Kirk Ella St Andrew's Community Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Jamie Church Headteacher Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School West Ella Road Kirk Ella Hull HU10 7QL

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 21 March 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in January 2012.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since joining the school a few years ago, you have done much to strengthen the way the school is managed, such as improving how teachers are held to account. Your commitment to providing a rounded and enjoyable education is evident in the balanced and stimulating curriculum and particularly in the wide range of sporting and other enrichment opportunities for pupils.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

At the last inspection, inspectors identified two areas for improvement. The first was to improve further the teaching of writing and mathematics, particularly for the most able pupils. Outcomes in writing across the age range are consistently strong because of the good teaching pupils receive in this subject. For example, last year the proportion of most-able pupils writing at greater depth by the end of both key stage 1 and key stage 2 was significantly above the national average. Improvements in mathematics in key stage 2 have been slower, though there are encouraging signs of quickening progress for many pupils. Mathematics rightly remains a high priority for leaders and governors.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

The second area for development identified at the last inspection was to improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by making better use of assessment information and developing the roles of subject leaders. You have put in place an improved assessment system that enables you and other leaders to keep a close eye on the progress of each pupil towards ambitious targets. You have distributed leadership responsibilities widely and are beginning to hold middle leaders to account for improvements in their subject areas. While leaders check the quality of teaching, focusing more and more on pupils’ learning and progress, these checks need to be more frequent in order to speed up the rate of improvement where there are weaknesses.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

Most parents and carers believe the school is well led and managed, and many are highly positive. However, a small yet significant minority of parents are not satisfied with the information leaders and teachers provide about their children’s progress or that concerns are resolved well. This undermines these parents’ confidence in the school.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

Outcomes by the end of the early years are well above average so pupils ‘hit the ground running’ in Year 1. Groups of pupils, including the most able and the few disadvantaged pupils in the school, generally sustain good progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they enter key stage 2. Overall, pupils in key stage 2 make good progress in English. However, the progress of disadvantaged pupils at key stage 2 is patchier. You recognise the need to redouble your efforts on behalf of these pupils if the difference between their achievement and that of other pupils nationally is to diminish significantly.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

Governors bring a helpful range of experience and skills to the table. The governing body is highly organised and well led by the chair of governors. This enables governors to keep up with their statutory responsibilities, including their safeguarding duties, which they take seriously. You provide the governing body with sufficiently detailed information, of which they make good use to challenge you and other leaders. Governors are rightly focusing more and more on pupils’ progress and less on attainment. The governing body holds you to account by setting you suitable objectives and making sure you set appropriate targets for teachers. Governors recognise the need to focus more sharply and with greater tenacity on the most important priorities.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. You ensure that all staff receive the appropriate training that helps them to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. They know what to look for and to whom they should report concerns. The designated safeguarding leader maintains an accurate record of concerns, keeping detailed records and assessing carefully whether to seek further help and/or refer cases to the local authority.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

You make sure all the appropriate checks are made on adults so they can be considered safe to work with children. The business manager keeps an accurate central record of these checks.

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Short inspection of Kirk Ella St Andrew’s Community Primary School

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet or walking to school. The excellent behaviour of the vast majority of pupils contributes to them feeling safe and secure. Playtimes are active and fun and pupils join in the many organised games and activities safely. Pupils and parents are satisfied that bullying is rare and that when it does occur, adults deal with it effectively.

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Inspection findings

 You have shared leadership responsibility widely. All teachers have subject responsibilities and each recently produced a mid-year report that shows they are developing in their roles, demonstrating aspiration and identifying areas for improvement. The two mathematics leaders are taking increasingly effective action to improve teaching and outcomes in mathematics. The physical education leader makes a terrific contribution to pupils’ involvement and achievement in sports.  You and other leaders have accurately identified strengths and weaknesses because you make periodic checks on the quality of teaching and its impact on learning. You carefully track the progress of groups of pupils. These checks need to be more regular and precisely aimed at the most important priorities. Likewise, the school improvement plan needs to shine a brighter light on the most important priorities. This will help leaders and governors to concentrate their

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Inspection findings

efforts more sharply, which should result in more rapid improvement where needed.  Outcomes in writing were especially strong last year at key stage 2, and pupils across the school are making good progress in writing. Outcomes in reading are good across the school but I wanted to check that the teaching of reading of pupils with low prior attainment is effective. A few pupils with low prior attainment in reading have previously not made the progress they should. However, pupils do get a solid grounding in phonics and early reading. They are encouraged to read often at home and teachers direct them to books that are not too easy or too hard. As a result, the least able pupils read with fluency and expression and their comprehension skills are developing.  You have accurately identified weaknesses in the teaching of mathematics and are taking increasingly effective action. The mathematics subject leaders have

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Inspection findings

secure subject knowledge that helps them when they make their periodic checks on the quality of teaching. As a result, teachers are increasingly challenging the most able pupils, and helping them to develop mathematical reasoning skills. The teaching of problem solving is improving but not yet embedded or consistent across key stage 2. Assessment is improving but needs further refining so that it is even more precise. Progress is accelerating in Years 3 to 5 and pupils are increasingly enjoying mathematics. In the current Year 6 class, too many of the most able pupils have not yet caught up so are not working at the high standards of which their prior attainment would suggest they are capable.  There are very few disadvantaged pupils currently in the school. The majority are making average progress in reading and writing, but a minority have made less than average progress in mathematics regardless of their starting points. While

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Inspection findings

leaders and teachers are tracking these pupils carefully, the plan for the spending of pupil premium funds needs sharpening. More disadvantaged pupils need to make greater progress across the board to diminish the difference between them and other pupils nationally by the time they leave the school.  Children in the early years make strong progress. Between a third and a half of children exceeded several of the early learning goals last year. A high proportion of children have reached a good level of development over the last few years. Outcomes by the end of key stage 1 have also been positive over time, including for the most able pupils and disadvantaged pupils.  You ensure that pupils receive a broad, balanced, varied, practical and interesting curriculum. The teaching of sports and physical education is a particular strength. Pupils value the many sporting opportunities on offer. Many compete and achieve

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Inspection findings

well in school and inter-school competitions in a variety of team and individual sports such as gymnastics, cross-country running, football, swimming, biathlon and athletics. Music is also a strength; many pupils learning to play musical instruments such as recorder and keyboards. Many pupils enjoy singing in school and occasionally within the community. For example, the school choir performed with the Hull Male Voice Choir last Christmas.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the teaching of mathematics, particularly in key stage 2, continues to improve so that more pupils, especially the most able, make the progress of which they should be capable  disadvantaged pupils make greater progress, especially in mathematics at key stage 2, to reduce the difference in achievement between these pupils and other pupils nationally  the school improvement plan is sharpened to help leaders and governors concentrate more acutely on the most important priorities  checks on the quality of teaching are more frequent and result in faster improvement where it is needed  communication with those parents who are less satisfied improves.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for East Riding of Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Along with the leaders of mathematics, we together visited most classes in key stage 2 to observe the teaching and learning of mathematics. We also scrutinised a number of pupils’ workbooks together. I spoke with pupils to find out what it is like to be a pupil at the school and I listened to two pupils reading. I held meetings with you, your deputy headteacher and some middle leaders. I also met with several members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. I examined a range of documents including the school improvement plan, governing body minutes, leaders’ monitoring notes, safeguarding records and assessment information. I analysed the responses of 100 parents to the Ofsted parent survey, and about 60 written responses from parents. I also noted 18 responses to the staff survey and 37 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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