Hugh Gaitskell Primary School

Hugh Gaitskell Primary School St Anthony’s Drive, Beeston, Leeds LS11 8AB

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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 recently appointed headteacher is developing a strong teaching team which is reflective about its practice and how it can improve. As a result, teaching is now good across the school.  Governors are well informed and provide effective challenge and support.  Standards have significantly improved during this year. Pupils now make good progress, including in English and mathematics.  The curriculum is carefully designed to enthuse pupils and create a love of learning. This has encouraged pupils to have very positive attitudes to their work.  The gap between the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and those of other pupils nationally and within the school is closing.  Teachers plan a range of activities for pupils to apply their English and mathematical skills in other subjects. Pupils enjoy the challenges they are set.  All adults have high expectations of how pupils should behave. This is reflected in pupils’ polite

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This is a good school

and cooperative behaviour. Bullying is very rare.  Pupils are well cared for. There are many opportunities for the development of social skills, independence and self-confidence.  The school’s values, which underpin the curriculum, teach pupils lifelong learning skills and promote strong social, moral, spiritual and cultural development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Provision in the early years is not consistently good enough to ensure that most Reception-aged children make the progress of which they are capable.  Not enough of the most able pupils are working at a level which fully challenges their thinking.  There is more scope to maximise the impact of middle leaders on raising standards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of early years provision by securing consistently high-quality teaching across all classes which ensures that all work set is at the right level of challenge for children and enables them to make good or better progress.  Raise the quality of all teaching and learning, so that achievement becomes outstanding by: providing additional opportunities for higher attaining pupils in all year groups to develop mastery of their learning developing strategies for the less able pupils to use practical equipment successfully to support their mathematical skills ensuring that assessment of pupils’ work includes clear and measurable targets against which success can be judged over time.  Further develop the effectiveness of middle leadership by developing subject leaders’ skills in using evidence from their monitoring of teaching and learning to check frequently the effectiveness of training

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

and to plan further work to improve pupils’ progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The recently appointed headteacher and deputy headteachers have worked tirelessly during this academic year to address previous staffing issues, and to develop a culture where all staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and academic achievement. This has been achieved as a result of the recruitment of a highly skilled teaching staff, the development of a curriculum which is underpinned by strong values, and the teaching of a range of skills.  The leadership team regularly works with teachers to review standards of pupils’ work. Following these activities, staff reflect upon the outcomes and work together to find resolutions and improve their teaching. This has brought about improvements in teaching across the school, for example through the increased use of carefully planned questioning to develop pupils’ vocabulary.  The headteacher and governors use information gathered from monitoring the school’s work to compile

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

plans to improve the school further. These plans use assessment information about pupils to identify where improvements can be made, and include clear and measurable targets against which success can be judged over time.  Leaders understand what improvements the school needs to make and ensure that their training for staff is linked to improvement priorities. Teachers have valuable opportunities to work with other schools to share teaching strategies and attend courses to develop their skills in subject leadership. Now that a more permanent staffing structure is established, regular opportunities are planned for subject coordinators to fully develop their roles using evidence from monitoring to check the effectiveness of professional development.  Leaders are rigorous in their tracking of how pupils are progressing. The leadership team knows every pupil extremely well and meets with teachers regularly to discuss pupils’ progress. As a result, teachers

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

are challenged to account for the progress of every child in their care and intervention strategies ensure that those pupils who experience any difficulty in their learning quickly catch up.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively. The gap is now closing between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in school. These pupils are now making much better progress than previously because their progress is more closely monitored and effective interventions are put in place when needed. They also receive strong support for their social and emotional development.  The school makes good use of the physical education (PE) and sports premium for primary schools. This funding has primarily been used to train teachers in aspects of PE where they were less confident and has improved the quality of teaching in this subject.  The curriculum has been carefully designed, with regular input from pupils, to enthuse and consolidate

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

prior learning. Pupils have the opportunity to visit the theatre, and develop their orienteering skills during visits to the Yorkshire countryside. Pupils apply their basic skills to support their learning across other subjects. For example, pupils in Year 3 were able to use their comprehension skills to identify similarities and differences when researching religious buildings.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. The well-established ‘One World, One School’ ethos ensures that pupils are taught to respect and be tolerant of other faiths and cultures that are not represented in the school.  The school engages well with parents. Parents say that staff are approachable and that their views are considered. They appreciate the school’s decision to employ staff who can converse with them in a variety of languages.  The local authority has made frequent visits since the previous inspection and has provided effective

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

support for the headteacher and teachers. The recent support for the moderation of pupils’ writing has already had a positive impact.  The governance of the school Governors bring a valuable range of skills. As a result of recommendations from a governance review, they now know the school and pupils well because they visit regularly, and are fully informed through updates on achievement, progress information and reports from senior leaders. This is closely reviewed against information from their own visits. Consequently, they ask pertinent questions, challenge leaders and hold them to account, for example about what is being done to raise the attainment of pupils of lower ability. Governors make good use of a range of information and reports from pupil progress meetings to compare the school’s performance with that of other schools nationally and plan effective strategies to close any gaps in achievement. They check the use of pupil premium and know that this funding is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

used effectively because the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates is narrowing. Governors make sure that salary rewards for performance are only given on merit, and that the management of staff performance leads to further professional development to improve both teaching and leadership skills.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding training is up to date, and regular personal, social and health education lessons ensure that all pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Parents support the view that pupils are safe and well looked after.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching is good, and has improved since the previous inspection. Teachers are trained well and have good subject knowledge. They meet regularly to assess how well pupils are learning, and use information on pupils’ performance to plan learning activities.  Teachers create a very positive climate for learning through openness and effective questioning. A particularly effective example of this was observed in a Year 6 science lesson where pupils used their investigative skills to solve a range of challenging problems about Morse code. Pupils who shared their views with inspectors said that most of their work is hard enough, and inspectors agree.  Very good relationships exist between adults and pupils, enabling high-quality discussions to occur about learning. Pupils are very respectful towards adults and each other. Pupils quickly pay attention when asked to do so and listen well. During a mathematics lesson in Year 6, the teacher praised several pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

in particular for generating strategies to tackle a complex problem successfully; this achievement was further celebrated by their classmates’ positive comments.  Teachers’ assessments of the standard of pupils’ work, moderated with those of other schools, show that the teaching of mathematics has improved during the last 12 months. As a result, the majority of pupils are now making good progress in this subject. Sometimes, the least able pupils do not make as much progress as their peers due to teachers not making the best use of practical equipment to support learning.  The teaching of reading has improved, resulting in the large majority of pupils catching up with the standards achieved by their peers nationally. Pupils enjoy reading often and are usually able to use their phonics skills to decode unfamiliar words. Some of the most able pupils do not progress as much as other pupils, as the expectations of what they can achieve are sometimes not high enough. This aspect of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

teaching is already a priority in the school improvement plan.  The teaching of writing is effective and is supporting pupils’ improved use of punctuation and better sentence construction. Pupils in most classes can write at length and use imaginative language. Consequently, most groups of pupils are making good progress in writing.  Teachers’ feedback usually follows the marking policy by providing specific guidance to pupils on how to improve a piece of work, and suggestions to support learning are usually followed up.  Teaching assistants are well deployed and provide effective support, in particular for the less able pupils. These staff are beginning to develop their skills in the use of questioning, which is allowing them to challenge pupils to deepen their thinking and understanding.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils display positive attitudes towards school and a clear understanding of what they need to do to become successful learners.  All pupils benefit from good-quality care. Pupils who may be vulnerable receive extra support in class or through the school’s strong links with external agencies, so that they can participate fully and progress as well as their classmates.  The school is a calm, harmonious place where pupils flourish and become increasingly mature. They enjoy taking responsibility as play leaders, for example, or when helping younger pupils read.  Pupils know that they are responsible for their actions and are well aware of the difference between right and wrong. Rewards, such as being named in the ‘Let’s Celebrate’ section of the school’s weekly newsletter, encourage good manners and consideration for others.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe in different situations, and the school has evidence of the positive impact of its recent project on internet safety, which shows that pupils from all age groups know how to keep themselves safe online.  Pupils value their education. Attendance is in line with the national average, with few pupils persistently absent. Any absences are quickly followed up. Pupils are punctual to school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  School records, previous reports and inspection findings show that this is typical over time, and parents and pupils agree. All pupils are treated fairly and exclusion is only used in the most extreme circumstances. All pupils understand how behaviour is managed, and say that the school systems are fair.  Good behaviour and supportive relationships result in learning proceeding smoothly in lessons and outside class. Most pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning, so they work hard and progress well. A small number of pupils occasionally need to be refocused on work by their teachers.  Pupils feel safe in school. They say that bullying is not an issue, but a very small number of parents told inspectors that they disagreed or were unsure. Evidence collected by the inspection team indicates that bullying is not an issue. Pupils understand that bullying takes different forms such as cyber-bullying, and

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Behaviour

know that they must always tell an adult about any sort of bullying.  Pupils are confident that staff listen to, and act on, any concerns. Incidents of racism are very rare. Pupils have a good understanding of types of extremism and how to keep themselves safe from it. Records of behavioural incidents are kept and show the good impact of the school’s actions.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Standards have improved significantly during this academic year. Pupils now make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and are beginning to apply their skills in other subjects across the curriculum, especially history and geography.  The school has successfully implemented a robust system for tracking pupils’ progress this year. Teachers’ judgements of achievement are now secure and pupils’ work is regularly moderated with staff from other schools.  Evidence from pupils’ books shows that standards have improved in all subjects and attainment is on course to be in line with the national average at the end of this academic year in most year groups. In year groups where this is not the case, overall assessment data has been distorted by the significant influx of pupils. These pupils are well supported, and as a result, are now making rapid progress towards their challenging targets. A particular strength of the school has been engaging parents whose children

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Outcomes for pupils are good

are in the early stages of speaking English. This involvement of parents has contributed to the overall improving picture of progress this year.  Leaders predict that the proportion of pupils on track to reach the expected standard in the national phonics screening check this year will be slightly below the national average. However, as attainment for this cohort was significantly below average at the start of this year, this represents considerable progress. Younger pupils use their phonics skills exceptionally well to sound out and read unfamiliar words. All pupils know that their reading helps them to learn new words and improve their writing.  The gap is closing between disadvantaged and other pupils. Disadvantaged pupils make good and often better than expected progress across the school. Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress from their different starting points. They benefit from the strong intervention

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Outcomes for pupils are good

programmes, which are delivered very well by teachers and support staff.  In Year 6, the most able pupils make good progress. These pupils enjoy their learning; they were able to show the inspector the many complex problems they had been set and had successfully solved. Pupils explained that they enjoy being challenged, and an older pupil described how she ‘loves maths – when it is harder than SATS!’. Progress is not as strong for the most able pupils in other year groups as a result of some gaps in their reading knowledge.  Pupils listen attentively to teachers and other staff and are successfully prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Leaders’ actions to tackle weaknesses have been slow to bring about sufficient improvement in teaching in the early years. Although practice is strong in the Nursery class, a succession of temporary teachers in one of the Reception classes has led to inconsistent classroom management and has prevented some children from receiving work which challenges them. This situation has meant that Reception children have taken longer to settle into school, which has slowed their progress. School leaders recognise this issue and are implementing a staffing structure allowing the stronger teachers to share their high expectations and routines across the entire early years unit.  Children enter Reception with different pre-school experiences and a range of skills that are below those typical for their age. In 2014 and 2015, the proportion of children that achieved a good level of development was below the national average.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Current children are still not making as much progress as they should. This is because their early reading skills are not consolidated as well as they might be because of insufficient opportunities to practise them throughout the school day.  Working routines are not consistently followed by some children in Reception, which means that the foundations upon which to build appropriate attitudes to learning higher up the school are not strong. Consequently, children are not as well prepared for key stage 1 as they should be.  The school promotes an open-door policy and parents are welcomed into school to discuss the progress of their children through regular parent reviews. However, the school provides limited information to parents on how they could best support their child at home.  Children are happy at school. All staff regularly praise children for their efforts, so that they feel valued and well looked after. Children say that they feel safe in the environment, both inside the classrooms and

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Early years provision requires improvement

in the outside learning area.  Children enjoy a range of activities both in the classroom and the outside area. They respond most positively to activities that encourage independent discovery and the use of imagination. As a result, children do not have an over-reliance upon adult direction.

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School details

Unique reference number 107959 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 10002100 Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 621 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dr Melvyn Blackband Headteacher Kathleen McNulty Telephone number 0113 2716963 Website www.hughgaitskell.leeds.sch.uk Email address Sue.Richardson@HG-PS.org Date of previous inspection 4 December 2013

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Information about this school

 This school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportions of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds and whose first language is not English are above average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above the national average.  An above-average proportion of pupils leave or join the school part-way through their primary education, and this proportion is increasing. Some pupils who join the school are new to speaking English.  There have been significant changes to the school’s staffing since the previous inspection, with the appointment of a new headteacher and two deputy headteachers.

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Information about this school

 The school has recently recruited new permanent staff to teach in Reception from September 2016. There have also been some changes to the governing body.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  Last year, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set out minimum expectations for progress and attainment for English and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning on both days, spoke to pupils and examined their work. Several lessons were visited jointly with the headteacher and a deputy headteacher.  The inspectors observed morning playtime and lunch breaks.  The lead inspector met with governors and with a representative of the local authority.  Meetings were held with school staff, including senior leaders, and inspectors took account of their views. Pupil questionnaires were also reviewed and a number of pupils also shared their views about school.  The inspectors considered responses from 16 parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning and undertaking the inspection. Inspectors also spoke informally with a number of parents.  The inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ progress, improvement planning, leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching, local

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Information about this inspection

authority checks of provision and pupils’ progress, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Stuart Busby, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Lynn Kenworthy Ofsted Inspector Lynda Florence Ofsted Inspector Janet Keefe 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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