closely enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the outcomes of all groups of pupils, especially the most able, by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensuring teachers follow the school’s marking policy and enable pupils to improve their own work and reflect on how to make it better.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders should use their monitoring and evaluation processes rigorously to improve teaching further by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

identifying accurately where improvement in teaching is needed, determining the actions required to address weaknesses and communicating these clearly to relevant staff carrying out careful reviews to ensure actions have the desired impact on outcomes for pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 As a result of the headteacher’s strong focus on the quality of teaching and the good support of her senior leaders and governors, teaching has improved. There is no longer any inadequate teaching and pupils now achieve well overall. However, a small amount of teaching still requires further improvement.  Teaching is therefore generally good. As a result, attainment has risen in each key stage and pupils now meet or exceed the national average. This is the same in terms of the rate of progress pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics. These improvements have benefited all groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils.  The improved and strong achievement of pupils from different backgrounds and varying abilities shows the school’s success in ensuring all pupils in their care have an equal opportunity to achieve well.  Performance management arrangements ensure that staff understand their role in supporting the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

necessary improvements which have taken place since the last inspection. They have had increased opportunities to develop their teaching and leadership skills through well-thought-out training, bespoke to individual members of staff and based on their needs and interests. This has made a positive difference to the quality of teaching across the school.  Teaching is regularly monitored by senior and middle leaders with frequent visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work. The headteacher is skilled in this area. The rest of the senior leaders, who are new to their roles, have been well trained by the headteacher to become increasingly accurate in this work. Occasionally, actions identified by leaders are not sharp enough in stating how teachers can further improve.  The leadership of the provision for disadvantaged pupils has led to improved outcomes for these pupils, who are now achieving more in line with non-disadvantaged pupils in school and nationally. This is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

because there is a sharp and regular analysis of these pupils’ progress and attainment. Where pupils are underachieving, there are varied programmes of support and intervention which are successful in supporting the pupils to make stronger progress.  The leadership of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is strong. This was an area of weakness for the school previously but this is no longer the case. Again, thanks to a sharp focus on the individual pupils with particular needs, they get bespoke support which results in them achieving well.  Behaviour is a strength in the school, in terms of the pupils’ personal welfare and development and their conduct. Most pupils also demonstrate good attitudes to learning, although this is not consistent where teaching is not good. This area of the school’s work is led well. There is a calm and purposeful environment, where lessons are rarely disrupted because of poor behaviour and where there are very few

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

instances of very poor behaviour. In addition, the school’s attendance is higher than seen nationally and continues to improve, demonstrating that pupils enjoy being at school.  The curriculum is well developed and pupils are given regular opportunities to reinforce the key skills across different subjects. For example, books showed pupils writing at length when evaluating science experiments and using data handling skills, learned in mathematics, in their geography work.  The school has thought hard about its own core values, which come into all aspects of school life. These core values are clearly in line with British values. They prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain and they support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development successfully.  The value the school places on creativity is seen in the various aspects of the everyday curriculum and in the special events in which pupils take part. For example, pupils recently looked at the school’s own hens

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

laying eggs, closely monitored the eggs hatching and have since kept the chicks and analysed how they grow and what happens and the changes that take place as they do this. As well as understanding this part of natural science, the parents and pupils take it in turns to collect the eggs from the hens to use at home. This is an example of the very open and strong relationship between the school and families.  The additional primary school sport funding is used to good effect. The school has used funding to pay for expert coaches to teach pupils and train staff. As a result, pupils participate enthusiastically in different sports both during the school day and in extra-curricular activities. Furthermore, the school encourages pupils to use its facilities after school to play their own sports, such as basketball.  The school works closely with the local authority. The local authority has provided the headteacher with

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

support when making significant and, at times, unpopular changes. It has also supported the headteacher and other leaders in securing sustained improvement in the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school works closely with external agencies. The school’s pastoral staff ensure that pupils are well supported and safe. Records show that pupils’ safeguarding needs are documented as appropriate and staff are regularly trained to ensure pupils are safe at school.  The governance of the school  Governors underwent a review following the last inspection and have taken the opportunity to make necessary improvements. They are now clear about what the school’s priorities are to ensure the provision is strong for all groups of pupils. They now challenge the leaders in school where further improvements are still needed.  Governors are linked to classes and are regularly in school. They understand how well pupils behave

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and how well pupils engage in their learning. These regular contacts also give governors the chance to see the curriculum being implemented.  Governors have been fully aware of when teaching has not been good enough and have supported the headteacher in some very difficult decisions. The governors manage the school’s financial resources effectively. This good management includes the use of additional funds to support disadvantaged pupils so that this group of pupils now achieves well.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The impact of good teaching is seen in pupils’ books, in their test and assessment outcomes, from the good progress they make over time and from leaders’ records of monitoring of teaching. A small amount of teaching is outstanding. There is some teaching which is not consistently strong and requires improvement. This is mainly found in key stage 1.  Teachers mark pupils’ work in line with the school’s policy. This means they look at pupils’ work and how well they have understood their learning several times every week in reading, writing and mathematics. This amount of marking allows teachers to have a strong understanding of what their pupils can and cannot do and allows them to plan to closely meet the different needs of their pupils. However, marking and pupils’ response to it sometimes does not result in improvements in pupils’ learning.  Learning is usually challenging and pupils rise to the challenge. They enjoy it and are engaged in all they

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

do in lessons. Very occasionally, the most-able pupils are not given hard enough work to stretch them and help them to reach the highest levels of reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers question pupils well and are skilled at reshaping questions to support understanding and learning. They use questioning to challenge individuals and to support pupils’ oral communication skills; this helps to improve their confidence when speaking in front of their peers.  Teachers check pupils’ understanding regularly within lessons and use a variety of strategies which pupils understand and respond to well. As a result, teachers have a clear understanding of where pupils need support and when they are ready to move on; as a result pupils make rapid progress in their learning.  Teaching assistants work well to support individual pupils and groups of pupils. They question pupils skilfully and understand the importance of allowing pupils the opportunity to work independently and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

when it is appropriate to question and support them. As a result, the pupils supported by the teaching assistants make good progress.  Teachers make good use of the broader curriculum to reinforce the key skills, especially skills in writing, mathematics, spelling, punctuation and grammar. This has contributed well to the improved outcomes of pupils in these areas.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils feel safe and can say why this is. They also understand potentially dangerous situations and know what to do if they are concerned about something.  Pupils’ attendance is consistently strong and above average. It continues to improve. This is due to leaders’ focus in this area but also to the very strong relationships fostered between leaders and parents, who have a very high regard for the school as a whole. In addition, the high attendance of pupils demonstrates that learning and the curriculum are engaging.  Pupils are aware of different types of bullying, including cyber bullying and prejudiced-based bullying. Parents and pupils believe bullying is very rare and that it is dealt with well if it does occur. This view is confirmed by the school’s survey of parental opinion and the school’s record of incidents.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are proud of their school. This is seen in how they present their work in books, as well as the pride they take in their own appearance. The classrooms and other areas around the school are tidy and well organised.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They conduct themselves very well at all times of the day. This is apparent in all classes and in different parts of the school. There have been no recent serious behaviour issues and disruption is rare. Pupils report that this is because they understand and value the core values of the school and live by them in all they do.  Most pupils are enthusiastic and hardworking learners. This is evident in their attitudes in lessons, their use of teachers’ feedback and their high levels of attendance. There are some cases where pupils do not respond to teachers’ advice in their books. Where this is apparent, pupils’ progress slows. However, mostly, the pupils’ good behaviour contributes to the good and improved progress they make.  Pupils report that their learning is important to them and they can articulate why it is vital to read, write and do mathematics well.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils make good progress and are reaching higher than average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. They enter the school with levels of development that are broadly typical for their age. They leave the school having achieved better than the expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is the case for nearly all groups of pupils and where this has not been a strength in the past, it has improved strongly since the last inspection.  Historically, disadvantaged pupils have not made good progress and the gaps between their progress and the progress of their peers have been much wider than those seen nationally. However, this is no longer the case and disadvantaged pupils are now making good progress.  In 2015 a lower than average proportion of Year 1 pupils reached the expected standard in the national phonics check, which demonstrated a significant decline in results from the previous year. However,

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Outcomes for pupils are good

leaders have made well-thought-out amendments to the way phonics is taught and this means that those pupils currently in Year 1 are now successful in their phonics learning and understanding. The sharp focus on pupils who are struggling in this area has led to strong support being put in place, which means the gaps in their learning are being narrowed rapidly.  The most-able pupils do not always reach the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics of which they are capable. This is because sometimes they do not get more challenging work. However, since the last inspection, the attainment of these pupils and other ability groups has improved. Attainment at the end of key stage 1 has also improved consistently since the last inspection. By the end of key stage 2, pupils have made good progress in their learning and go on to secondary school with higher than average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The achievement of pupils who have special educational needs or a disability is good and has also improved well since the last inspection. These pupils’ needs are met well through various support programmes and individualised support from teachers and teaching assistants.

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Early years provision is good

 The early years teachers and leaders work effectively to ensure that the children make good progress from starting points that are typical for their age. At the last inspection, the early years provision was a key cause for concern because children did not develop rapidly. This is no longer the case and children achieve well in all areas, including reading, writing and mathematics.  Children are given good opportunities to develop all areas of their learning, with a key focus on their personal, social and emotional development as well as their communication and language skills, so that they are able to learn and develop. There are a variety of learning areas, which children know how to use. This means they are increasingly independent in their learning, as well as able to share and take turns in these areas.  There are high expectations of children’s behaviour and this is fostered by clear routines which children

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Early years provision is good

understand and value. These routines help children feel secure to learn and question, and help the transition between activities to be smooth; learning time is not wasted.  Leaders closely monitor the quality of teaching and the assessment information for the children in early years, which helps them to identify any underachievement quickly. This information is used to put extra support in, as necessary, and is also reviewed and checked to see the impact of the support. This process ensures pupils achieve well and that strong improvements in the provision are clear to see.  Children’s interest in the activities in class means they conduct themselves well and demonstrate their eagerness to learn.  Children’s welfare and personal development is at the centre of all that adults do in the early years. Children are safe and say they feel safe. Some can articulate this very well. Parents also agree their

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Early years provision is good

children are safe and well behaved.  Early years staff work very effectively with parents. For example, if children struggle to settle on arrival, parents are welcome to stay to support them. Also, parents regularly get the chance to see the work their child will be doing that day or have done recently. Parents feel this helps them to support their child at home with their learning.

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School details

Unique reference number 121280 Local authority York Inspection number 10002025 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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 268 Appropriate authority Local authority Chair David Hare Headteacher Jo Sawyer Telephone number 01904 659 727 Website www.parkgroveprimary.co.uk Email address head.parkgroveprimary@york.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 20 November 2013

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British.  A lower than average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  A lower than average proportion of pupils is 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 below average.  Children enter the school in the Reception class on a full-time basis.  The school is organised with mixed-age classes.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are 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 breaktimes. They also met formally with groups of pupils from key stages 1 and 2.  The inspectors observed an assembly.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders. Meetings also took place with members of the governing body and representatives 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 117 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 Lesley Bowyer Ofsted Inspector Juliet Demster 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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