Stanley Grove Primary and Nursery School

Stanley Grove Primary and Nursery School Aberford Road, Stanley, Wakefield WF13 4NT

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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

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Senior leaders have successfully addressed the areas identified for improvement at the time of the last inspection. Standards in all subjects have risen quickly and pupils are making good progress across the school.  Leaders have an accurate picture of where the school’s strengths and areas for development lie. School improvement planning is carefully targeted to pinpoint exactly what is required to move the school on.  Assessment systems are detailed and accurate. The majority of pupils reach the high targets set by leaders because teachers’ expectations are high.  Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Teachers question pupils skilfully and give them time to reflect on their answers, which helps deepen their understanding.  Pupils behave well; they are polite, well-mannered and work hard. Attitudes to learning are positive and pupils demonstrate good learning habits.  The teaching of mathematics and reading is highly

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This is a good school

effective and pupils make particularly strong progress in these areas.  Middle leaders lead their subjects well. They are constantly checking that outcomes are improving and are held accountable both by the headteacher and the governors.  Staff are well supported through professional development opportunities and positive relationships with leaders. Staffing is stable, ensuring good capacity for further improvements.  Teachers and pupils have respect for each other which leads to harmonious relationships across the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is scope for raising standards of writing by increasing the emphasis on the application of pupils’ writing skills in subjects other than English.  Links between different subjects could be sharper to better support the development of pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the school to further accelerate progress in writing by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

providing more opportunities for pupils to write across the curriculum, particularly in the early years and key stage 1 improving the quality of handwriting and presentation across all subjects, but particularly in key stage 1 ensuring that teachers use their ongoing assessments to target key skills which will help pupils further improve their written work, particularly for the most able.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to further develop and embed the new curriculum by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

making links between subjects across the curriculum so that work is more meaningful and pupils have a deeper understanding checking that key skills taught in one curriculum area are developed and strengthened in another, especially the links between science and mathematics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher demonstrates strong leadership. She has secured a stable staffing structure which has enabled her to develop existing staff and embed improvements. All staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities.  Middle leaders are now fully accountable for their areas of responsibility. Joint leadership of key subjects works well because this is developing further capacity for improvement. Middle leaders are helping to drive up standards because they are knowledgeable about their subjects, have time to work alongside colleagues and monitor what is happening across school. Outcomes in all subjects are improving.  The headteacher has an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the school because she invests time and energy in checking what is happening. Rigorous monitoring and assessment procedures underpin the improvements that have been made. The headteacher holds all teachers fully accountable

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

through performance management. She checks the accuracy of the information by speaking to pupils and verifying their progress in their books.  School improvement plans are effective and focus on the key areas for improvements. Where any further developments are required throughout the year, plans are adapted. Leaders use the information they collect to check that continuous improvements are on track. School improvement planning feeds directly into performance management, and all staff know what the key priorities are.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively and is regularly monitored. Teachers and leaders continually check on the progress of this small group of pupils and target extra support where it is needed. As a result, pupils who are disadvantaged are progressing at similar rates to other pupils in the school.  The sports funding is being used well. The school have been awarded the bronze award for work in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

physical education and have increased the number of sporting opportunities for pupils, which is improving their skills. Regular teaching from a sports coach is helping teachers to improve their knowledge, and providing more after-school clubs for pupils to attend. Pupils take part in competitions organised between the local partnership.  Leaders have visited other schools which are performing well to learn from them and find out how they are achieving their results. As a result they have implemented major changes to the way in which mathematics is taught. Teacher knowledge is now much stronger because teachers have been given high-quality professional development and have higher expectations. The progress pupils are making continues to improve over time because teachers are confident and understand what pupils need to do to improve.  The school has a strong focus on music and singing is a particular strength. Pupils take part in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

competitions and have achieved various awards for their performances.  The curriculum, although broad and balanced, does not always use links between the different subjects to help deepen pupils’ understanding. Leaders have focused their energies on successfully raising standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Further checks are needed to ensure that standards across the other curriculum subjects are equally high. For example, work in religious education books is not as well developed and pupils are not applying their mathematical skills in their science work.  The governance of the school Governors receive detailed information from the headteacher about the progress that different groups of pupils are making in each subject. They understand where the school is performing particularly well and where it still needs to make some improvements. Key governors are attending regular training and are visiting the school to carry out monitoring work

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

to check on the accuracy of the information they are being given. As a result some governors are well informed about the work of the school and play an active role in supporting and challenging what happens. However, not all governors are contributing and recently published attendance information on the website indicates that not all governors attend governors’ meetings regularly. Governors ask pertinent questions and offer a degree of challenge to the headteacher. Middle leaders are now providing information about the progress and developments in their subjects to help governors understand how improvements are being made.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders ensure that all staff receive well-documented and relevant training, including training on radicalisation and extremism. Any concerns regarding pupils’ well-being and safety are acted on immediately. Leaders work well with other external agencies to make

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

sure that pupils are safe. Regular risk assessments are carried out and displayed across the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The teaching of mathematics is a key strength of the school. Lessons are well structured, resulting in pupils revisiting key skills daily and being given opportunities to apply their knowledge to solve problems. Lessons are fast paced and keep pupils motivated. The most able pupils are being challenged because teachers have high expectations about what they can do. Teachers pick up on misconceptions quickly because they are monitoring how pupils are responding to the work given.  Teachers use open-ended questioning to guide learning and prompt deeper thinking. Pupils respond well; they are keen to offer suggestions or answers because the questioning is matched to individual needs.  Strong phonics teaching in key stage 1 enables pupils to practise new words and apply their knowledge of sounds. Pupils are challenged to extend their words into interesting sentences, and teachers then reinforce grammar and punctuation skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Reading is given high priority across the school. Pupils have a range of favourite authors and can give reasons why they have a particular favourite. Pupils read from a wide selection of books and are given regular comprehension work which is helping them to read with a deeper understanding.  Positive relationships between adults and pupils give pupils confidence to ask for help and, because teachers know their pupils well, they constantly extend thinking.  Teachers are constantly assessing throughout individual lessons, adapting their planning to meet the needs of different pupils. The use of more formal assessments is adding further accuracy and understanding of what pupils know and what they need to learn. Teachers are becoming more proficient in using all their assessment information to form a complete picture of strengths and weaknesses.  The teaching of writing needs further development to ensure consistency across the school. Pupils enjoy

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

writing in a variety of styles and are given helpful feedback on how to improve their work. However, the quality and expectations are not as high in some classes because teachers accept work that is of a lower standard. In key stage 1, for example, presentation and handwriting were not consistent and the most able were not expected to write at a high enough level. In key stage 2, writing across the wider curriculum was not as strong as that seen in English books.  Homework is used to support learning in class and to extend pupils’ knowledge further by undertaking homework tasks on a range of topics. Teachers give high priority to tasks completed and whole-school displays reflect the range of work carried out.  Teaching assistants are used effectively in most classes; where they are less effective they do not have high enough expectations of behaviour or are given tasks that do not support the learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Pupils enjoy their lessons. They say that sometimes the work is hard and they like being challenged. They know when they have achieved well, because the teachers talk to them about their work and how to improve it.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  A large number of pupils attend the breakfast club, where they are given a healthy start to the day. It is well supervised and older pupils take on a caring role, looking after younger ones.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and show good understanding of a range of dangers. Water safety, railway safety and road safety are all taught regularly to make sure pupils are aware of dangers in the local area. They are taught first aid, which they enjoy, and which gives them life skills for the future. Work on keeping safe online forms a key part of the curriculum, and parents are provided with useful information through the school’s website.  Pupils enjoy school, particularly the wide range of visits. They are proud of their achievements. They like the outdoors, and the new areas that have been created, and can detail the range of improved

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Personal development and welfare

opportunities to keep fit and healthy. Pupils feel that receiving comments from their teachers about their work helps them to learn and are keen to work towards various awards and celebrations. Parents are positive about the care their children receive and are supportive about the work the school does.  The school council are involved in making decisions about different aspects of school life. They take their responsibilities seriously and understand that this is part of a democratic process. British values are taught well and displays reflect work done to support this area of the curriculum; for instance, pupils wrote to Prince George to give suggestions about caring for a younger sibling.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Everyone understands the behaviour policy and can explain what happens at each stage. Pupils say that bullying or poor behaviour is very rare and if it happens is sorted out very quickly. Any poor behaviour is routinely recorded and leaders regularly review the information to look for patterns or to provide extra support. The information is regularly monitored by governors.  Pupils conduct themselves well at all times of the day. During lunchtime, pupils chat quietly with friends while eating lunch and then move sensibly outside. The whole school carry their chairs into the hall for daily assemblies, which is done calmly and quickly.  Attendance shows an improvement on last year, because leaders are constantly checking that key families are in school. When absences do occur, leaders know the reasons and record the information diligently. Persistent absence rates are falling and leaders are not afraid to impose all sanctions available

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Behaviour

to them, to encourage regular attendance. Records show particularly successful interventions for some families which have led to improvements in attainment and progress for individual pupils.  During lessons, teaching assistants are active in encouraging pupils to remain on task and giving rewards and reminders. In the majority of lessons, pupils showed positive attitudes to learning and were on task and ready to learn. On some occasions, learning time was lost because pupils took too long to move around the classroom or some pupils were not always fully engaged.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Outcomes for pupils have improved considerably since the time of the last inspection. Pupils now leave each key stage well prepared for their next stage of education.  A significantly higher number of pupils are now reaching the expected standard in phonics because teachers have increased their expectations of what pupils can do. Teachers are ensuring that all pupils who do not reach the standard in Year 1 do so by the end of Year 2.  Progress in mathematics and reading is particularly strong across the school. All pupils at the end of key stage 2 make at least expected progress, with a large proportion making better than expected progress. The most able pupils make strong progress, because work is matched to their ability and expectations are high.  Progress in writing is not as strong as in mathematics and reading; not as many pupils make more than expected progress, although progress is around the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils are in line with the rest of pupils. Progress is monitored by leaders and class teachers who understand the needs of this small minority of pupils.  The work seen in pupils’ books confirms that pupils are making at least good progress over time, but this is particularly strong in mathematics because of the systematic high-quality teaching they are receiving.  The majority of pupils in key stage 1 are reaching age-related expectations in all areas, with a large proportion working at greater depth. Outcomes in writing are not as strong as those in reading and mathematics.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities make at least good progress across the school. This is because there are strong systems in place to track and monitor individuals through their individual plans.

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Early years provision is good

 High-quality relationships in the early years provision give children a positive start to their education. Parents are kept well informed about their children’s learning and achievements, and are encouraged to share information about learning at home. Learning journals demonstrate good levels of progress across all areas of learning.  Children start school with skills and abilities that are broadly typical for their age. Assessments are moderated by the local partnership of schools and by the headteacher. Progress across most areas of learning is particularly strong. However, progress in writing is not as strong as that seen in other subject areas.  The learning environment is calm and orderly, offering a balance of adult-led activities and activities that children can choose for themselves. Children show high levels of engagement in everything they do. Play areas are well used, supporting imaginative thinking and physical development well. There are limited

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Early years provision is good

opportunities for children to work on developing their writing skills without adult direction, both inside and out.  Adults engage well with children, checking their understanding and helping them to articulate their learning. They use a range of questioning techniques, and give further challenge to help extend their thinking and vocabulary. Children are articulate and express their needs and feelings well.  Mathematics teaching is particularly strong. In the Nursery, children play games to help them learn and remember number skills and facts. Because teaching is well structured, has a familiar pattern, and focuses on extending prior learning, children are making rapid progress.  Teachers are using ongoing assessment information regularly and adapting their teaching and planning to take account of any areas that need addressing. Leaders are checking what is happening and are questioning areas in which progress is not as strong. A new writing improvement plan has been put in

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Early years provision is good

place to improve the progress children make in writing.  The early years leader regularly reviews the provision on offer and makes changes to keep children motivated and interested. Regular professional development opportunities are provided for all staff to ensure that practice continues to improve and individual needs are well catered for.  Welfare requirements are fully met. Drinks and snacks are freely available and Nursery children are given a set time when they are given a drink of water, to help them develop good habits early on.

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School details

Unique reference number 108162 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 10002029 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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 218 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kath Webster Headteacher Joanne Frost Telephone number 01924 303 805 Website www.stanleygroveprimary.co.uk Email address stanleygrove.wakefield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 16–17 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Stanley Grove is smaller than the average primary school.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is lower than national averages.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disabilities is below average.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning across a range of subjects. The lead inspector and headteacher conducted one joint observation.  Meetings were held with middle and subject leaders as well as the headteacher and deputy headteacher. The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority and the chair of governors, and received two emails from other governors.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, scrutinised their work in books and on display and talked with pupils both formally and informally.  A range of the school’s own information and documentation was studied, including the school’s self- evaluation, the school development plan and assessment information. Safeguarding information was examined, along with records kept by the school regarding behaviour and attendance.  The opinions of staff members were taken into account by their responses to the online questionnaire

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Information about this inspection

and through formal and informal discussions.  The views of a small number of parents expressed through Parent View were considered, alongside comments given by free text. Inspectors spoke to parents both before and after school to gather a wider range of views.

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Inspection team

Janet Lunn, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Susan Birch 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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