Netherfield Primary School

Netherfield Primary School Chandos Street, Netherfield, Nottingham NG4 2LR

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and governors have not ensured that safeguarding procedures are effective. They have not monitored the impact of training, nor included enough detail in their record-keeping.  Leaders and governors have not ensured that staff and volunteers understand and implement school policies consistently.  Governors have not been effective in holding senior leaders and school staff to account for pupils’ underperformance.  Too often, teachers’ assessments of what pupils can do are not accurate enough and so tasks are not matched well to the pupils’ learning needs. Pupils are over-reliant on the high levels of support offered by staff.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to use and to apply their learning, particularly in reading and mathematics, or to write extended pieces.  There is a legacy of poor outcomes for pupils, in particular those who are disadvantaged, the most able and pupils who have special

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

educational needs and/or disabilities.  The teaching of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is not strong enough. Consequently, pupils are not sufficiently well equipped for life in modern Britain.  Pupils’ attendance rates are below the national average. Systems in place for ensuring good attendance are not sufficiently strong.  In the early years, teachers and teaching assistants do not assess pupils’ development well enough; parents do not have enough opportunities to contribute to their children’s development.  Resources in the early years are not good enough to support the children in their learning and to enable them to make strong progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The recently appointed headteacher has correctly identified the most important areas for improvement, in particular the need for raising pupils’ outcomes.  The headteacher enjoys the support of the staff and governors, who are embracing the changes needed to secure improvement.  Relationships between staff and pupils are positive.  Pupils benefit from good teaching in phonics. Over time, this is resulting in stronger outcomes for pupils in the Year 1 national phonics screening check.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders and governors monitor the school’s safeguarding processes and procedures closely, embedding a culture of vigilance in which all staff and volunteers know and discharge their duties effectively.  Ensure that the school’s policies and procedures are accurate, particularly in relation to the safeguarding of pupils, are understood by staff, governors, volunteers and parents, and are implemented consistently.  Increase the levels of accountability and challenge placed on governors, leaders and staff to promote the best possible outcomes for all pupils and particularly those who are disadvantaged, the most able and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Eliminate inconsistencies in teaching, learning and assessment, particularly, by: – ensuring the accurate and effective matching of learning tasks to pupils’ abilities – improving the quality and quantity of opportunities for pupils to use and to apply

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

their skills in reading and mathematics – increasing the opportunities for pupils to write extended pieces and in a range of subjects – removing the pupils’ over-reliance on adults to support their learning.  Improve the outcomes for pupils urgently, particularly pupils who are disadvantaged, the most able and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Improve the impact of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education, so that pupils are better equipped for their future lives in modern Britain.  Raise rates of pupils’ attendance and ensure that the systems for monitoring are effective in securing sustained, improved attendance.  Improve outcomes in the early years by embedding effective assessment practices that include and involve parents successfully in the learning and development of their children.  Improve the quality and impact of resources on children’s learning and development in

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

the early years. 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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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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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leadership and management are inadequate because procedures for the safeguarding of pupils are not effective. Governors are not diligent enough in ensuring that safeguarding practices meet acceptable standards and do not monitor what is done closely enough.  Since the previous inspection when the school was judged to be outstanding, there has been a period of decline, which has seen the outcomes for pupils fall to unacceptably low levels over consecutive years. In particular, the outcomes for the most able pupils and those who are disadvantaged are inadequate, especially in reading and writing.  Leaders have not monitored the quality of teaching and learning well enough since the previous inspection. This has resulted in inconsistent achievement by the pupils for too long.  The new headteacher has introduced systems for monitoring and evaluating the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning, but these are not yet established well enough to bring

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

about improvement in the quality of teaching and learning. Too often, teachers set learning tasks that are not matched to pupils’ needs well enough and too few pupils make satisfactory progress in lessons.  Leaders have not paid enough attention to the developmental needs of the children in the early years. They have not provided the resources needed to support high-quality learning and to ensure that children’s learning needs are met.  Leaders have not targeted the additional funds made available by the government to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils effectively. The significant amount of pupil premium funding received by the school was not previously directed specifically at the most able disadvantaged pupils, with the result that their progress and attainment has not improved over time.  The headteacher has worked to change the culture of the school since his arrival. Quite rightly, he has identified and begun to deal with the legacy of pupils’ underachievement,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

refocusing the school on raising standards through improved teaching.  Staff have embraced the headteacher’s openness and integrity. Teachers and teaching assistants told inspectors that they feel that their opinions are listened to and that their contributions to school improvement are valued.  The headteacher has been methodical in his approach to improving the school. He has been thorough in his review of the school’s strengths and considerable weaknesses. He has sought and received support from the local authority, which had previously offered the very minimum amount of contact because of the school’s previously outstanding inspection grade.  While many positive changes are in place, the pace of improvement is not quick enough. Some procedures and plans still lack precision. While these are few in number, they are often significant for ensuring that the school meets its statutory duties while

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

embedding best practice, for example in the safeguarding of pupils.  The headteacher has ensured that teachers and teaching assistants are in no doubt that they are responsible and accountable for increasing the rates of progress and attainment for all pupils. This is the case particularly for pupils who are disadvantaged, the most able and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Leaders have introduced a new, systematic process for assessing the performance of teachers that offers the potential to improve teaching, while ensuring transparency in the awarding of pay increases to staff.  Leaders have recently become more effective in planning and monitoring the impact of additional funds provided to the school through the pupil premium and the physical education and sport grant. These grants are now targeted more directly at the pupils for whom they are intended and much clearer measures to assess the impact on pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

outcomes have been devised.  Leaders understand that the school’s curriculum does not meet the needs of pupils, particularly in relation to the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills. They have identified that pupils lack basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics and have taken steps to improve these skills. For example, they have purchased a published mathematics scheme of work, which is now being used in school to ensure that pupils cover all of the necessary requirements of the national curriculum.  Leaders have reduced the number of extra-curricular activities on offer. Although unpopular with some parents, this has allowed staff increased time to focus on preparing for more effective teaching and learning during lessons.  The leaders have given clear instructions to teaching staff, setting higher expectations for some aspects of learning, such as the presentation of pupils’ work. These actions

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

are becoming apparent around the school, but have not so far made a difference to how well pupils do.  The headteacher has ensured that subject leaders have a good understanding of their roles in supporting and challenging colleagues to raise pupils’ outcomes. Subject leaders know the school’s priorities for improvement and the part they will play in monitoring and evaluating progress towards those priorities. However, the full range of leadership responsibilities has not been delegated to them and so they are unable to show any impact on pupils’ outcomes, particularly in English or mathematics.  Following her recent appointment, the school’s special needs coordinator quickly identified that too many pupils have been identified as having special educational needs in the past. For many of these pupils, the quality of teaching has not been good enough to improve their outcomes.  Where additional support is in place for pupils who have special educational needs

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

and/or disabilities, this is monitored for impact more closely now to check that additional funding is being used effectively. Links with external agencies are increasingly positive and there is strong evidence to show that the school has worked hard in the last six months to provide appropriate support to pupils in need.  Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.

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Governance of the school

 Prior to the arrival of the current headteacher, governors presided over the decline in pupils’ outcomes at the school in the years following the previous inspection. Teacher underperformance, unusually high levels of physical intervention in response to pupils’ behaviour, and unsatisfactory pupil outcomes were not challenged with sufficient rigour.  From that low starting point, governance is improving.  Since the arrival of the new headteacher, the membership of the governing body has changed a lot.  The headteacher has improved dramatically the quality and relevance of information provided to governors, while ensuring that this information is easily understood.  Governing body minutes show that there has been a considerable improvement in the extent to which the headteacher and his leadership team are held to account.  Governors have only recently started to monitor the impact of the use of the pupil

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Governance of the school

premium effectively.  Governors now understand their responsibilities. They are ambitious for the school, its pupils and the local community, but know that there is a need to communicate more effectively with parents about the changes being made to the ways in which the school works, particularly with the minority who do not understand and are very anxious about what is happening.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  Leaders have not shown the attention to detail necessary to ensure the safety of pupils. The recording of incidents which could affect the safety of pupils is not fully effective in allowing leaders and staff to assess the actions necessary to improve safeguarding or to identify the impact of their actions.  Leaders do not follow up after training events to ensure that staff and governors have a secure and detailed knowledge of key safeguarding issues and the capacity to apply the training in a time of need. Staff and governors are not clear enough about the content of policies and the school’s procedures for dealing with safeguarding concerns.  Despite these issues, since his arrival the headteacher has made the school a safer place. Quite rightly, visitors’ access to the school during the school day is now supervised closely and site security has been improved.

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Safeguarding

 Not all of the issues have been resolved, but leaders have reviewed and strengthened procedures for the safer recruitment of staff.  The headteacher has ensured that the school’s renewed approach to using physical intervention with pupils is clear and understood by all staff. This includes a recognition of the importance of using a range of ways of stopping misbehaviour from getting out of hand before using physical restraint.  Staff feel safe at school. They value the recent measures that have improved site security for themselves and the pupils. Staff have confidence that they are respected and listened to by leaders and that concerns will be addressed promptly and confidentially.  Pupils feel safe at school. They know that the school is a safe place to learn and told inspectors about the steps taken to keep them safe, such as regular fire drills and the improvements to site security. Inspectors agreed that pupils were safe and found that

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Safeguarding

pupils’ welfare and development were not inadequate as a result.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent. Too often, teachers are not sharp enough in identifying pupils’ emerging learning needs during lessons, and pupils of different abilities, such as the most able, do not make enough progress during lessons as a result.  On too many occasions, teachers do not match learning tasks well enough to pupils’ abilities. Teachers and teaching assistants do not challenge or stretch pupils’ thinking and, again, too many pupils do not make enough progress in lessons as a result.  Teachers and teaching assistants often offer too much support to pupils and this prevents pupils from taking responsibility for their own learning and developing as self- confident and self-assured learners.  Teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to use and to apply their knowledge and skills in reading and mathematics in other subjects. As a result, pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

do not embed or deepen their understanding, or transfer their learning to different situations across a range of subjects and tasks.  Teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to write extended pieces, or in a range of subjects, which restricts the extent to which the pupils are able to develop their skills. Even at this early stage of the school year, the work in pupils’ writing books has not supported the pupils in extending and embedding essential writing and grammar skills.  Teachers do not challenge the reading skills of the most able pupils enough. An over- reliance on the school’s reading scheme means that this group of pupils are limited in the range and variety of what they read. As a result, their reading fluency and their ability to use comprehension and interpretation skills are restricted and they do not progress as quickly as they could.  Actions taken to help pupils catch up on their learning, such as small-group sessions,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

are not consistent in quality. On too many occasions, the least-qualified staff are given the task of teaching the least able pupils. The quality and communication of assessment information between teachers and teaching assistants is not used effectively enough in planning the next steps in learning, and pupils do not make enough progress as a result.  The majority of teachers and teaching assistants ask thoughtful questions in their efforts to extend pupils’ learning and understanding. They encourage pupils to ‘have a go’ and explain that it is acceptable to make mistakes. As a result, pupils in many classes are eager to participate and quick to have another go if they are wrong the first time.  The majority of teachers and teaching assistants have good knowledge of phonics. They teach pupils accurately, and the benefits of this are evident in pupils’ abilities to read unusual and unfamiliar words.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be because the teaching of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is not good enough. Older pupils do not show the maturity and understanding expected from pupils of their age when discussing different cultures or lifestyles that may be different from their own experiences. A number of displays that celebrate and support pupils’ social and cultural learning date back to the time of the last inspection, or before.  Pupils’ development and welfare is not inadequate because relationships between adults and pupils are positive. Pupils trust adults in school to deal with their concerns. They know to whom to turn if they have a problem. Pupils know the importance of the school’s values, particularly integrity, and this is supported by a weekly integrity award.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils learn to stay safe when using the internet and know the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. They have a developing understanding of British values. For example, key stage 1 pupils talk fondly of their work to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.  Pupils show respect for each other and treat the school premises with care.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils’ attendance is below the national average and levels of persistent absenteeism are above the national average. The absence rates for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are above average.  While there are measures in place to encourage pupils’ attendance, the school’s systems for following up pupils’ absences from school are not as tenacious as they need to be.  The school is a calm place to be during the school day. Pupils move around the buildings in an orderly and respectful manner, being courteous, polite and inquisitive towards adults and each other.  The vast majority of pupils with whom inspectors spoke during the inspection feel safe in school. Most pupils say that the school is free from bullying, but not all are clear about identifying the signs of bullying, or about what they should do if they, or a

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Outcomes for pupils have been too low for too long.  In 2014, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing, grammar and spelling, and mathematics was significantly below the national averages by the time the pupils left Year 6. While there was a slight improvement in 2015, attainment in writing and grammar and spelling was still significantly below the national average. Though provisional, results for 2016 show that the proportion of Year 6 pupils attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined are well below the national floor standard, as is pupils’ progress in reading.  Outcomes for the most able are not good enough.  Leaders’, teachers’ and teaching assistants’ expectations of what the most able pupils can and should achieve are not sufficiently high. While staff may have lofty aspirations for pupils’ futures, these are not matched by the level of challenge and academic rigour

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

required to make the aspirations a reality.  Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils have been too low for too long.  Leaders have not targeted the additional funds from the pupil premium well enough at the learning needs of disadvantaged pupils. Teachers are only now beginning to identify, to target and to promote the amount of progress needed by disadvantaged pupils to reduce the difference in learning with their non-disadvantaged peers.  Leaders increasingly hold teachers to account for improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. By the end of key stage 2, however, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils falls further behind that of their non-disadvantaged counterparts in school and nationally.  Outcomes for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities have not been good enough.  Parents of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities told inspectors that they believed their children had benefited from the school’s nurturing approach in

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

the past. Pupils’ assessment information shows, however, that this group do not attain or progress as well as they could, particularly in writing.  Outcomes in reading, writing and grammar and spelling are too low and have not improved consistently since the time of the last inspection. By the end of key stage 1, the proportions of pupils attaining at expected and above expected levels were well below the national averages in reading and writing in 2015. The picture was similar by the time pupils left Year 6 because rates of progress in key stage 2 were not high enough.  The school’s internal assessment information for 2016 shows that, with the exception of reading in Year 3, less than half of pupils in each year group achieved the standard expected for their age in reading, writing or mathematics. Though provisional, information for Year 6 indicates that the government’s floor standard has not been met

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

in 2016. Consequently, too many pupils in each year group are not well enough prepared for the next stage of their education.  Pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 national phonics screening check rose in 2016 and are likely to exceed the national average for the first time in four years.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Leaders have not ensured that staff in the early years are fully conversant with effective safeguarding practices. Staff are not clear about the content of policies or where to find specific guidance and information. Although they receive training in child protection and safeguarding matters, they do not apply this knowledge consistently enough.  Leaders and staff do not use the school’s new child-assessment system well enough to promote children’s development. Although the inspection took place early in the term, leaders and staff do not know how to use the system effectively to monitor children’s progress, or use it to identify the next steps in children’s development. Leaders have given little consideration to the communication of children’s developmental achievements or next steps in learning to parents.  Teachers do not plan well enough for children’s learning in the school’s outdoor environment. Teachers and teaching assistants do not interact with children as well as

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Early years provision Inadequate

they could. They miss opportunities to gather evidence on children’s physical, social and behavioural development. Consequently, while children are usually occupied, tasks and activities are not consistently linked well to previous learning or current themes, and children do not make as much progress as they should.  Leaders have not ensured that the early years is resourced well enough to support children’s learning and development. There is insufficient equipment to support practical learning in mathematics, in particular. As a result, pupils’ learning behaviours are not as well developed and their progress is not as good as they could be.  Children often cooperate and play together well. They share and enjoy imaginative play, involving and developing their language skills with each other. They adopt routines quickly, for example helping to clear away at the end of lessons and lining up smartly.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Children gain a good knowledge of phonics in the early years because teachers match tasks well to children’s abilities. Children are eager participants and many of the most able are very articulate and able to make links between lessons and their prior learning.  Pupils’ outcomes have improved over time. From starting points that are often below and sometimes well below the levels of development typical for their age, the proportion achieving a good level of development has been just below that seen nationally in both 2015 and 2016.  Leaders have ensured that early years staff know the school’s priorities for improvement, particularly in relation to the improved achievement of disadvantaged pupils.  Leaders have a good understanding of the development needs of the two-year-olds who attend the school. Leaders have created positive links with the Nursery and Reception classes, with the youngest children having opportunities to meet their

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.netherfieldprimaryschool.com

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School details

Email address office5@netherfieldprimary.notts.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19–20 June 2013

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Information about this school

 Netherfield Primary School, on the outskirts of Nottingham, is larger than the average- sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in single-age classes, including children in the Reception class, who attend full time. Children in the Nursery attend part time and there are a number of two-year-olds registered at the school.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and there are very small numbers of pupils from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is significantly above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.  In 2015, the school met the national floor standards for pupil achievement.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out following a number of complaints made to Ofsted which raised serious concerns. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector decided that an inspection of the school should take place to follow up the whole-school issues that were raised.  Inspectors observed teaching in all year groups. They observed the teaching of early reading skills and listened to pupils reading. Inspectors talked to pupils about their school and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, representatives of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke to parents informally at the start of the school day, and the lead inspector met with a number of parents at their request. Inspectors took account of the 47 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). There were no responses received to either the staff or pupil questionnaires.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s own self-evaluation of current performance and plans for improvement; the school’s most recent information on the achievement and progress of pupils; information relating to the safeguarding of pupils; the school’s most recent information relating to the attendance of pupils; and minutes of meetings of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Stephen McMullan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Moira Atkins 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

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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, 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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