Badsley Primary School

Badsley Primary School Badsley Moor Lane, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S65 2QS

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Improvements to the quality of teaching have been too slow. There has not been a sharp enough focus on how well different groups of pupils are progressing in lessons and when monitoring pupils’ work.  Some leaders are unable to articulate how well pupils are doing or explain the impact of changes made to improve the quality of learning. There is a lack of clarity about who is accountable for different subjects.  Teaching is stronger in Year 6, but across the school the quality of teaching is inconsistent. Teachers do not use assessment effectively to plan work pitched at the right level. In lessons, teachers and support staff at times do not check on pupils’ grasp of a subject. On these occasions they do not ask appropriate questions to deepen their understanding.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not make good progress. Their achievement has not been effectively monitored. As a result, leaders cannot evaluate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the impact of support.  The teaching of reading is not consistently good. Sometimes lessons are not planned for pupils to extend the skills they need to learn and develop a love of reading.  Too little is expected of the most able pupils. Work given to them is not sufficiently challenging. As a result, they do not achieve as well as they could.  In the early years, assessment is not used effectively. Activities provided are not sharply focused on what children need to learn. Consequently, their progress is not fast enough.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This is a caring school. Pupils say that they are happy and feel safe, and parents agree. The school follows correct procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils.  Governors have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are committed to improving the quality of learning for pupils.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning and they behave well in lessons and when playing. They are courteous and polite.  The school’s ethos of respect for each other ensures that pupils have a good understanding of different cultures and religions. This effectively develops their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better to raise pupils’ attainment, particularly in reading, by: – raising expectations of what pupils, particularly the most able, can achieve – ensuring that assessment is used to plan lessons so that work is pitched at the right level – asking questions in lessons to check pupils’ understanding of a subject – training teachers to teach reading effectively – developing pupils’ comprehension skills so that they can read, understand and talk about a text in depth – giving pupils clear guidance on what they need to do to improve their reading skills – ensuring that pupils have books well matched to their ability.  Strengthen leadership and management by: – ensuring that leaders understand who is accountable for the quality of teaching and learning in different subjects – developing the skills and expertise of leaders so that they have an accurate overview

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

of how well pupils are progressing – evaluating the impact on the achievement of groups of pupils when monitoring teachers’ and pupils’ work – reviewing the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and monitoring and evaluating the impact of their progress so that they are well supported.  Improve the quality of provision in the early years by: – using assessment to plan suitable activities and identify what children need to learn next – responding quickly to children’s interests by providing purposeful tasks to develop the skills the children need to learn – developing the outside area to promote children’s learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The headteacher knows where teaching is strong in the school and has analysed the strengths and weaknesses. The deputy headteacher has developed a comprehensive system for collecting information on pupils’ achievement. This information is not used as effectively as it could be to evaluate which initiatives are effective and what is not working so that improvement is as rapid as it needs to be.  Responsibility for different subjects has been distributed to, sometimes, large teams of leaders. It is not always clear who is accountable for standards in certain subjects. There is a lack of cohesion in planning progression in the foundation subjects. Leaders monitor through ‘drop-ins’ and book scrutinies. However, leaders are not able to articulate how well different groups of pupils are doing or evaluate the impact of the many ideas being tried out.  The quality of the school’s monitoring lacks detail on the progress of different groups

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

of pupils. Feedback documents do not provide detailed guidance for teachers to improve their practice. Recommendations for improving the quality of teaching are not systematically followed up to evaluate whether improvements have been sustained.  The headteacher has been effective in amalgamating two schools and creating a positive climate for learning and working where staff, pupils and parents are happy. Many parents talk about ‘how things used to be’ and the improvements made. Senior staff are aware of how this legacy of underachievement risks inhibiting the aspirations of pupils, especially the most able pupils, who do not achieve as well as they could.  The school’s pastoral support and intervention for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. The school effectively brokers support from a range of external providers as well as buying in its own experts, for example a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

speech therapist. However, these pupils do not make good progress from their starting points, particularly in reading and writing, because leaders have given insufficient attention to evaluating the impact of support on their progress.  The senior leadership team has had a sharp focus on improving pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning. As a result, pupils’ attitudes to learning are good and behaviour is managed well by nearly all teachers. A small minority of pupils with challenging behaviour are well supported through the school’s pastoral system and designated areas for quiet reflection.  Leaders have used the pupil premium funding to provide additional learning support for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, these pupils engage well in lessons and their progress is similar to that of their peers, which varies according to the quality of teaching they receive.  Governors have also used the funding to provide opportunities for disadvantaged pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

to participate in extra-curricular activities and school trips. This ensures that this group of pupils enjoy equal opportunities to their peers.  The management of teacher performance is now clearly focused on pupil achievement, and targets are based on how well pupils do in each class. Recommendations about pay increases have been linked to the achievement of these targets. Awards have been given where teaching is good and withheld where teaching has not improved.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well and pupils enjoy the many enrichment activities and visits. The school’s ethos is linked to a reward system for pupils. They value achieving their ‘bands’ for things such as listening and making an effort, as well as achievement. The school’s culture of respect and tolerance is clearly understood and upheld by pupils, creating a good climate for learning.  The use of primary school sports funding is effective. Pupils understand about the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and how exercise contributes to this. The school makes effective use of sports coaches to provide training for teachers as well as lunchtime supervisors. There is a broad selection of sporting options and a very good take-up of the many clubs offered. A high proportion of pupils have represented the school in sporting competitions.

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Governance of the school

 Following a review of governance, governors now have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in holding the school to account. They are well informed about the quality of teaching and learning and understand that standards are not yet good enough.  They are prepared to challenge the headteacher but have not been fully effective in speeding up the rate of improvements in the quality of teaching so that pupils achieve as well as they should. They have not ensured that those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.  There is a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils in the school, and governors have directed funding to supporting these pupils. These pupils make progress similar to their peers, but still not as good as they should when compared to all pupils nationally.  Governors understand that pupils’ progress should be the main driver when awarding

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Governance of the school

pay increases, as well as challenging and supporting the headteacher through appraisal. They have been less effective in ensuring that professional development for the headteacher is clearly focused on improving the quality of teaching.  Governors are fully conversant with their statutory duties for safeguarding, ensuring that staff are recruited with careful consideration.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There has been a marked improvement in pupils’ behaviour since the last inspection. There is a comprehensive and effective system in school for monitoring pupils’ behaviour.  Leaders and staff follow correct procedures to ensure that pupils are safe. They take appropriate action when necessary. They refer to and communicate with outside agencies and follow up concerns.  Teachers are aware of the school’s procedures for safeguarding.  All members of staff are checked before they are employed for their suitability to work with children. Accurate and up-to-date records of these checks are maintained.  Pupils said that they feel safe and explained the various security systems the school has in place. The school keeps a range of risk assessments to keep both pupils and staff safe.  Rates of attendance are improving. The school has taken effective actions to improve

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Safeguarding

the attendance and reduce the persistent absence of some vulnerable pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Not all teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Too little is expected of the most able pupils and this means that these pupils do not do as well as they should.  Teachers’ assessment is not used well to plan activities in lessons, and this means that work sometimes lacks challenge or fails to engage pupils’ interests. In lessons, at times adults do not check pupils’ understanding or use questions to extend pupils’ thinking and help them make links with previous learning.  The school has recently reviewed the teaching of reading. Several initiatives have been used to help pupils and their parents enjoy reading, including the purchase of new books and the introduction of an online reading scheme. Younger pupils have secure skills in decoding words, but sometimes have difficulty in understanding some words and making sense of a text. In some cases, pupils are given books that are too hard

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

for them to read.  In key stage 2, new strategies to teach reading are being trialled but it is too early to measure any impact. Too many pupils struggle to explain what they are reading or to articulate their views about a book. They are not always clear about what they need to do to improve their reading skills and this has an impact on their enjoyment of reading.  The teaching of mathematics has also been reviewed and changed, and there is now a sharper focus on mastering skills and problem solving. This is starting to challenge some of the most able pupils. The school’s tracking information and pupils’ work in books show that most pupils are making steady progress.  Pupils have good opportunities to write for a range of audiences and for different purposes. For example, pupils wrote a report on poaching when they studied Africa in geography. Leaders have correctly identified the need to improve pupils’ spelling and to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

extend their vocabulary. The lack of these basic skills is hindering progress and too few pupils write to a high standard at the end of key stage 1 or key stage 2. Leaders are rightly focusing their attention on these skills.  The requirements of those pupils who have severe medical and physical needs are well met. For those pupils with more moderate learning difficulties, support is not always well targeted. Adults spend too much time managing tasks rather than on focused intervention to accelerate these pupils’ progress.  Curriculum subjects such as design and technology, history and geography are taught through topics. While pupils have covered a range of subjects, the progression of skills is not clearly planned and pupils’ books show little work of high quality or in-depth learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school is valued by parents and pupils as a caring school. The needs of pupils and families are identified early and support provided where it is necessary.  Pupils have learned how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. Anti-drugs programmes have helped to make pupils aware of the dangers of taking drugs.  Pupils understand the risks of using the internet and social media. This is reflected in their written work, where older pupils had to write a balanced argument about the virtues and vices of social media.  Pupils have a good understanding of bullying, including bullying related to race and gender, and the impact on victims. They expressed clearly the difference between ‘falling out’ and bullying. Pupils said that bullying rarely happens, but if it does it is quickly addressed.  The school provides good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility in roles such as

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Personal development and welfare

the school council. They are keen to achieve credits for good behaviour and work through the school’s ‘band’ system, and pupils attach a lot of importance to this.  The school’s ethos promotes effective reflection on faith, culture and personal choices. The school serves a diverse community and this is reflected in pupils’ thoughtful consideration of different beliefs and life choices. They demonstrate a good understanding of British values, which prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Since the school’s previous inspection, behaviour has improved significantly. The expectation that pupils take some responsibility for their own learning has resulted in nearly all pupils having positive attitudes. However, a small minority lose concentration when lessons do not engage their attention.  Pupils’ confidence as learners is evident. Pupils in Year 6 were very ‘upbeat’ and positive about completing their end-of-key-stage tests. In lessons, pupils are often motivated and are developing some effective strategies to find an appropriate resource to work out a problem.  Pupils take a pride in their school, are confident and well mannered. They listen well to adults and their peers, and show respect for the views of others. They play cooperatively in the playground and move around the school in an orderly way.  The school’s drive to improve attendance has been effective. The celebration and

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Behaviour

reward system for good attendance has been successful in conveying the importance of attendance and punctuality to pupils. The attendance of pupils has improved and is now equivalent to the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in phonics at the end of Year 1 has been broadly in line with the national average for the last three years. This is because the teaching of phonics is securely established in key stage 1. In 2016, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities improved and these pupils achieved as well as their peers.  At the end of key stage 1, standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are broadly in line with the national average. However, the number of pupils making good progress in reading once they leave Reception is below the national average.  At the end of key stage 2, standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are broadly in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils making good progress in reading is below the national average. Progress for the most able pupils,

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

including those who are also disadvantaged, in reading, writing and mathematics is well below the national average. This is because lessons are not sufficiently well planned to challenge this group and extend their learning.  Many pupils on the school roll are disadvantaged and their progress mirrors the progress of their peers. In both key stages, these pupils, including those who are also most able, make better progress in writing and mathematics than in reading.  The provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities lacks proper oversight in monitoring their progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Work in lessons does not sufficiently address what they need to learn: support is not always well directed and pupils’ progress, especially in reading, once they have acquired their phonics skills, slows up.  Pupils’ progress in reading across the school is reflected in their varied enjoyment of

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

reading. Despite the many initiatives to develop good reading habits, pupils often have a limited understanding of what they are reading. They have difficulty in expressing a view about an author’s style or a preference for a particular kind of book.  Pupils’ outcomes across the foundation subjects are variable. Pupils talk about some of the topics they have learned. They have enjoyed many opportunities given by the school to enrich the curriculum, including learning to play a musical instrument. In a design and technology lesson, Year 4 pupils engaged enthusiastically in planning to make a musical instrument, carefully considering what materials would be suitable to make an effective sound.  Displays and school planning show that a range of curriculum subjects have been covered in each year group. However pupils’ topic books show a limited amount of work in subjects such as geography, history and information and communication

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

technology, and little in-depth learning, particularly in science.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 About one tenth of children enter the early years at a stage of development lower than is typical for their age. Many children start in the Reception classes with poor speech and language skills. Provision in the early years is not good enough, and so children do not make good progress from their starting points.  Although staff know the children well, assessment is not used effectively to identify the skills children need to learn next. This means that activities are not sufficiently well focused and often lack challenge. Consequently, the progress the most able children make is too slow.  Children are keen to learn and can sustain concentration. At times, this is not well exploited, meaning that children’s learning is not purposeful enough. Too much time is wasted, particularly at the start of the session when children could be actively learning. There are missed opportunities to deepen children’s understanding because not all staff

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Early years provision Requires improvement

are skilled in using questions to probe and extend children’s thinking.  The leader of the early years is aware of the inconsistency in teaching in the Reception classes but has not had the opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching or put in place effective strategies to improve practice. She has developed good relationships with parents, and the arrangements for children entering and leaving the early years are good.  Staff effectively manage resources in the outside area as this is shared at lunchtimes with other pupils in the school. However, at times activities put out for the children are not used effectively, especially in promoting children’s speech and language skills. For example, children are happy to occupy themselves playing and chatting to each other, but adults do not seize the moment to extend children’s language by speaking in full sentences and expecting pupils to do the same.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Routines are well established throughout the early years and children’s behaviour is good both in the classroom and in the outside area. Children are confident and cooperate well with each other and the adults. They are beginning to understand how to keep safe and healthy.  The welfare and safety of the youngest children are given the correct priority in the early years. Staff respond well to children’s personal needs, and health and safety requirements are met. The Reception classes provide a safe place for children.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29–30 April 2015

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information on its website about the curriculum because the website links for some year-group information do not work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited lessons in all classrooms, some together with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors observed small groups of pupils being taught.  The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and spoke to pupils about their enjoyment of school and their opinions of behaviour and safety.  The inspectors held discussions with staff and governors.  A wide range of school documents were considered by inspectors. These included the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, behaviour and attendance records, governing body documents and documents relating to the monitoring of teachers’ performance.  Ten parents submitted responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Parents’ written comments were considered by the inspection team. Inspectors also spoke informally to parents in the playground.

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Inspection team

Karen Heath, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Don Parker 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

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Inspection team

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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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