Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School

Inspection Report Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School

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108178 Unique Reference Number Wakefield LEA 277919 Inspection number 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr Roger Hartley HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Sycamore Avenue School address Primary Type of school Knottingley Community School category West Yorkshire WF11 0PL 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01977 722 515 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01977 722 515 Fax number 198 Number on roll Mrs S Dawson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs A Wilson Headteacher 9 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277919 14 March 2006 - 3 to 11 15 March 2006 Inspection Report: Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School is situated in a socially and economically disadvantaged area of Knottingley, West Yorkshire. There are 198 pupils on roll aged 3 to 11 years including 48 who attend the nursery part-time. Only two pupils are from minority ethnic groups and neither require additional language support. Thirty-eight per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is above the national average, and a high proportion of the pupils, 16%, leave or arrive at the school part way through the year. There are 40 pupils, identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including five who have a statement of special educational need.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School is a good school overall with some outstanding features. The children enter the Foundation Stage with low or very low levels of attainment and generally poor communication skills. However, they settle well, become confident and make rapid progress in a learning environment which is of the highest quality. Work reflects the Early Learning Goals; the whole Foundation Stage is well organised and managed, and the teaching is of a consistently good quality. Standards achieved by the pupils both in national tests and lessons are below national averages, although their progress in learning is uniformally good in all the lessons. The flying start children make in the Foundation Stage is systemically built on throughout the key stages. The teaching is good overall. All the adults know the pupils' learning and personal needs well and provide them with stimulating and challenging

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Grade: 2

work. The curriculum is rich, broad and well balanced and provides well for all pupils including those who have specific learning needs. The pupils' personal development and their care, guidance and support are outstanding. Behaviour is good and the pupils' attitudes to work are excellent. Leadership and management of the school are good overall, with some outstanding examples of setting the tone and vision for the school, and innovative management by the headteacher. She enjoys excellent support from staff and parents. A number of recent initiatives are beginning to have a positive effect on standards, which need to rise further. The school displays ample capacity to continue its improvement. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue to raise standards throughout the school in all subjects, particularly mathematics and science.

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Grade: 3

Standards achieved in national tests and in lessons are below national averages at each key stage. They are depressed principally by the long term effects of a number of very significant inhibiting factors, rather than any weaknesses in the school's provision. Pupils enter the Foundation Stage with low or very low levels of attainment, and communication skills are poor; a considerable number of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including a fifth in the 2005 Key Stage 1 cohort, and a third in the Key Stage 2 cohort; high levels of pupils who leave or arrive at school during the year; and a number of pupils who have experienced unsettling personal, social and emotional trauma. Overall, Key Stage 1 results have remained stable but low over the past three years. Athough there have been variations in the standards reached, they have reflected the school's concentration on different subjects year by

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Grade: 3

year. At Key Stage 2 results show a slight improving trend over time, especially in 2 Inspection Report: Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 English, despite fluctuations. Nevertheless standards need to rise, especially in mathematics and science. However, the pupils make consistently good and at times excellent progress in their learning. The Foundation Stage plans exciting and stimulating work which promotes the pupils' communication skills and goes a long way to redressing the paucity of their experiences. This flying start is built upon systematically throughout both the key stages. Pupils' progress in lessons is never less than brisk because of the high expectations set by the staff, good quality teaching, a rich curriculum which nearly always matches their learning needs, and outstanding personal development, reflected in the positive attitudes to learning and understanding at all levels.

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Grade: 1

The provision for pupils' personal development and their well-being is outstanding. The school has very successfully created a safe, happy and motivating learning environment. The pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are encouraged to be independent from an early stage. They know how to deal with personal issues that may arise, although always within the context of having caring adults on whom to rely for guidance and support. One pupil commented, 'The teachers listen to us if we are upset'. Behaviour in and out of school is good. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent; pupils feel their views are listened to and that they are important to the school. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strong element, threading through all the school's activities. Pupils learn about other religions and cultures in lessons, assemblies and through visitors and visits. They are encouraged

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Grade: 1

to 'aim high' and their work and progress is regularly celebrated, praised and displayed. Pupils are taught the importance of a healthy lifestyle and, as a result, the school has achieved the Healthy Schools Award. Pupils make a positive contribution to the school and the wider community; for example, the school council has been involved in making suggestions to improve playground facilities, interviewing for a new member of staff, and raising money for recycling bins.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. During the inspection teaching was good in nine lessons and satisfactory with some good features in one; there was no unsatisfactory teaching seen. Lessons are well planned and the purposes of the learning are carefully explained to the pupils. Lessons contain lots of variety and the different tasks both interest and stimulate the pupils, who are keen to learn. A feature of all the teaching is the way pupils are encouraged to do their best, and even when they give wrong answers, the teachers are skilled at phrasing the questions differently, 3 Inspection Report: Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 so that pupils never get a sense of failure. A wide variety of teaching techniques are used including electronic whiteboards; 'talking partners', when pupils discuss together a problem presented by the teacher; using basic skills in literacy and number work to

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Grade: 2

solve practical problems, and seeking pupils' views and ideas regularly to 'keep them on their toes'. The work is almost always well-matched to the pupils' learning needs, especially for the least able pupils. The teachers display good subject knowledge and are enthusiastic about their work. The marking of pupils' books is generally up to date and most of the comments are designed to help pupils improve their work. The teaching assistants are an invaluable asset to the school and enhance the quality of work. They know the pupils well and are well-briefed about their role in a lesson. Classroom environments are conducive to learning, with well-ordered resources and good quality displays.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and well balanced; it matches the needs of individual pupils and meets statutory requirements. The school is particularly successful in enhancing the curriculum by providing a wide range of enriching activities, including sport and a series of themed weeks based on topics or curricular areas. The use of novels to teach fiction elements of the literacy curriculum helps pupils understand the need for developing writing skills. The curriculum responds well to the needs of different groups of pupils; for example, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school makes good use of specialist teaching from the local high school. Pupils are supported well by skilled teaching assistants who provide additional support to groups of pupils and effective general support to the teachers. A wide variety of visits and visitors enliven pupils' learning. There is a good range of clubs and after school activities,

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Grade: 2

including some organised for younger children.

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Grade: 1

The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support for the pupils which make a major contribution to their progress and excellent personal development. The positive relationships between the staff and the pupils help promote the pupils' self-esteem. The school has very successfully put the welfare of every child at the heart of its work so that they feel valued, safe and cared for. Staff have an excellent awareness of individual children and their family circumstances and pay close attention to the well-being of each one. The many ways that the school links with parents is a strength. For example, parents of children in the Foundation Stage are well informed about their children's progress and many have taken part in training programmes about supporting their child at home. Health and safety are given high priority. Child protection procedures are effective and designated staff deal sensitively and efficiently with any issues. The school's

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Grade: 1

arrangements for assessing pupils' attainment and tracking progress is very thorough. Information gained is used effectively to set targets and provide additional support, 4 Inspection Report: Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 enabling all pupils to make good progress. The school has been very successful in promoting regular attendance which is now above national average.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher is providing leadership and management of consistently good quality, some of which displays some outstanding features. She has a clear vision for the school which is communicated very effectively to all the staff. It focuses firmly on promoting the pupils' personal well-being through knowing their social and learning needs and encouraging each pupil to fulfil their potential; the school is achieving a good deal of success in reaching its goals. The staff are enthusiastic, respond well to challenges, and display good team work. The headteacher is skilled at delegating tasks, appropriately, to others. She has used recent staff changes to make major revisions to the management structure of the school. The headteacher and the deputy headteacher form the senior leadership team and are augmented by the senior management team which is responsible for mapping out the practical implications of major initiatives and evaluating the work done by the

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Grade: 2

two curriculum teams. These two teams carry the major responsibility for implementing the initiatives, through mini projects based on a well written school plan. All the teachers are very clear about their individual roles, and how the various teams work. The headteacher has set up comprehensive and effective systems of monitoring and evaluating the school's work which is becoming extremely effective, for example, in charting the progress of individual pupils, so as to enable standards to rise further. The governing body displays enthusiasm for its role, especially in finding out how the school works; for example, creating 'class' governors and through training such as how to interpret data about standards. They are very supportive of the school. The local authority gives good quality support and actively encourages the school to take part in new initiatives. 5 Inspection Report: Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Knottingley Simpson's Lane Junior and Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Mrs Hepworth and I would like to say how much we enjoyed spending two days in your school. Thank you for being so polite and helping us. We spent a lot of time finding out how well you are learning by watching you work in some of the lessons and talking to Mrs Wilson and your teachers. At the end of the inspection, we talked to Mrs Wilson about what we had found out. This is what we said. We thought you were very well behaved all of the time. The youngest boys and girls shared things and took turns, and older children acted responsibly, taking care of books and equipment. You told us that you enjoyed coming to school and felt that the teachers were interested in you and that you were happy to talk to them and they took good care of you. All of you work hard, listen to your teachers and try your best to answer their questions. One of the jobs we have to do when we inspect schools like yours is to see if there are any

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

things which could make your school even better. Of course we couldn't think of anything you need to do because you're brilliant already! It was a very difficult job because your headteacher and teachers work so very hard. We suggested that they might help you get better in your mathematics and science work, especially when you have to solve tricky problems. Mrs Hepworth and I know you enjoy coming to school. So keep working hard so that Mrs Wilson, your teachers and parents can be proud of you!

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