Wilthorpe Primary School

Wilthorpe Primary School Greenfoot Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 1EG

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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

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher and leaders have successfully improved teaching, learning and assessment since the previous inspection. As a result, pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Standards are mostly above national averages. Writing is a strength of the school and standards are particularly high.  Teaching is good because teachers have a secure knowledge of the subjects they teach and plan interesting lessons.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and across the school. They are polite and courteous to all adults and have positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils feel safe at school. Leaders ensure that systems to keep pupils safe are effective and respond to the individual needs of pupils.  The curriculum is well designed and provides pupils with a range of rich experiences which enthuse them as well as improving their basic skills.  The early years provision provides a safe and

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This is a good school

caring environment, where children mix happily with each other.  Governors have an accurate view of the school’s performance and make an important contribution to improving the school’s effectiveness. They hold leaders and staff to account well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards of attainment and progress in mathematics are not as good as for reading and writing, and particularly for the most able pupils.  The teaching of phonics (letters and sounds) is not consistent.  Early years provision requires improvement because teaching and children’s progress are not consistently good.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve pupils’ progress and attainment in mathematics for all pupils, but especially the most able by: − teachers using their assessment of pupils’ previous learning to plan challenging activities − moving pupils on to more demanding work when they are ready − teachers consistently applying the school’s marking and feedback policy.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the provision in early years and thereby improve the progress children make by: adults using opportunities to seize upon children’s interest and engage them in their learning accurately assessing children’s abilities and planning activities that meet their needs ensuring that there are effective systems in place that identifies the progress that children, as well as groups of children, are making.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher, ably supported by senior leaders and the governing body, has worked with determination to improve the school. As a result, the quality of teaching and the progress pupils are making have improved since the last inspection.  Leaders check the impact of all aspects of the school’s work on pupils’ learning, behaviour and well-being. There are good systems in place to monitor teaching and its impact on pupils’ achievement. As a result, leaders have a realistic view of how well the school is doing and set clear priorities for improvements.  Subject leaders make an effective contribution to improving standards in their subjects. A greater emphasis on writing, for example, has seen a rapid improvement in standards.  Systems to manage teachers’ performance are thorough. The headteacher ensures that teachers have access to appropriate professional development to not only meet their performance management targets,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

but also to bring about the required improvements in their practice.  The curriculum is broad, rich and exciting. All statutory subjects are covered and enhanced by special events such as a science day when pupils were given opportunities to be forensic scientists, race balloon cars and make toothpaste.  The well-developed modern foreign languages curriculum means that pupils from Year 2 to Year 6 are taught French or Spanish on a weekly basis. In a lesson observed during the inspection, pupils were not only learning and conversing in Spanish, but were also studying the culture of countries where Spanish is widely spoken. These lessons are part of the school’s global learning programme which links world values, such as democracy, to values that we hold in Britain.  Carefully planned spiritual, moral, social and cultural development for pupils is a feature within the curriculum. Pupils study a range of different cultures and religions and historical figures such as Mahatma

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Gandhi.  Good use is made of the primary school physical education and sports funding to provide specialist coaching and effective professional development for staff. There is good evidence to show that an increasing number of pupils are taking advantage of a wide range of after-school sports clubs that are available to them.  Leaders make good use of funding for disadvantaged pupils. Through additional and targeted support, leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as their classmates and catch up with other pupils nationally. As a result, gaps are narrowing. The funding is also used to subsidise extra-curricular activities to ensure that all pupils have equality of opportunity.  The early years pupil premium funding is used to provide additional support for targeted children. Evidence shows that this is having a positive impact and children are benefiting from the support they receive.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The local authority has provided effective support and challenge for the school through regular visits and the brokering of support from other schools.  The governance of the school Governors challenge school leaders and they support staff well. They examine reports from school leaders and regularly visit the school. As a result, they have a sound understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and how it compares with other schools. Governors ensure that the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and the primary sports funding provide good value for money. Arrangements for performance management of staff, including the headteacher, are clear and stringently applied. Financial decisions linked to pay progression are clear.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have regular safeguarding training and are very clear about what they should do if they have any concerns about pupils or adults. Systems for keeping

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

pupils safe and secure are rigorous and comply with statutory requirements. The school liaises well with other agencies, and the school’s parent support adviser has developed strong links with parents.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Leaders have taken affirmative action to improve teaching since the last inspection and it is now good, with some that is outstanding. As a result, pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Improved teaching is also underpinned by very supportive and warm relationships between staff and pupils. Classrooms are calm working environments where pupils are eager to learn. This is because pupils know what is expected of them and the majority of lessons move on at a good pace.  The teaching of modern foreign languages is a strength of the school. Specialist teaching ensures that pupils from a young age are not only learning to speak French or Spanish well, but also study the culture of countries where these languages are mostly spoken.  The most able pupils are progressing well in their reading and their writing is particularly impressive. However, in a small number of lessons observed and in a scrutiny of pupils’ books, inspectors noted that

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

occasionally the tasks that they are set in mathematics are not always sufficiently demanding. In a minority of mathematics lessons, the most able pupils are sometimes having to complete work that is too easy before they move on to work that is more demanding.  Classroom assistants offer a good level of support for those pupils who find work difficult or need encouragement to succeed. In most lessons, they provide appropriate help to enable pupils to complete the tasks that are set for them.  The school’s policy for marking and feedback is effective and proving manageable for teachers to apply. Just occasionally, some teachers are not applying the agreed procedures consistently when providing feedback in mathematics. As a result, some teachers are missing opportunities to provide further challenge for pupils.  Teachers are using their assessment of previous learning to plan what pupils will learn next. Lessons are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

well planned and mostly meet pupils’ needs. However, in a small minority of mathematics lessons, this is not done as effectively. As a result, pupils, especially the most able, are set activities that do not challenge them to improve further and sometimes repeat what they already know.  The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters represent) is inconsistent. Although inspectors observed some good teaching of phonics, too often lessons lack pace and challenge.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school is a warm, welcoming place where self-assured and confident learners work well together and demonstrate good attitudes to learning and all aspects of school life.  Pupils understand the different types of bullying, such as cyber-bullying and name-calling. They say that bullying is rare and that when it does happen, it is dealt with swiftly. School records and logs support this.  Senior leaders and teachers take every opportunity to develop pupils’ personal qualities across the school. Weekly assemblies and displays recognise pupils’ achievements and pupils are involved in a range of fund-raising activities for various charities.  Pupils feel safe and valued as members of the school community. They know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils, parents and staff all agree that the school is a safe place to learn.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are enthusiastic about the sporting opportunities offered to them and take advantage of the range of after-school clubs. Pupils are also encouraged to ‘Walk to Rio’, which involves keeping a tally of all the pupils completing a specific distance across the playground so that it will eventually equal the distance between the school and the venue of the next Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are well mannered, polite and self-assured. They conduct themselves well around the school. They also have good attitudes to learning in lessons.  Attendance has improved overall and is now similar to national averages. Attendance has also improved for groups of pupils such as disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability. However, the number of pupils who regularly miss school remains above national averages.  Pupils feel that the behaviour of pupils in the school is good. They say that when inappropriate behaviour occurs, it is because of the poor behaviour of a small number of individual pupils.  Most parents whom the inspectors spoke to, and those who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s own parental and carer questionnaire, felt that behaviour in the school is good and well managed.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Observations of pupils’ responses in class and an analysis of work in books show that pupils currently in the school are making good progress from their different starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education when they leave the school at the end of key stage 2.  Writing is a particular strength of the school. Pupils use adventurous and interesting vocabulary and apply their well-developed knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling to their writing exceptionally well. The standards that pupils attain in writing are excellent in all areas of the curriculum, and reflect the improving trend seen in the published results for 2015.  Currently, the most able pupils are making good progress and reaching higher standards in reading and writing. In mathematics, the most able are sometimes not reaching the standards they are capable of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

because they are not challenged to attain higher. This is supported by the evidence collected during the inspection and the published results for 2015.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress relative to their starting points. This is because their progress is tracked accurately, and the work set and support provided are well suited to their specific learning needs.  Disadvantaged pupils in receipt of additional funding make progress which is similar to that of other pupils in the school and all pupils nationally. Any attainment gap between disadvantaged and other pupils has been significantly narrowed.  In 2015, the proportion of pupils in Year 1 who achieved the expected level in the phonics check was below national figures. Current school information shows a picture of gradual improvement. However, the inconsistent teaching of phonics is limiting progress.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 The early years team has gone through significant changes in staffing recently, including leadership. The recently appointed early years leader recognises the improvements that are needed and is beginning to take action to improve the quality of provision and the progress children make.  Children start in the early years with skills and abilities that are below what is typical for their age. By the time they leave the Reception class and move into Year 1, the proportion who reach a good level of development is similar to national averages.  Relationships are warm and positive and children are happy and well cared for. Safeguarding and welfare requirements for early years are met fully.  Children behave well most of the time. However, they can occasionally become boisterous and lose focus in what they are doing. This mostly happens when staff do not grasp opportunities to engage children in their learning, or encourage them to stay on task by challenging children to think deeper about what they

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Early years provision requires improvement

are doing.  The leadership of early years has not yet fully developed systems for tracking the progress children are making with the same rigour that is applied elsewhere in the school. This has led to some inconsistencies in determining how well children are achieving.  Some activities are interesting, well planned and grab children’s attention. However, on occasion the activities that are planned do not meet the needs of some children because adults have not taken into account the skills and the abilities of which children are capable.

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School details

Unique reference number 138393 Local authority Barnsley Inspection number 10012008

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 498 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pam Heggie Headteacher Claire Brady Telephone number 01226 288676 Website www.wilthorpeschool.co.uk Email address wilthorpeprimaryschool@barnsley.org Date of previous inspection 19−20 February 2014

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Information about this school

 Wilthorpe Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  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.  In the early years, Nursery children attend part time and Reception children attend full time.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Several were observed jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteachers.  Pupils’ work from all classes was scrutinised.  The inspectors listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, other staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors observed pupils moving around the school outside lessons, including on the playgrounds during breaks and in the dining hall.  The inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day. A meeting was also held in the school with a group of parents.  The inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the school’s view of its own performance, school improvement plans, attendance and safeguarding.  Inspectors analysed the 56 responses that had been submitted to the online questionnaire for parents (Parent View) and the questionnaire for parents and carers administered by the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the online questionnaire completed by members of the school staff.

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Inspection team

Alan Chaffey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Mark Randall Ofsted Inspector Susan Twaits 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

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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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