Swarcliffe Primary School

Swarcliffe Primary School Swarcliffe Drive, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS14 5JW

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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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 school’s motto, ‘enrich, enhance, excite’ is alive and well. Teaching enriches the pupils, the curriculum enhances their skills, and teachers and other adults make sure that school excites pupils about their learning.  The headteacher has transformed the school. Under her strong, authoritative and inclusive leadership, the quality of teaching has improved markedly, and the standards pupils reach continue to increase.  She is ably supported by an effective governing body and outstanding leadership at all levels.  Staff will do anything in their power to help pupils achieve. Pupils who have special educational needs or disability, those who are disadvantaged and those with specific social and emotional needs are all extremely well supported. As a result of incisive and timely support, pupils are ready to learn and make good progress.  Systems to monitor the quality of teaching, and the progress pupils make, are excellent. These

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This is a good school

form the basis upon which a combination of good teaching and individual support ensures that pupils make good progress.  Children in the early years make good progress and quickly grow in confidence.  The curriculum is innovative and highly engaging. ‘Swarcliffe superheroes’, developed with the pupils, allow teachers to set individual challenges for pupils. Pupils talk animatedly about these.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to keep safe. The school promotes the welfare of pupils to an outstanding level. British values of tolerance and respect are ever-present.  Pupils are polite, courteous and supportive of each other. The school helps them to be prepared to learn by working well with parents and carers and outside agencies.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not make as much progress in writing as they do in reading and mathematics.  Pupils do not apply their skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar enough when writing.  At times writing tasks do not inspire pupils.  A few of the most able pupils are not fully challenged to achieve to the very best of their ability.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the rate of progress pupils make in writing by: – ensuring that pupils apply their knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar when writing – increasing creative opportunities across the curriculum to inspire pupils in their writing – increasing the number of opportunities for pupils to write at length.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Challenge the most able pupils in Years 1 to 6, and children in the early years to do even better by increasing the opportunities for pupils to deepen their learning, for example through finding things out for themselves.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The headteacher has transformed the school. She is strong and authoritative in style, and calm and inclusive in nature. She has ensured that the school’s effectiveness is underpinned by sensible and highly effective systems and structures. At the same time, she makes sure that every single pupil is cared for and helped to move forward in their learning. As a result of her excellent leadership, the school is improving rapidly, and the progress pupils make is good and improving strongly.  The headteacher ensures that other leaders are well supported and given access to excellent professional development. The headteacher leads a superb team of senior leaders, phase leaders and subject leaders who have bought into her vision, and lead with knowledge and integrity. They make an outstanding contribution to the school.  Teachers and teaching assistants are trained very well indeed. All staff who spoke to inspectors were

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

highly appreciative of their training and unanimously indicated that it is helping to improve their teaching practice.  The headteacher has used performance management both to reward excellence and to challenge underperformance. Teachers are well aware of the high expectations that senior leaders have of them, as expressed in the challenging targets that are set to manage their performance.  Systems to track the progress of pupils are excellent. Not only is the school ‘data-rich’, it is ‘data-wise’ in the way it uses information to identify any areas of weakness. Teachers swiftly move into action when the data shows that individual pupils are falling behind and help them make progress through small-group work or additional challenges.  Pupils benefit from a rich and stimulating curriculum, with a wide variety of exciting topics and trips which spark in them a love of learning. They participate in a range of after-school clubs, including street

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

dancing, line dancing, film club and tag rugby. The school runs residential visits to widen pupils’ understanding of the world, and to develop their cultural awareness. Pupils’ spiritual understanding is developed well through assemblies, prayers at lunchtime and activities which give them access to new experiences.  Senior leaders ensure that additional funding, provided through the pupil premium grant, is used effectively. The money ensures that the vast majority of disadvantaged pupils make as much progress as other pupils do nationally. Similarly, primary school sports funding is well spent to improve pupils’ skills, and to give them access to dance lessons, additional swimming lessons and extra-curricular opportunities.  School leaders put the individual pupils at the heart of their decision-making. They work tirelessly to ensure that pupils are emotionally and socially ready to learn. They work well with other agencies to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

support pupils and their families. Programmes that offer one-to-one support, where pupils can come to talk about any individual issues they may have, and where parents can receive advice, are examples of this.  The school works well with parents. Inspectors observed a knitting group, where parents not only knit, but also talk about the experiences of their children at school, and offer each other practical support where needed.  Teachers and other adults help pupils understand the importance of tolerance, consideration and respect for others; they promote British values well. Pupils show that they are responsible citizens in their many roles, including as librarians and school council members. They show consideration to those less fortunate than themselves, raise money for various charities and show a good appreciation of the culturally diverse nature of society. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The school has a highly productive relationship with the local authority. Following the last inspection, the local authority, school leaders and members of the governing body formed a ‘joint review group’ which tracked improvements in the school. Its impact was strong. As the school improved, the local authority moved into a position where it supported the school less, as it saw improvements in provision.  The governance of the school – The quality of governance is strong. Since the last inspection, the majority of governors are new, and they have been resolute in their determination to help the school move forward. Governors have ensured that they have the skills needed to help the school on its journey. They are not complacent, and they know that more work needs to be done by the school in the area of writing. – Governors are provided with information as to how the school is performing. They understand data

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

about pupil progress and the quality of teaching. They ensure that pupil premium funding is used effectively by monitoring its impact. They ensure that only the best teachers receive financial reward for reaching their targets. – Governors are well trained and keep up to date with developments in education, including those linked to the ‘Prevent’ duty and keeping children safe in education.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that pupils, and children in the early years, are safe at school. All members of staff are appropriately trained to deal with any issues raised by pupils that might have implications for their safety and well-being. Any referrals to outside agencies are well organised.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Throughout the school, teachers are highly skilled at motivating pupils to learn. They pay close attention to pupils’ interests and ensure that the curriculum is engaging. Due to good teaching and close tracking of pupils’ performance, the quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection.  The quality of teaching assistants is particularly strong. Their role in whole-class teaching, and in teaching the precisely crafted intervention sessions, has contributed to improved rates of progress across the school.  The quality of written feedback is exemplary. Designed by pupils, ‘Swarcliffe superheroes’ praise pupils for their efforts and give them individual targets for improvement, or challenge them to move on in their learning. ‘Workathon’ keeps practising things to become a master of them, whereas ‘Persevera’ keeps going when things are difficult. Pupils love the system.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Where the impact of teaching is most effective, teachers have a good understanding of where pupils are in their learning and plan lessons to build upon this. They check how well pupils are doing and change tack or pace accordingly. They often provide opportunities for pupils to consolidate their learning and practise new skills. Homework is used effectively to extend learning or to prepare for new topics.  While the most able pupils achieve well, at times they could do better because sometimes teachers do not challenge them sufficiently, for example in deepening their understanding through finding things out for themselves.  Teachers plan a wide variety of activities to keep key vocabulary and concepts alive. For example, in a Year 2 art lesson, actions and repetition helped consolidate patterns and textures, and questioning in groups really probed pupils’ understanding. In a Year 4 religious education lesson, pupils thought deeply

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

about who inspired them, and the differences between being inspired by a celebrity or by friends and family.  Phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is taught well across the school, as are the mechanics of writing. Pupils make good progress in their spelling and have a good grasp of punctuation and grammar. School leaders are aware that sometimes pupils are less able to apply their knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar when writing, and that sometimes they do not have enough opportunities to write at length in different areas of the curriculum. In many cases, the curriculum inspires pupils in their writing. However, school leaders understand that on occasions writing tasks are not sufficiently creative to inspire them.  Topic books show high expectations of pupils in different subject areas. Key questions such as ‘Would you like to live in Tudor times?’ in history, and theories about the movement of the earth in geography, typify

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

subject content.  The school has successfully adopted a range of strategies to support pupils’ progress in reading and positively encourages and values reading. Pupils say they enjoy reading, and talked about how they read widely.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils are proud of their school. They are looked after well and are confident in talking to any adult about any concerns they may have.  There is a strong focus on safety and welfare. A police officer who regularly spends time at school teaches the pupils the importance of road safety, and safety on railways. Pupils go swimming and are taught about water safety through these lessons. Pupils have the opportunity to learn how to ride a bicycle, and are able to take a simple proficiency test which helps them further understand road safety.  There is an equally strong focus on developing healthy lifestyles. The creative arts and dance coordinator teaches fun sessions in movement and dance. Pupils eat together at lunchtime to develop social skills, and the pupils have even helped write the packed-lunch guidelines. Some pupils told inspectors about a

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Personal development and welfare

recent class debate on sugar tax.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe and they know why it is important to stay safe. They say that any form of bullying is rare, and that on the occasions that it occurs, it is dealt with swiftly by staff. They have a high level of respect for others. They say that the use of derogatory language is rare, and that the school community does not tolerate any forms of discrimination, including homophobia and racism. They understand both the benefits and the dangers of using the internet.  Outstanding support is available for pupils through the nurture room, should they need it. Here pupils can talk to adults, or simply relax and reflect in the calm and peaceful atmosphere.  The school council is active, and pupils have a voice in how their school is run. This includes each class writing their own rules about acceptable behaviour, and how they should be rewarded for good

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Personal development and welfare

behaviour. School librarians lead the school in developing and looking after the library, and are very proud of their role!  Pupils, parents and staff say that the school is a safe place, and that pupils' physical and emotional well- being is at the heart of the pastoral system. Inspectors agree.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils think that the way their behaviour is managed is fair. They spoke to inspectors of sanctions being fairly implemented and rewards being appropriate.  Pupils are typically kind to each other, respectful of adults, and attentive in the classroom. The vast majority are very keen to get on with their learning, and work well together in class. Pupils know they have a responsibility to ensure that their behaviour helps others to learn rather than holds them back.  Pupils who sometimes struggle to behave well or relate to other pupils or adults are well supported to do so through a variety of individual programmes. As a result, the behaviour of these pupils improves over time, and they become more confident in their learning.  The school’s focus on developing pupils morally and socially is evident in their behaviour. Pupils are reflective and think about their actions, and the impact they have on others.

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Behaviour

 Most pupils dress smartly and ensure that the school environment is kept clean and tidy. The presentation of the vast majority of exercise books is exemplary.  Pupils enjoy coming to school, and as a result their attendance is now above average and continues to increase. There are fewer pupils who struggle to come to school regularly now.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Most children enter Nursery with skills which are low, and often well below those typical for their age. They make good progress from their starting points and are increasingly well prepared for their learning in Year 1.  Pupils make good progress in their understanding of phonics. This sets strong foundations for pupils to make good progress in reading right across the school. Pupils develop a love of reading.  Pupils make good progress at key stage 1. However, there remain some differences between the standards boys and girls reach, or those that disadvantaged pupils reach compared to the others. Pupils continue to make good progress through key stage 2 and reach standards in reading and mathematics that are above national average and standards approaching the national average in writing.  By the time pupils leave school in Year 6, there are no significant gaps in attainment between different

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Outcomes for pupils are good

groups of pupils. This is due to the high quality of teaching, and also the focus that teachers and leaders place on supporting pupils emotionally and socially if this is needed.  Progress in mathematics is good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and they make learning interesting. Teachers have focused well on the teaching of mathematics since the last inspection and the quality of provision has improved.  Progress in writing is less strong than in reading and mathematics. Pupils make good progress in spelling, punctuation and grammar, but write less well at length, and sometimes forget the rules of English when writing on their own.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress. They are well supported by teachers and teaching assistants who know their needs, and tailor lesson planning accordingly. As a result of good teaching and individual support, they do well.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The most able pupils make good progress, but some could reach even higher levels of attainment. This is because sometimes they are not challenged enough to do their best.  The school helps pupils develop into successful learners and this prepares them well for life in secondary school.

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Early years provision is good

 The proportion of children achieving a good level of development in the early years has significantly improved.  Teaching engages children right from the word go. There are high expectations both within Nursery and Reception, and all adults promote high achievement. A sense of urgency among the staff pervades the classroom, driven by the knowledge that most children enter Nursery with skills which are below, and often well below, those typical for their age. Expectations are high.  All children make good progress. This includes girls and boys, children who have special educational needs or disability, who are identified very quickly and given the extra help they need, and children new to English. The gap in the achievement of disadvantaged children and others narrows while children are in the early years. The standards children reach in writing are less strong than in other areas of learning because opportunities are sometimes missed for them to apply and practise their skills. Occasionally the

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Early years provision is good

most able children are not challenged enough to do their best.  Children are enthusiastic learners, excited to share what they are doing with other adults and children. They can sustain concentration for increasingly long periods of time. Adults support this through skilful questioning and deeper probing. For example, children in Nursery were totally captivated when finding the names of insects outdoors and were excited about exploring to find more.  Rigorous, accurate assessment of children’s learning is used well to plan activities that capture children’s interest and build on their existing knowledge and understanding. Staff have an acute awareness of the unique learning needs of each child.  Children are very well behaved, keen to talk about their learning and share toys and equipment with each other willingly. They are friendly and kind and no one is left out. They are motivated and keen to join in

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Early years provision is good

all activities.  The school works well with parents. Sharing ‘wow’ moments with parents when children have done something particularly well and encouraging parents to come to school for ‘stay and play’ sessions have both been successful. The school development plan also focuses on further developing home-school links.  Children’s health, safety and well-being are given a high priority. Staff are vigilant to ensure that policies, procedures and practices are consistently implemented.  Excellent leadership is at the heart of the early years. The leader sets high expectations for children and staff. She has led the team extremely well and developed a clear vision for her area. She uses data with precision to identify and address key priorities, and has shaped learning very well within early years. As a result of the strength of her leadership, learning is good and continues to improve strongly.

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School details

Unique reference number 107944 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 425769

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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 336 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fiona Killen Headteacher Debra Hill Telephone number 0113 293 0275 Website www.swarcliffeprimary.co.uk Email address headteacher@swarcliffeprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 27−28 November 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is average.  The proportion of pupils who have support for special educational needs or disability is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below the national average.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school meets the government’s 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 school

 The majority of members of the governing body, including the chair, were not in position at the time of the last inspection.  The headteacher supports nearby schools, including Thorpe Primary School and schools in the Bramham Shadwell Federation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in lessons and groups of pupils working. Joint observations of teaching were conducted with the headteacher and findings discussed.  Inspectors observed pupils at breaktime and when moving around the school.  They talked to pupils in lessons about their experience at school and looked at work in their books. They talked to two specific groups of pupils about the school, the behaviour of pupils and the quality of teaching.  Inspectors held meetings with members of the governing body and the teaching staff, including middle and senior leaders. An inspector spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 19 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View, the one response to the online pupil questionnaire and the 30 responses to the online staff questionnaire.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised a range of documentation, including: the school’s

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Information about this inspection

view of its own performance; monitoring records; information about pupils’ progress; improvement planning; minutes of the meetings of the governors; and records of behaviour and attendance. They looked closely at records relating to safeguarding and child protection, and at policies, including those published on the school’s website.  A range of other evidence, including displays, the school website and evidence representing the school’s wider achievements beyond the classroom was also considered.

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Inspection team

Michael Wardle, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Nicola Shipman Ofsted Inspector Michael Smit 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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