Reevy Hill Primary School

Reevy Hill Primary School Bedale Drive, Buttershaw, Bradford BD6 3ST

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Leaders and governors have not addressed weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment quickly enough. As a result, not all pupils are making good progress.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent. Consequently, pupils make better progress in some classes than in others.  Teachers’ expectations of what their pupils can do are too low. As a result, the most able pupils are insufficiently challenged and pupils work too slowly.  Although the marking of pupils’ work has improved in line with the school’s policy, teachers do not always provide time for pupils to respond to their detailed feedback.  The learning environment in the early years, particularly in the Reception class, is poorly planned. Consequently, children do not have access to high-quality resources.  The curriculum does not provide full coverage of the national curriculum for science or prepare pupils well enough for life in modern Britain.

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Governors do not hold senior leaders to account for the progress of pupils across the school and in different subjects well enough.  Some pupils are regularly late for school and miss out on learning at the start of the day.  A small minority of pupils occasionally exhibit poor behaviour.

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The school has the following strengths

 Following new appointments in January 2016, the quality of leadership has improved.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved, particularly in mathematics.  Additional adults support pupils’ learning and welfare very well.  Absence has decreased, as a result of imaginative systems to encourage good attendance.  Pupils and their families are well cared for, and as a result, pupils feel safe and enjoy school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and raise the outcomes for pupils by: ensuring that all teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do providing more challenge to the most able pupils increasing the concentration of pupils on their work providing time for pupils to respond to teachers’ feedback about their work improving the quality and quantity of writing in pupils’ books.  Develop the curriculum by: formalising the approach to teaching British values ensuring that all aspects of the science national curriculum are covered and taught well.  Improve punctuality.  Enhance the quality of the learning environment and the resources in the early years.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by: streamlining the systems by which pupils’ progress information is evaluated ensuring that senior leaders monitor and evaluate the progress of all groups of pupils sharply in all

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

their curriculum subjects ensuring that the governing body holds senior leaders to account for the progress of different groups of pupils across the school and in the different subject areas.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Following new appointments to the middle and senior leadership teams at the start of this year, leadership has improved. There is a greater drive to improve the quality of teaching, particularly in English and mathematics. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving and pupils’ progress is accelerating. However, these improvements are uneven and consequently in some classes, pupils are making insufficient progress. Overall, actions taken to improve the school since the last inspection have been too slow.  The opinions of staff, pupils and parents about the school are largely positive. Staff say that they can feel the improvements in teaching and learning and behaviour that are happening in the school now. All staff who responded to the staff questionnaire say that the school is well led and managed and they enjoy working at the school.  The performance targets set for teachers are challenging. Targets are linked to improving outcomes for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

pupils and the quality of teachers’ work. Teachers who did not meet the challenging targets did not receive a pay increase last year.  Training has been provided to enhance teaching in English and mathematics. As a consequence, the quality of teaching in mathematics has improved. New programmes have been introduced to improve the teaching of reading and spelling. Inspection evidence suggests that these programmes are beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ reading, spelling and use of vocabulary.  Senior leaders hold teachers to account for the progress of pupils through detailed pupil progress meetings. As a result, teachers quickly identify who is underachieving in reading, writing and mathematics and put extra help into place to support pupils. However, the impact of this extra help is inconsistent.  Although progress information is collected half termly, the new data systems do not allow leaders to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

evaluate the progress of different groups of pupils easily. Progress information is not collected for foundation subjects or science. As a consequence, leaders do not have a broad view of pupils’ progress across the curriculum.  During joint observations of lessons with inspectors, the headteacher and the deputy headteacher showed a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching, learning and assessment. The headteacher challenges teachers whose practice is not good enough. Detailed support plans are provided to help teachers. Consequently, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving. However, the drive for consistent improvement has been hampered by turbulence in staffing over the last few years.  The foundation subjects and science are taught as part of a topic-based curriculum. The school has reviewed the curriculum and sought the opinions of pupils about what they learn. Gaps have been

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

identified in the topic-based curriculum in science, history and geography. Pupils report that they study art and technology infrequently. Pupils have limited formal opportunities to learn about life in modern Britain. As a result, leaders plan alterations to the curriculum in September 2016.  The topic-based curriculum does, however, give good opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning. For example, the current topic is planned around the European football competition. Each class represents a country, and pupils are studying the culture, the art and the language of this country. Pupils described eating French food with huge excitement. All upper key stage 2 pupils learn to play the trumpet. There is a wide variety of clubs which further enhance these aspects of pupils’ learning.  All the pupils who responded to the questionnaire said that the school encourages them to respect people

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

from other backgrounds and to treat everyone equally. Pupils have good opportunities to study other cultures and faiths, for example in the ‘One World’ topic, for which the pupils met visitors of other faiths. The school has strong links with another school in Bradford, as a result of which the Year 3 classes are visiting each other’s schools and working together to learn about each other’s cultures.  Leaders use pupil premium funding to support additional teachers. Breakfast is provided each morning and assistance is given to families of disadvantaged pupils to buy uniform. Two minibuses have been purchased to bring pupils to school. As a result, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has improved. The gaps in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and their peers vary between year groups. In some cases, for example in Reception and Years 2 and 3, disadvantaged pupils are making better progress than their peers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Sports premium funding has been used to develop teachers’ confidence in teaching physical education (PE) through working with sports coaches. Sports coaches currently teach pupils and run sports clubs. As a result, participation in competition has increased. The Reception class children were seen in a PE lesson during the inspection thoroughly engaged and enjoying vigorous exercise.  Following the last inspection, the local authority provided support to the school through regular challenge visits and as part of a review conducted by the Bradford Primary Improvement Partnership. Support this year has been brokered from two other schools to support developments in the early years and in developing the new literacy schemes. There is limited impact of the support in the early years on the quality of teaching and the learning environment. The new literacy schemes are starting to have a positive impact on pupils’ reading and spelling. The achievement officer from the local authority has

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

enhanced leaders’ use of progress information in identifying those who are underachieving.  The headteacher has brokered the support of a school improvement partner who has had a positive impact on the leadership of newly appointed leaders. Similarly, a consultant senior leader is supporting the headteacher effectively in the drive for school improvement.  The governance of the school Governors are committed to the school and strive to provide the best education for the pupils. They attend appropriate training to ensure that they know how to keep pupils safe. Members of the governing body understand well the strengths and weaknesses of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and the issues associated with teacher recruitment. Link governors monitor aspects of the school, including the impact of pupil premium funding and the outcomes of pupils in English and mathematics. However, the governing body meeting minutes reflect little

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

challenge to senior leaders about the progress of pupils across all year groups and all subjects. The governing body has recently undertaken a skills audit and is preparing to carry out a review of governance.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All statutory requirements are met by leaders and governors. Staff have received appropriate child protection training, including in how to identify pupils at risk from radicalisation and extremism, child sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation. Staff say that this training has made them more aware of what to look out for. Good relationships with families mean that staff know when to step in to help children and their parents. Support from a learning mentor for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable is effective. Accidents are carefully recorded. Consequently, pupils say that they feel safe. Staff support this view.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved. However, frequent changes of staff have prevented the development of consistently good practice across the school. Newly qualified teachers receive effective support and mentoring. As a result, they are rapidly gaining increased confidence in the classroom.  Relationships between pupils and their teachers are good. For the most part, pupils are keen to do well and try new things. However, teachers do not encourage pupils to concentrate fully on their work and this slows progress. Work for the most able is not challenging enough. Pupils say that work is often too easy for them. Opportunities to be curious and inquisitive are infrequent.  Teachers put a great deal of effort into marking pupils’ work in English and mathematics, in line with the school’s policy, and provide feedback which could help pupils to make progress. However, the teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

are working harder than the pupils, because teachers do not provide sufficient time for pupils to respond to the feedback. Consequently, the feedback is not having the desired impact on progress.  Teachers use questioning effectively to probe pupils’ understanding. However, not enough is done to ensure that all the pupils have the chance to answer questions and show what they know. A few pupils answer the majority of questions. As a consequence, some pupils are not developing good attitudes to learning.  A scrutiny of pupils’ books shows that in some classes, the quality of pupils’ writing is improving rapidly. However, this is inconsistent. In other classes, pupils do not have the opportunity to write at length and are not encouraged to present their work well. As a result, progress in writing is uneven across the school.  Reading is given a high priority. The teaching of reading is becoming stronger. New reading schemes and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

records of each pupil’s reading levels are promoting improvements in pupils’ skills. Pupils enjoy their reading. There is early evidence of improvement in pupils’ progress in reading.  Teaching assistants have appropriate skills to support and develop pupils’ learning effectively. Pupils who need extra help are able to access the curriculum as a result.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. Pupils have increasingly positive attitudes to their learning as the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving. They say that they enjoy school. However, too frequently, pupils do not concentrate fully on their work and this is slowing progress.  Relationships throughout the school are positive and pupils are looked after very well. Work to support families and their children who are facing difficulties is a strength of the school. As a result of this work, pupils improve their attendance and their behaviour.  Pupils recognise different forms of bullying and are confident that on the rare occasions that bullying occurs, an adult will help them. Older pupils take the responsibility of acting as buddies on the playground very seriously. They ensure that everyone has someone to play with and act as negotiators if there is a

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Personal development and welfare

disagreement.  Online safety has a high priority for all age groups. The school recently changed its information and communication technology provider to ensure that systems were appropriate and safe.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. A new behaviour policy associated with rewards is improving behaviour. The majority of pupils behave well in lessons and around school. However, a small minority of pupils cause low-level disruption and behave poorly outside lessons. Leaders take action to deal with this and, as a result, some pupils have received fixed-term exclusions.  There has been a significant improvement in attendance and a reduction in the proportion of pupils who are regularly absent this year. Senior leaders share their very high expectations of attendance with families. Procedures for monitoring attendance and dealing with poor attendance, including collecting more than 40 pupils in minibuses each day, leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of good attendance. As a result, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils is now in line with that of their peers.  Too many pupils are late to school; consequently, some pupils are missing some of their learning every

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Behaviour

day. Staff are working hard to address poor punctuality with families.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 There was a three-year trend of improvement in pupils’ outcomes across the school to 2015.  The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the phonics test (the sounds that letters represent) was in line with the national average in 2015. The school’s own progress information shows that the current Year 1 pupils are on track to attain similar results.  Attainment at the end of key stage 1 was in line with the national average in 2015. Work in pupils’ books shows that Year 2 pupils have made considerable progress this year, but progress is inconsistent across key stage 1.  Attainment at the end of key stage 2 was in line with the national average in reading and writing in 2015, but below the national average in mathematics. However, pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics was in line with the national average. The school’s progress information shows that from their starting points, the current Year 6 pupils are on track to make similar progress. However, the new

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

assessment procedures, which judge the proportion of pupils who will meet age-related expectations, suggest that only a third of the current Year 6 will reach age-related expectations.  The gaps in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and their peers vary between year groups and between subjects. For example, in 2015, disadvantaged pupils made less progress than their peers in mathematics, but this year, disadvantaged pupils are on track to make more progress than their peers. Gaps between the achievement of boys and girls also vary between year groups. However, boys in the current Year 6 are making better progress than girls in mathematics, but less progress in reading and writing. There were similar outcomes in 2015.  The proportion of the most able pupils attaining the highest level at the end of key stage 1 improved in 2015 and was broadly in line with the national average. However, the proportion of pupils reaching the

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

highest levels in writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 in 2015 was significantly below the national average. The systems currently used by the school are not sophisticated enough to evaluate the progress of the most able. However, observations made in classrooms and based on pupils’ books during the inspection suggest that the most able pupils are not always sufficiently challenged by their work.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 The proportion of children reaching a good level of development in the early years has improved, although it is still below the national average. From low starting points, children are making expected progress. However, the proportion of boys reaching a good level of development is below that of girls.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively. A speech therapist supports the development of communication and language. School staff work with children to encourage good behaviour and good attendance. As a result, a greater proportion of disadvantaged children achieve a good level of development than their peers in school. In particular, the proportion achieving a good level of development in communication and language, literacy and mathematics is broadly in line with the national average for their non-disadvantaged peers nationally.  Teachers assess children’s progress regularly and assessment records in their ‘learning journeys’ are

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Early years provision requires improvement

accurate. The school’s judgements about children’s development have been confirmed by the local authority.  The early years staff have received support from another school. As a result, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving, but is still inconsistent. Where practice is good, the learning is calm and purposeful and staff model language for children, asking effective questions which accelerate children’s progress. However, ‘I don’t know,’ is a common response to adult questioning in the Reception class.  The learning environment, particularly in Reception and outside, is not well resourced or well presented. Outside resources are untidy. Activity areas are set up, but the links between the activities are unclear. There are limited opportunities for enrichment to support the development of language, writing and mathematics. Despite this, children enjoy playing outside. For example, children in the Nursery class were

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Early years provision requires improvement

collecting water in cans and using it to water plants that they were growing.  Children behave well and know how to take turns and work together. For example, the Reception class worked well in teams during a PE lesson. Children have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy meeting visitors.  Parents are engaged in their children’s learning and contribute to the ‘learning journeys’. Parents are encouraged to join the early years at regular ‘café mornings’. The experiences of parents are used to enrich learning. For example, parents have recently cooked Polish doughnuts in the early years.  The welfare requirements for the early years are met. Safeguarding practice reflects that of the rest of the school.  Despite some ‘green shoots’ of improvement in the early years, leaders have not acted quickly enough to address the weaknesses in the learning environment. As a result, children have fewer opportunities to

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Early years provision requires improvement

make good progress. Consequently, children are less well prepared for Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 107217 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 10012026

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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 226 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Bilton Headteacher Jo Bradley Telephone number 01274 677549 Website www.reevyhill.co.uk Email address office@reevyhill.bradford.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 2–3 July 2014

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Information about this school

 Reevy Hill is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children of service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above the national average.  In January 2016, a new deputy headteacher was appointed.  The school runs a free breakfast club.  There are plans for the school to become an academy in September 2016, sponsored by the Leading

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Information about this school

Learners Academy Trust.  A very small number of pupils attend the Phoenix Centre alternative provision at Carwood Primary School in Bradford.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website, although some of the policies published on the website are out of date.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of lessons, some of which were observed jointly with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors carried out a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work in books.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior and middle leaders, and a group of staff. Discussions were also held with the chair of the governing body and two other governors, a representative of the local authority and the chief executive officer of the Leading Learners Academy Trust. Telephone conversations were held with the school’s improvement partner and the Phoenix Centre alternative provision.  Inspectors spoke formally to pupils in a meeting and informally at break- and lunchtime and during lessons. Inspectors took account of 27 responses to the pupil questionnaire.  The inspection team looked at documents provided by the school, including: the school’s self-evaluation and its development plan; safeguarding documents and those relating to attendance and behaviour;

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Information about this inspection

progress information; and minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors took account of nine responses to the staff questionnaire and seven responses to the online Parent View questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Helen Lane, lead inspector Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector Linda Clay 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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