Jeffries Primary and Nursery School

Jeffries Primary and Nursery School Vernon Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG17 8EE

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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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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils do not make enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics in key stages 1 and 2. Their attainment is below average at the end of Year 6.  Too much teaching is of poor quality. Actions taken by school leaders to improve teaching have not yet secured the required improvements.  Leaders do not ensure that the school’s curriculum policies are implemented consistently in all classes.  The curriculum is narrow. Pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects.  The most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently so that they can attain high standards in reading and mathematics.  Staff do not consistently model grammatically correct speech when giving instructions or use good literacy skills when writing.  Pupils’ weak knowledge of number bonds and multiplication tables prevents them from working quickly and accurately in mathematics.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

develop their writing skills across the curriculum.  Staff do not hear the lower-attaining readers in key stage 1 reading individually regularly enough. This is preventing them from reading as well as they should for their ages.  The governing body does not ensure that the pupil premium and the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium are used effectively.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Joining a formal collaboration with other schools has brought benefits to the leadership of the school. Staff who shared their views were unanimous that the changes introduced have improved the school’s effectiveness.  Pupils are confident and friendly. They behave well around the school and are respectful to each other and to adults.  Safeguarding is effective.  Teaching and learning in the Nursery and Reception classes are stronger than in other areas of the school. As a result, children are on track to achieve better than in the past.  Parents who shared their views are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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Full report

In accordance with sections 44(1) and 13(3) 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?

 Improve the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics in key stages 1 and 2 by ensuring that all teachers: – provide the most able pupils with more challenging work in mathematics and encourage them to read widely so they can develop the skills they need to achieve the highest standards – hear lower-attaining pupils reading more frequently to help them to read with the skills expected for their ages – give pupils more opportunities to apply their writing skills across the curriculum so that their spelling, punctuation and grammar skills are at least in line with expected standards – spend more time improving pupils’ knowledge of multiplication tables and number bonds so that they can cover much more work in mathematics lessons and master the skills expected for their ages.  Improve the quality of teaching across all subjects by ensuring that all teachers: – develop stronger subject knowledge so that they can give clear explanations of the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

skills and ideas they want pupils to learn – use the correct grammar, punctuation and spelling when they model speaking or writing – provide appropriate support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities – have higher expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving, particularly when they are working in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: – all pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively – planning for improvement focuses on the key priorities the school must tackle to raise achievement – governors use the targets included in improvement plans to check how effective leaders’ actions have been in raising achievement – all the required information is published on the school’s website – effective use is made of the pupil premium and the PE and sport premium.

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

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The quality of education has declined since the previous inspection. Throughout the school, pupils make slow progress. Pupils who left the school at the end of Year 6 in 2016 were not sufficiently well prepared for their secondary education.  The school does not provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Discussion with pupils identified serious gaps in provision in subjects such as art and design, and music. Work in pupils’ books shows that leaders have not ensured that teachers are delivering the school’s curriculum plans.  The weaknesses in the school’s curriculum mean that the pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is not promoted successfully. Despite this, the school’s caring ethos and provision, such as a visit to the Holocaust Memorial, support other aspects of pupils’ personal development effectively. Pupils learn appropriately about British values in assemblies, such as those about democracy, tolerance and respect.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 In the last school year, disadvantaged pupils made inadequate progress in reading and mathematics. The new senior leadership team is now tracking the progress made by disadvantaged pupils. The pupil premium strategy shared with inspectors shows an appropriate range of targeted support. These initiatives, however, have had a limited time to make a positive impact and ensure that the achievement of disadvantaged pupils is rapidly improving.  The school’s newly appointed special educational needs coordinator is benefiting from the support of the collaborative’s executive inclusion leader. Together they have put in place more rigorous assessment of pupils’ educational needs. This has resulted in an increase in the proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities. This change has not yet had a positive impact on these pupils’ achievement.  The school is now clear how it is using funding provided for pupils who have special

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

educational needs and/or disabilities. Nevertheless, it is too early to identify whether this funding is enabling pupils to make better progress from their starting points.  Planning for school improvement is extensive. However, it does not focus sharply on the key issues that need to be addressed at Jeffries to ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The improvement plans, including those of subject leaders, do not have clear targets. This limits the ability of the governing body to hold leaders to account for the impact of the actions they are taking.  The school does not use the physical education (PE) and sport premium appropriately. For example, it uses the additional funding to pay for swimming lessons even though schools already have money to teach pupils how to swim. There are just two after- school sporting clubs. The school can provide no evidence that these have increased

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

participation by pupils in sporting and physical activities.  The new leadership team has introduced systems to manage the performance of teachers. Senior and middle leaders check the quality of teaching regularly. They know who are the strong teachers and who are the weaker members of staff. However, despite these checks, they have yet to eradicate inadequate teaching.  Since September 2016, the school has joined a formal collaboration with two other local schools. A new executive headteacher and head of school are beginning to tackle the many weaknesses in the school. Newly appointed middle leaders share the senior leaders’ enthusiasm and optimism for the future. Nevertheless, it is too early to see a significantly positive impact of the new leadership team’s work on key areas of the school’s provision and on pupils’ achievement.  Staff value the professional development that they receive, although poor practice

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

remains in the school. Their views, shared with inspectors and in responses to the online survey, show that the school’s leaders encourage and support them to be more effective members of staff. Staff made some very positive comments about the quality and impact of the new senior leadership team.  Parents who spoke with inspectors were almost unanimously positive about the school and its new leadership team.  The school may appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Governance of the school

 Governance is ineffective and the governing body has not done enough to hold the school’s leaders to account for the declining performance of the school.  A new chair of the governing body was appointed during this school year. He has plenty of experience of governance and is acutely aware of the need to strengthen governance at Jeffries. For example, he recognises that the governing body would benefit from an individual with expertise in analysing information about the school’s educational performance.  Individual governors are linked with subject areas and some are fulfilling their responsibility effectively. However, not all governors submit the reports that are required as a follow-up to these visits.  The governors who met with the lead inspector are realistic about the current impact of their work. They judge that governance is stronger than it has been in recent years, when previous meetings were often not quorate, but recognise that it is a ‘work in

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The designated safeguarding lead has received effective support from the formal collaboration to ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are now fit for purpose.  Systems introduced since September 2016 record all of the safeguarding training that staff have undertaken. This ensures that teaching and support staff receive the latest guidance on how to keep pupils safe in education. Discussions with a range of staff confirmed the positive impact of this training.  The school’s safeguarding team is well aware of the local risks to children’s safety and works well with local agencies and families. For example, one case study, scrutinised during the inspection, shows clearly how daily contact with a local social worker was decisive in securing the well-being of pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teaching does not ensure that pupils achieve as well as they should. Senior leaders acknowledge that, during this academic year, some pupils have experienced poor teaching.  Mathematics is not taught effectively in all classes. Weak subject knowledge means that teachers’ explanations are sometimes confusing. When this happens, pupils work very slowly because they are unsure of how to tackle the work set. Teachers’ expectations are not high enough to secure the accelerated progress necessary for the most able pupils to reach the expected standards.  Teaching is not promoting the expected standards in writing. In some classes, pupils have fewer opportunities to write at length than the school’s policies say they should. Pupils are given very few opportunities to apply their writing skills successfully in their science, history or geography work.  Teachers do not have high enough expectations of the pupils’ literacy skills. For

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

example, in some classes in key stage 2, pupils have been spelling the month ‘February’ incorrectly, each school day, without any challenge or support from their teachers.  Teaching does not foster a love of books for the most able pupils. Teachers do not check closely the range of books pupils are reading or make suggestions of texts that would enrich their reading skills. In key stage 1, adults do not hear the lower-attaining readers reading individually often enough. This means that they are not helped to accelerate their progress and catch up with their peers.  Pupils’ books show that the quality of teaching in subjects such as history, geography and science is weaker than in English and mathematics. All pupils are set the same work, regardless of their ability. In most classes in key stage 2, very little work is recorded in science books or topic books. Where work is recorded in these subjects,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

teachers’ expectations of presentation, punctuation and spelling are too low.  There are effective teachers in the school. In the upper part of key stage 2, teachers’ strong subject knowledge ensures that work is challenging and that the most able pupils are suitably stretched. Pupils relish tackling tasks in mathematics that require them to use their reasoning skills.  Parents who spoke to inspectors were very happy with the quality of teaching and said that homework is effective. A number appreciated the before- and after-school booster sessions that staff are leading to prepare pupils for end-of-year assessments.  The great majority of teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Pupils appreciate the British values of democracy, respect and tolerance. They understand why racism is hurtful and wrong.  Throughout the school, both in assemblies and in sessions in class, pupils learn about a range of religious faiths and consider topics that promote good moral development. Discussions with pupils and observations of assemblies, however, show that they do not have sufficient high-quality opportunities to reflect upon spiritual issues or be creative.  Pupils are confident when talking to adults. The majority are proud of their work and keen to share what they have done.  Pupils take pride in the jobs they take on to help the school run smoothly. They contribute effectively to school improvement through the Pupil Forum. Two pupils in each year from Years 1 to 6 meet with staff and governors to share their views on the

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Personal development and welfare

school’s development.  Pupils say that instances of bullying are rare. There are always plenty of adults supervising playtimes and pupils know that these will take their concerns seriously. The school has good links with external organisations that support behaviour and attendance. This ensures that potentially vulnerable pupils receive support.  Pupils benefit from appropriate guidance on how to stay safe, including staying safe online. Activities, such as the running club, help pupils understand the importance of keeping fit. Pupils also value the weekly sessions that promote good emotional well- being and teach them how to work cooperatively and deal with setbacks.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Since the beginning of this school year, the school’s behaviour policy has introduced a greater focus on rewards than sanctions. The school’s graduated response to misbehaviour is applied consistently. Incidents of poor behaviour are all recorded. The system for doing this, however, makes it difficult for the school to identify trends or measure accurately the impact of its work in this area.  Pupils’ punctuality and attendance require improvement. The school has had some success in improving attendance. Overall attendance is close to the national average, but disadvantaged pupils do not attend as regularly as other pupils. The persistent absence of a small number of pupils lowers the average attendance of this group.  Pupils listen attentively in lessons and manage their own behaviour well inside school and on the playground. Inspectors observed very few instances of behaviour disrupting

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Behaviour

learning. Pupils reported that this is usually the case but added that, on occasions, a handful of pupils do misbehave.  Pupils play together happily at playtimes. Training to help midday supervisors manage pupils’ behaviour has had a positive impact. Pupils show appropriate respect to midday supervisors. Behaviour around the school is orderly and calm.  Parents who spoke to inspectors, and staff who completed their survey, judge that behaviour is well managed and that the school is a safe place for pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 In both 2015 and 2016, pupils in Year 6 made below-average progress through key stage 2 in reading and mathematics. This slow progress from their below-average starting points meant that many of the pupils who left school at the end of Year 6 were not well prepared for their secondary schools.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils in reading and mathematics, in 2016, was in the lowest 10% nationally. The school did not use its pupil premium funding effectively. It is now allocating its pupil premium carefully. Disadvantaged pupils are now making better progress than in the past. Pupils’ work in their books, however, shows that their achievement is still well below that of other pupils nationally.  Very few pupils attained the highest standards at the end of key stage 1 or 2. Teaching does not consistently ensure that the most able pupils are challenged sufficiently. This means that in many classes these pupils do not have opportunities to achieve the high

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

standard of which they are capable and exceed those typical for their ages.  In key stage 2, pupils’ mathematical skills are below those expected for their ages. Their weak knowledge of number bonds and multiplication tables slows down the rate that they are able to complete the tasks teachers set for them in lessons.  Throughout key stages 1 and 2, pupils’ writing shows that they have not mastered the skills expected for their ages. High-frequency words are regularly spelled incorrectly. Their books show that these mistakes are often not picked up by teachers and so pupils do not make the progress they should.  Pupils’ attainment in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 has been well below average each year since the previous inspection. The school has received considerable support from the other schools in the formal collaboration to improve standards in this area. It is too early be able to confirm the full impact of this support,

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

but information about the school’s performance shows signs of improvement in pupils’ phonics skills.  Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 in 2015 and 2016 was well below average. Improved provision in key stage 1 is starting to improve standards. This is reflected in the school’s performance information and, to a degree, in pupils’ books. Pupil’ basic skills however, are still too limited.  Lower-attaining readers in key stage 1 are not heard reading, individually, often enough. This means that they stay on the same, short book for too long. They do not get into the habit of reading at school or at home and so make inadequate progress.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make inadequate progress. The leadership of this area has not yet ensured that class teaching and additional support are helping them to make accelerated progress from their starting

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

points.  Progress in subjects across the curriculum is inadequate. Coverage of subjects other than English and mathematics is very patchy. Pupils do not develop subject-specific skills progressively as they move through the school. For example, pupils do not have sketchbooks or folders where their art and design skills can be evaluated. The school does not keep track of pupils’ achievement in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children start Nursery and Reception with skills below those typical for their age. Until recently, they have made slow progress and not enough of them have reached, or exceeded, a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year.  Children’s books and school assessments show that they are making faster progress this year. There is encouraging evidence that a greater proportion of children will reach a good level of development. It is clear that boys and disadvantaged pupils, particular underachieving groups in the past, are making better progress than before.  These improvements reflect stronger leadership and management since September 2016. The support provided through the formal collaboration has led to more effective planning of the curriculum. There is now more accurate tracking of children’s progress against all of the early learning goals.  Teaching and learning are not always sufficiently strong. Adults do not plan

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Early years provision Requires improvement

opportunities to develop the children’s language skills. They sometimes talk over the children when children are responding to a question they have asked. Adults do not model the vocabulary that would help to develop children’s understanding and they make comments that are not grammatically correct.  Activities are not always matched effectively to the different abilities of the children. When this happens during phonics sessions, the lower-attaining pupils lose interest in the activity and so learning time is not used well.  The children behave well. They play happily together and take their turns when working in groups. Staff do not make enough opportunities to develop the children’s personal and social development, however, by introducing tidying-up routines at the end of sessions.  The early years provides a safe environment for the children. Staff know the pupils well and keep a close eye on their well-being. However, the outdoor area in the Nursery is

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Early years provision Requires improvement

untidy.  Parents who shared their views with inspectors were very happy about the start to school life their children make. They say that staff are very approachable and that they receive good information about their children’s progress. At the start of the school day, they are encouraged to support their children in choosing activities.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Nicola Davies (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Email address office@jeffries.notts.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11–12 July 2013

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information on its website about the school’s use of the PE and sport premium.  The number of pupils on the school roll is close to the national average for primary schools.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is close to the national average.  The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The school runs a breakfast club that is managed by the governing body.  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.  In September 2016, the school joined a formal collaboration with Sutton Road Primary School and Holgate Primary School. Since then, the school has been led by an

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Information about this school

executive headteacher, who works across the three schools, supported by a head of school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons in every class. Most of these observations took place with school leaders.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in a range of subjects.  Inspectors attended two school assemblies.  Inspectors talked with pupils and asked them about their work and what it is like to a pupil at Jeffries. They also heard pupils read and observed their behaviour at breaktimes.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff from other schools in the collaborative, two members of the governing body and with an officer from the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. There were insufficient responses to the parents’ online survey for these to be taken into account. However, inspectors did take into account written comments made by parents.  Inspectors considered 14 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupils’ survey.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including: the school’s self-

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Information about this inspection

evaluation; the school improvement plan; the school’s most recent information on pupils’ achievement; and information relating to teaching, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Anthony O’Malley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Pete Strauss 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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