Lakeside Primary School

Lakeside Primary School Sandy Lane, Belle Vue, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN4 5ES

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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

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 The high turnover of staff reported at the last inspection has continued. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning has not been consistently good over time.  Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, especially in mathematics and writing, mean that pupils’ progress varies too much across key stages and from class to class.  Not all pupils, and particularly boys, achieve as well as they could. Too few pupils attain the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2.  Opportunities for pupils to apply their reading, writing and mathematical skills in a variety of contexts and subject areas are being missed.  Despite significant reductions since the beginning of the year, too many pupils are persistently absent. This limits their learning and progress.  Leaders do not evaluate the impact of their actions or the use of the government’s sport and pupil premium funding sharply enough.

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This is a school that requires improvement

 The school’s curriculum is not monitored well enough for leaders to be clear about how well it is promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development or whether it is helping to prepare them for life in modern Britain.  Governors do not understand school systems and current educational requirements well enough to provide robust support and challenge.  Leaders’ engagement with parents and carers is mixed. Not enough is being done to involve them in their children’s education or in celebrating the diversity of the wider community the school serves.

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The school has the following strengths

 Early reading is taught well. More pupils are reaching the required standard in learning phonics (letters and the sounds they make) by the end of key stage 1 as a result.  Provision in the early years is good. Children grow in confidence and get off to a good start with their reading, writing and mathematics.  Almost all pupils are well behaved. They get on well and show respect and tolerance for one another. Pupils feel safe and secure because of the care and support they receive from staff.  Teachers and support staff work closely together to ensure pupils receive the support they need.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to raise standards and ensure pupils make more rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics, ensure that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

teaching is consistently good or better in all subjects and year groups inconsistencies in teachers’ application of the school’s approaches such as those for homework, marking and handwriting and presentation are eradicated pupils are provided with regular opportunities to use and apply the skills they learn in English, writing and mathematics in a variety of ways and across all areas of the curriculum expectations are high for all groups of pupils in all subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

making sure that all subjects are covered in sufficient depth and all aspects of the curriculum are monitored closely so that the impact it is having on pupils’ learning and personal development is fully understood sharpening up planning and evaluation to ensure that the impact of the actions being taken by the school on pupils’ outcomes is known developing sharper analysis and clearer reporting about how well different groups of pupils are doing; using the information to support teachers in meeting pupils’ specific needs, narrow performance gaps and keep governors well informed developing the knowledge and skills of governors so that they hold leaders to account more effectively engaging with parents more effectively in order to include them more in the life of the school and ensure they are kept well informed about their child’s progress and how they can help them at home.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Promote pupils’ personal development and well-being by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

reducing the rate of persistent absence better preparing pupils for life in modern Britain by ensuring there are more opportunities for pupils to learn about a range of cultures celebrating the diversity of the community the school serves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 An 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

 The constant need to tackle high staff turnover and recruit new staff has taken up much of the leaders’ time and energy since the last inspection. Managing this turbulence has limited the pace of improvement. It has also resulted in some school improvement actions and evaluation and reporting that are not as sharply focused or incisive as they might otherwise be.  Leaders have worked tirelessly to monitor and improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. As a result, they have effectively tackled the weaknesses in reading and the early years identified in the previous report. However, leaders, including governors, have a more positive view of the school’s overall performance than is the case. This is because, while there are promising signs of improvement, teaching is not yet consistently good and varies too much from class to class and subject to subject.  School leaders routinely track and assess pupils’ achievement and progress in reading, writing and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

mathematics. The school’s most recent information shows that some gaps such as those between boys and girls and between disadvantaged pupils and their peers are closing in some subjects and year groups. Overall, though, the picture remains too patchy and inconsistent.  Pupil premium funding is used to provide additional staffing and support for pupils, some of which is proving effective. Leaders check the standards attained by pupils eligible for this funding. However, they do not monitor or evaluate the impact of the different actions being taken carefully enough. This means that they are unable to identify which actions and initiatives are having the most impact and proving the most effective in helping pupils to catch up.  The primary sports funding is being used in a number of ways. For example, it is being used to increase pupils’ participation in sports and competitions, and to provide additional equipment and specialist

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

coaching. Leaders’ reporting on the use and impact of the primary sports funding does not make it clear enough how the money is being spent or explain well enough how it contributes to different aspects of pupils’ personal development.  Pupils are provided with a range of different subjects and opportunities to learn. Some subjects such as French and design and technology do not receive as much priority as others. The broader curriculum is not used consistently well to reinforce pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics.  Assemblies and religious education lessons provide pupils with some opportunities to develop their knowledge about life in modern Britain and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. However, leaders are not sure about how evenly wider opportunities are distributed across the school. The pupils inspectors spoke with formally and informally were not confident in their knowledge of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

wide range of religions, cultures and families that are represented in this very diverse school community.  Performance management procedures for staff are effective. They are linked closely to whole-school priorities and pupil outcomes.  Teachers and teaching assistants have good access to the training and support they need to improve their knowledge and skills. They learn from each other and other practitioners, especially those from Hatchell Wood Primary School, Toll Bar Primary School, the Kirk Sandall Academy Trust and Partners in Learning, Doncaster Teaching School Alliance. These opportunities are making a strong contribution to the improvements in teaching that are now being seen.  The leadership of provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities has been strengthened. These pupils are now being well supported because of the improvements in the quality of assessment and planning that these changes have brought about.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The response rate to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire was very high. The responses from teachers and support staff indicate that they have positive views about the pupils, are proud to work in the school and hold their leaders in high regard.  The local authority has provided some support for the school and organised some help from other schools. However, the local authority has not analysed the school’s position or needs sharply enough.  The governance of the school There have been several changes in the membership and structure of the governing body since the previous inspection. Some vacancies still remain. Governors are not providing adequate support and challenge for the school because they do not have an accurate view of the effectiveness of the school or understand the current requirements for primary schools well enough. Governors are aware of the use of performance management for teacher and leaders in the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

Governors undertake a range of training and development including ‘safer recruitment’ and online safeguarding training. However, governors’ training records are incomplete and do not show what training has been undertaken and when it was done. Governors know how the primary school sports funding and pupil premium funding is spent but they are unable to hold leaders to account for the use of this funding. This is because they are not provided with a clear enough picture of the actions being taken to assess its impact or know whether outcomes for pupils are improving rapidly as a result. Governors engage with parents and pupils when they attend celebration assemblies and special events, for example, but rarely engage with them formally to seek their views. The long-standing chair of governors gives generously of her time, to participate in staff recruitment activities and attend meetings with the school’s local authority standards and effectiveness partner.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are appropriately trained to deal with safeguarding issues should they arise. Staff ensure that pupils keep safe when using the internet while in school. Staff have been trained to spot signs of radicalisation among pupils and act to keep pupils safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because not all teaching has been good enough over time to enable all pupils to reach the standards they should. The very large number of staffing changes has led to variable rates of pupils’ progress.  Staffing has begun to stabilise over the past few months. As a result, lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work and the school’s own records show that the quality of teaching is starting to improve.  Senior leaders have a clear view of where the main strengths and weaknesses in teaching lie. Effective steps have been taken to improve classroom practice and develop teachers’ subject knowledge. There is now some good teaching and learning at every key stage. An increasing proportion of teaching and learning is good or better in the early years, and in Years 2 and 5 in particular.  Teachers generally use assessment information to pitch work at the right level of challenge. Teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

usually check how well pupils are doing as the lesson proceeds. This ensures that they pick up on and address any misconceptions quickly and can move pupils on to new challenges as soon as they are ready for them. Where this happens, pupils learn at a faster pace and make better progress.  Teaching of the most able pupils has improved this year. They generally receive sufficient challenge to make expected progress, so that their performance is moving towards that of their peers nationally.  Some marking follows the school’s policy closely. However, evidence seen in books shows that this is not always the case. When this happens, pupils are not so clear about how to improve their work.  Expectations about the standards of pupils’ handwriting and presentation are not consistent throughout the school.  The school has a very clear focus on developing pupils’ phonics skills in the early years and Year 1. Pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

clearly enjoy these sessions, listening carefully and joining in enthusiastically. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ ability to read and write in key stage 1.  Pupils who are at the early stages of learning English are taught well, settle quickly and make rapid progress in gaining fluency.  The school’s approach to homework, including opportunities for parents to support their child’s learning such as through reading at home and helping with topic work, is unclear. Depending on the class and year group, some pupils say that they ‘don’t really get any’, while other pupils say that they have home learning journals where they are asked to complete tasks on topics such as the Vikings.  Teaching assistants are deployed effectively. The support they provide for disadvantaged pupils and those learning English as an additional language is generally good. Many of these pupils make better progress

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

than their classmates because the support and work is well matched to their needs.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development requires improvement.  Pupils who attend Lakeside come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds. They play and learn very well together and are kind, tolerant and accepting of each other.  Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different cultures, religions and families is very limited. They are not being prepared well for life in modern Britain.  Pupils say that they feel safe and happy in school. Very effective and sensitive support is provided by the school’s pastoral staff for pupils and parents whose circumstances make them vulnerable. Pupils’ emotional and physical needs are well met by staff and through the curriculum.  Pupils understand how to stay safe in different situations and know that any form of bullying is unacceptable. They say that such incidents are rare but if they do happen they are dealt with quickly and fairly.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils understand the importance of responsibility and care for others. They undertake enterprise and fund-raising activities and express concern for others, such as those who are experiencing hunger. Members of the school council are keen to represent their classmates and take their responsibilities, such as choosing and taking care of playground equipment, seriously.  Pupils understand how the range of sporting activities they participate in helps them to meet pupils from other schools, ‘keeps them healthy’ and can help them feel good about themselves.  Pupils enjoy their school trips and are extremely enthusiastic about the wide range of after-school clubs they can attend. Pupils are clear that the range of activities on offer meets their interests well.  Parents who responded to the school’s own survey have positive views about pupils’ behaviour and the safety and welfare of their children.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around the school.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are largely positive. They work well together in the class and pay close attention to their teacher and other adults. Most pupils work hard, try their best and are proud of their achievements. On occasion, a small minority lose focus and concentration but they do not generally distract other pupils from learning.  The school deals extremely well with challenging behaviour. The inclusion team and play worker are deployed effectively and provide timely and sensitive support when needed. Specialist provision such as the soft play room, ‘dinosaur school’, and ‘rainbow bright’ are used effectively to help pupils when they are having difficulties with controlling their anger or frustration.  Attendance is broadly average. Leaders and the inclusion team have reduced the number of pupils who

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Behaviour

are persistently absent by around half since the start of the current academic year, but too many pupils are still missing too much of their schooling.  The school is rigorous in its approach to punctuality. This ensures that pupils start school promptly and do not miss any learning.  The school maintains comprehensive records such as those in respect of lateness and incidents of poor behaviour or bullying. However, this information is not analysed routinely to identify any trends or patterns that the school might be able to address.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Work in pupils’ books shows that pupils’ progress, while improving, is still too variable across the school.  Current pupil information shows that at the end of key stage 1, more pupils have attained the expected standard in reading than in writing or mathematics. Girls have outperformed boys in reading, writing and mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils have performed less well than their classmates.  Unvalidated results indicate that the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 in the current year is well below that seen nationally. The school’s own pupil information indicates that the attainment of Year 6 boys in writing is particularly weak, while the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is above that of their classmates, except in mathematics.  Inspectors were not able to analyse current performance information for pupils who have special

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

educational needs and/or disabilities or those who speak English as an additional language. This is because leaders have not yet completed their full analysis. However, observations of learning and work in pupils’ books indicate that these groups of pupils make similar and sometimes better progress than their peers. This is because the support they receive from teachers and other adults focuses sharply on developing the specific knowledge, understanding and skills they need.  Very few pupils have attained above-average standards in recent years. Expectations about what the most able pupils can achieve are being raised. The work in pupils’ books shows that some of the most able pupils are now doing much better and making the progress expected of them relative to their starting points.  The proportion of Year 1 pupils meeting the required threshold in phonics has increased significantly this year when compared to the previous three years. The improvements are most marked for boys and

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

disadvantaged pupils. The strong focus on phonics in the early years and key stage 1 means that standards in reading are rising and some gaps between different groups of pupils are closing. Most importantly, pupils are being better prepared for their learning in key stage 2.

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Early years provision is good

 Children’s skills and abilities when they enter Nursery vary but are most often below those typical for their age. Children’s speech, language and communication are generally the weakest.  From their individual starting points, children are now making progress that is at least good. In the current year the most able children, especially the girls, made much better gains in their learning than has previously been the case.  Between 2013 and 2015, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development rose rapidly from a very low base. The pace of improvement has been sustained in the current year so that the proportion of children reaching a good level of development looks set to be much closer to the national average. The school’s tracking information also shows that the gaps between boys and girls seen in previous years have also narrowed. All of this means that more children are being better prepared for the

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Early years provision is good

move to Year 1.  Indoor learning provision in the Nursery and the Reception classes is vibrant and captures children’s imagination well. Activities and resources are carefully chosen so that children can explore, be inquisitive, develop their creativity and physical skills and play and learn independently or together.  Staff plan activities carefully and ensure that they stimulate children’s interests and meet their learning needs. Topic work, such as that based on ‘sparkly fishes’ and the seaside following a recent trip to Cleethorpes, provides exciting opportunities for children to develop their writing skills and understanding of number.  Children feel safe and secure and enjoy their learning. They behave well, listen carefully and follow instructions. Most children focus hard on their tasks.  The leadership of the early years is good. The leader has received some effective support from external

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Early years provision is good

consultants. This has resulted in improvements in teaching and the learning environment that are enabling almost all children to make good progress from their individual starting points.  The quality of teaching is typically good. Phonics and writing are taught well through carefully structured adult-led sessions that are followed by individual and group activities that are matched appropriately to the children’s needs.  Teamwork is strong. Teachers and support staff know the children very well and they take very good care of the children’s safety and well-being.  Staff work hard to foster good relationships with parents. However, there is more work to be done to inform them about their children’s progress and achievements and to engage and encourage parents to contribute to their children’s learning.  The outdoor provision for the Nursery has a range of interesting and inviting activities for children. A

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Early years provision is good

number of high-quality resources have recently been purchased for the outdoor space used by children in Reception. Staff are introducing the children to these gradually. At present, the large outdoor area available for Reception children looks dull and unappealing and provides only a limited number of opportunities to support children’s early literacy and numeracy. School leaders have set aside funding to improve this and some exciting plans are in place to liven up children’s outdoor learning and play.

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School details

Unique reference number 106740 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 10011946 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 371 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Patricia Astbury Headteacher Janet Witton Telephone number 01302 368 879 Website www.lakesidedoncaster.com Email address admin@lakeside.doncaster.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 April 2014

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Information about this school

 Lakeside is larger than the average primary school. The number of pupils on roll has increased since the last inspection.  The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority groups is well above the national average. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds and heritage.  Around half of the pupils speak English as an additional language.  Children attend the Nursery on a part-time basis and the Reception Year on a full-time basis.  There has been a high turnover of staff since the last inspection.  Each year, a larger than average proportion of pupils join or leave the school part way through their primary education.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium funding provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school

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Information about this school

meals, children from service families and those looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school has benefited from support from the local pyramid of schools, Hatchell Wood Primary School, Toll Bar Primary School, the Kirk Sandall Academy Trust and partners in Learning, Doncaster Teaching School Alliance.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed a range of lessons, many of which were observed jointly with senior leaders. Work in pupils’ book was also examined, a large proportion of the books seen were examined jointly with school leaders.  Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally and observed their behaviour at breaktimes, lunchtimes and around the school. There were very few responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Several meetings were held with leaders, governors and staff. A telephone discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors examined a range of school documents including information about pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s improvement plans, governing body minutes and the school’s self-evaluation. Records related to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding were also scrutinised.  There were too few responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents (Parent View) to provide

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Information about this inspection

evidence for the inspection. However, inspectors took account of parents’ responses to the school’s own survey and listened to what parents had to say at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors took account of the 29 responses from staff who completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Wendy Ripley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Brian Stillings Ofsted Inspector Paul Plumridge 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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