Shotley Community Primary School

Shotley Community Primary School Main Road, Shotley, Ipswich, Suffolk IP9 1NR

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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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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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders’ and governors’ poor relationships and their unwillingness to work collectively for the good of pupils have directly caused a decline in standards at the school.  Teachers do not use assessment well enough to plan lessons that meet the needs of pupils. Too often, pupils complete work that is too easy for them.  Monitoring and evaluation, including performance management of staff by leaders and governors, are not regular, rigorous or sustained enough to make the improvements needed in teaching, learning and assessment.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent in key stage 1 and key stage 2. Pupils’ progress across year groups is uneven.  The mathematics curriculum is not planned well to enable secure understanding of mathematical concepts and development of skills.  Gaps in pupils’ learning have not been identified and addressed quickly.  Leaders and governors have failed to recognise the decline in standards and failed to act

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

rapidly to address this. As a result, pupils do not make the good progress of which they are capable.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils feel safe in school and say they are supported well by their teachers if they need help. They have good relationships with each other and behave well.  After a period of absence, the headteacher knows and understands where the weaknesses are in the school.  Pupils attend regularly and they say that they enjoy school. Parents and carers confirm this.  The early years provision is effective because it is led well. Staff focus on improving their teaching so that children make good progress.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics by: – putting in place a comprehensive monitoring and development programme so that staff know how to improve their practice – establishing effective systems to improve the school and setting high expectations of what pupils can achieve – developing systems and approaches to the mathematics curriculum which are monitored and reviewed by leaders, so that pupils can perform calculations and develop mathematical concepts consistently well – developing effective approaches to assessment, in order to identify gaps in pupils’ learning, which all staff engage with, use and understand.  Improve leadership and management by: – refining and clarifying the roles of all leaders and governors so that they are clear about what is expected of them – ensuring that rigorous performance management of all staff, including school

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

leaders, is undertaken and reviewed regularly with a clear focus on pupils’ outcomes. It is recommended that an external review of governance takes place.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Relationships between leaders, including governors, have deteriorated during the absence of the headteacher. Leaders have not led by example.  This lack of effective teamwork and a culture of blame have led to a lack of focus on the core work of the school and therefore a decline in standards.  The governing body has not challenged the school sufficiently or undertaken effective performance management of the headteacher or the acting headteacher. This has resulted in a lack of urgency to improve the progress and attainment of pupils in the school.  Teachers have received insufficient guidance on how to improve their practice. Teaching is not consistently good. Consequently, pupils’ progress is not rapid enough.  Leaders ensure that pupils are safe in the school. However, in a recent staff appointment, safer recruitment practices were not followed and while this has not compromised pupils’ safety, it demonstrates a lack of awareness of good practice from

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

some leaders.  The curriculum is mostly well balanced and broad. Pupils talk about their enjoyment of the varied subjects. Fundamental British values are promoted well through the curriculum and in learning environments. However, there are weaknesses particularly in the mathematics curriculum, where a lack of consistency and rigour in planning results in pupils making slow progress.  The funding used to enable better engagement and teaching in physical education (PE) and sport has been used well to improve participation. For instance, pupils now take part in more competitions and tournaments because new sports have been introduced and taught to them.  The funding provided for disadvantaged pupils is used appropriately to provide additional support, including specific activities to help pupils improve their academic and social skills.  Support for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

effective. The leader with responsibility for these pupils knows them well and monitors the quality of teaching they receive, and the progress they make, carefully.  The headteacher knows and understands the strengths of the school and what needs to be done to improve it.  Parents’ views of the school are that it is a safe place for their children and that they receive good information about how their children are progressing. Some feel that communication could be improved to enable them to support their children and the school more effectively.  Staff have well-founded concerns about the leadership of the school.

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Governance

 Governors have not held school leaders to account sufficiently well to ensure that leaders are clear about what is expected of them.  Governors have not fulfilled their statutory duty to carry out the headteacher’s performance management. This has had a negative impact on the subsequent performance management of teachers, which has also not been carried out in a thorough and rigorous way.  Processes and systems are not in place to ensure that the governing body understands the school’s approach to improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ attainment.  An external review of governance is recommended.  The school’s website is compliant with statutory requirements.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The single central register of recruitment checks made on staff includes all of the required information. Leaders provide appropriate staff training although this is not always recorded well.  Leaders support families and pupils who are in need of protection and keep careful records of what they have done. They act swiftly in liaison with other agencies to protect pupils.  Pupils are clear about the dangers of giving out their personal information online and can explain how the school supports them on the rare occasion that there are issues with friends online.  Leaders and managers ensure that systems to track the whereabouts of pupils when they are absent are thorough.  There are some weaknesses. For example, when the headteacher was absent, induction for a new member of staff was not completed and safer recruitment practices were not followed effectively in the employment of a member of staff.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good because teachers’ planning does not effectively define the progression of skills and concepts being taught over time, particularly in mathematics. Some aspects of mathematics are not covered in sufficient depth and this results in pupils not developing their skills effectively.  Work in pupils’ mathematics books shows that opportunities for them to develop reasoning skills and to apply their mathematical knowledge and understanding are limited in some classes. This results in low challenge and slow progress for some pupils.  Teachers’ guidance to pupils in lessons does not promote further challenge or the consistent correction of basic errors and misconceptions in all year groups. This slows pupils’ progress.  Pupils are well behaved in lessons but expectations of what they can achieve are not consistently high enough. Consequently, pupils do not always present their work with

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

pride.  The teaching of phonics has improved with a resulting rise in the proportion of pupils who meet the required standard in the key stage 1 phonics check.  The school’s recent focus on improving outcomes in writing is making a positive impact. Pupils are becoming increasingly familiar with appropriate grammatical terms and use these well to enhance the quality of their writing.  Teachers promote equality of opportunity for all groups of pupils, including those who find learning challenging. Typically, one pupil was very proud of his achievement in reading during a whole-class reading lesson after struggling initially.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Girls and boys, including those who are disadvantaged, say that they enjoy school. Parents’ views confirm this.  Pupils enjoy and value the friendships that they make and say that school is fun.  Pupils talk positively about the support they receive from school staff when they have difficulties with friendships out of school and online, or through their mobile telephones.  Pupils are taught to keep safe online and pupils from different age groups are clear about the dangers of giving away personal information online and talking to people they do not know. Older pupils know that meeting people on your own, whom you have met online, is dangerous.  Pupils in all classes do not consistently show positive attitudes to their work, for example, too many do not take pride in the appearance and quality of their work.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  In lessons, pupils respond well to their teachers and listen to each other and the adults in school respectfully.  Attitudes to learning are positive, although some pupils say that their work is not challenging enough and this corresponds with what the inspectors found.  Pupils are clear that there are adults in school who will support them when they need help. If there are squabbles, they are quickly resolved.  In lessons, adults routinely refer to expectations of behaviour and respect for each other. They model good behaviour in respecting and listening well to pupils. Pupils confirmed in discussions, and through the pupil survey, that behaviour is good in school most of the time and that adults in school listen to them.  Parents and staff say that pupils’ behaviour is good.  Attendance is above average and pupils are punctual. This is because pupils want to

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Behaviour

attend school. In the past, girls have attended school less regularly than boys but this problem has been tackled. Boys and girls now attend equally well.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Pupils’ work does not show good progress in all classes. Pupils make better progress at the start and end of their primary schooling, in the early years and in Years 5 and 6. However, their progress in other year groups is sometimes slow and is not increasing quickly enough to enable a good proportion of pupils to achieve the nationally expected standards at the end of each key stage.  Pupils’ 2017 outcomes in key stage 1 were closer to average in writing than in previous years but mathematics and reading remained below average. Mathematics was 20% below the national average. In key stage 2, outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics combined improved but remained lower than average by 17%.  The proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in phonics, in Year 1, in 2017 was above the average. This is because staff have had training and the teaching of early reading has improved. However, pupils who do not meet the expectation in Year

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

1 are not rigorously monitored in Year 2 to ensure that they make sufficient progress in their understanding of sounds and letters. This impacts on pupils’ spelling and the pace of their reading.  Pupils enjoy reading but do not always have strategies to work out the meaning of new words they come across. This slows the understanding and enjoyment of reading for some pupils.

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Early years provision Good

 All early years staff work well together to secure good outcomes for children. Children make good progress from their starting points. In 2017, more children achieved a good level of development than the national average.  Specific training and resources have been provided to help teachers support children to overcome speech and language difficulties. For some children, this has had a positive impact and improved their progress.  Learning is planned well and adults in the provision carefully prepare indoor and outdoor opportunities to strengthen what is learned in whole-class sessions.  Outcomes in the early years have improved over the last three years because of careful attention to the curriculum and how it is planned and delivered to meet the needs of all children. This includes disadvantaged children.  Children in the early years are well prepared for the next stage of their learning in key

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Early years provision Good

stage 1.  The teaching team is ambitious for the children and liaises well with parents and the on-site pre-school, which most of the children attend before coming into the early years provision. As a result, adults know children well and plan appropriately for their learning.  The teaching of early reading in the early years is effective. Children make good progress in their understanding of sounds and letters. They can sound out words and some are reading them accurately.  Leaders have sought external support from local schools and Suffolk local authority to enhance their expertise and skills. This has supported the staff to raise their expectations further.  Early years leaders use the additional funding for disadvantaged children to address speech and language difficulties and provide high-quality assessment materials which help adults diagnose any concerns quickly. This has resulted in carefully targeted

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Early years provision Good

support for some children. This support, in liaison with speech therapists, has resulted in children making rapid progress and no longer needing the additional support.  Children enjoy learning and behave well. They concentrate for extended periods including when being taught as a whole class. They are independent and choose activities carefully. They take pride in what they do.  Children play well together, take turns and engage in a variety of activities both indoors and outside. The early years leader has made good attempts to adapt the curriculum so that there are good opportunities for children to understand and respect each other and to consider simple aspects of democracy. As a result, children have good relationships with each other and the adults that support them.  Staff have integrated British values into the curriculum well. For example, children are given opportunities to vote on a range of issues and discuss how to move forward

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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

Email address admin@shotley.suffolk.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 March 2014

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  Shotley Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language is well below the national average.  A below-average proportion of disadvantaged pupils attend the school.  The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average but the proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is higher than the average.  The school did not meet the government’s current floor standards in 2016, which set the minimum national expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was conducted with one day’s notice. The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in every class. Inspectors looked at pupils’ books across a wide range of subjects and in all year groups. Work scrutinised represented different groups of pupils in the school, including disadvantaged pupils, most-able disadvantaged pupils, higher- attaining pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, different groups of pupils, a representative of the local authority and the chair and three additional members of the governing body.  Inspectors scrutinised school improvement documents; information on pupils’ progress; records of the quality of teaching; and information on pupils’ behaviour and attendance. The single central record of recruitment checks of staff was also scrutinised.  Inspectors considered 25 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and

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Information about this inspection

13 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Debbie Rogan, lead inspector 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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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