Wakefield Lawefield Primary School

Wakefield Lawefield Primary School Lawefield Lane, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF2 8ST

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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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

 The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, has decisively addressed the key priorities identified at the last inspection. As a consequence, leaders have implemented changes which have securely improved teaching and learning in key stages 1 and 2.  Governors share the headteacher’s ambition for the school and are supportive of what she and leaders are trying to achieve.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are a strength of the school. Pupils say that the adults in school are caring and that they feel safe and well supported. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other and with adults.  Pupils’ enjoyment of the school and the curriculum are reflected in their improved attendance, which now reflects that seen nationally.  Teaching in key stage 1 and key stage 2 is effective and consequently pupils make good progress.  Although leaders have made significant recent improvements, there is more to do. For

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

example, not all pupils are stretched and challenged in all lessons. Too few pupils reach the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  There are strong aspects to leadership but some leaders are new to their roles. They do not all have the skills to judge and influence the work of others effectively.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. This makes an important contribution to their good behaviour and caring attitudes.  The early years offers a safe and caring learning environment, ensuring that children are happy and settle quickly. However, provision requires improvement because teaching and children’s progress are not consistently good. Teachers’ expectations of what children can achieve are not consistently high.  In the early years, children do not routinely receive strong examples of spoken and written English throughout the day.  Parents express very positive views about the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school and say that their children are happy, safe and making good progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further develop leadership and management by making sure that all subject leaders have the skills and understanding of how to judge and influence the work of other teachers.  Improve the quality of teaching and thereby raise achievement even more by ensuring that teachers plan tasks that consistently challenge and stretch the most able pupils in their class.  Improve learning and attainment in the early years by ensuring that staff: – raise their expectations of what all children can achieve – make sure that the increased opportunities for children to read and write, inside and outside, help all children to improve their reading and writing skills – model more consistently how to form letters and write sentences, labels and captions – develop and use more interesting spoken and written language throughout the day.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and governors are ambitious for pupils and for the school. They have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified at the previous short inspection. They know where actions are having impact and where a little more needs to be done.  The headteacher and senior leaders have created an enthusiastic team of staff who, along with governors, have high aspirations for the school. The quality of leadership has improved so that English and mathematics are led effectively. However, recent changes to leadership responsibilities mean that some subject leaders are new to their roles and do not have the skills and knowledge to influence the work of others.  The quality of teaching and learning has improved because effective systems are deployed to pinpoint where learning is most effective and where further development is needed. Teachers are provided with regular training, guidance and support.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have ensured that the teaching of early reading has improved so that pupils are securing a good grasp of phonics. The teaching of reading skills across the school is increasingly precise in the development of vocabulary and understanding.  Leaders’ actions to improve the quality of writing across the school have led to improvements in pupils’ progress and their attainment at the end of key stage 2. Leaders check that these standards are maintained but they know that there is a little variation in the quality of writing in subjects across the curriculum.  Improvement planning has been enhanced so that there are sharply focused targets, timescales and milestones to ensure that they have the required impact on the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning over time. Leaders, including governors, monitor plans regularly and make adjustments to increase the effectiveness of their work.  The broad and balanced curriculum is exciting and varied and well matched to pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

needs. Teachers take pupils’ interests into account when planning different topics, and the curriculum is enhanced by visits out of school, visitors to the school and the use of the local area. For example, some pupils visited a local mining museum as part of a geography topic. Other pupils talked to inspectors about dressing up as Ancient Greeks and spending the day with an actor in the role of an Ancient Greek.  Relationships in the school are underpinned by a caring and nurturing culture. Pupils are proud to attend the school and say that the staff take good care of them and sort out any problems if any occur. There are effective strategies to support and promote high standards of behaviour. As a result, pupils’ behaviour is excellent and attitudes to learning are strong.  Leaders have ensured that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively. For example, pupils were encouraged to take part in ‘Odd Sock

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

Day’ as a means of celebrating diversity and individual liberty. They are taught about major world religions and some pupils visited a local church and a mosque. As a consequence, pupils are effectively prepared for life in modern Britain.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively. Leaders are aware of the most significant barriers to disadvantaged pupils’ learning and have used sensible strategies to address these. As a consequence, disadvantaged pupils make good progress.  The primary school sports funding is used to good effect. Coaches have been used to develop teachers’ skills. Pupils take part in a wide range of sporting activities. As a result, pupils’ involvement in sports and games has increased, as has their health and well-being.  Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective because good leadership in this area is helping most of these pupils to make good

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

progress.  The local authority has an accurate view of the school and provides appropriate support, for example by arranging school-to-school support to help with the development of the early years.

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Governance of the school

 Governors know the school’s strengths and areas where improvement is needed. They make sure that the promotion of values and a caring culture are central to the work of the school.  Governors receive detailed reports from leaders about the quality of teaching and the rates of pupils’ progress across the school. This ensures that they are able to support and challenge the work of leaders. They carefully check that progress is taking place by carrying out visits to assess specific initiatives.  Governors check on the impact of development work through their regular visits to the school and to classrooms.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  All of the required checks on staff are undertaken as part of the school’s recruitment processes. There is a strong culture of care. Pupils say that they are well cared for and that there is always someone to help if there are any problems.  Leaders, such as the special needs coordinator (SENCo) and the designated safeguarding lead, ensure that pupils and their families receive the help and support that they need.  The school site is well kept and appropriate risk assessments ensure that site safety is given high priority.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Over time, the quality of teaching in key stages 1 and 2 is good. This is confirmed by the school’s assessment information, the quality of pupils’ work and the inspectors’ observations of the impact of teaching and learning on pupils’ progress.  Teachers work well with teaching assistants in the classroom and teaching assistants have a clear understanding of their roles and support pupils’ learning well.  The teaching of reading has been a particular focus for the school. Staff training and development mean that the teaching of reading is good and pupils read frequently both in school and at home. Older pupils read with confidence and younger pupils mainly use their knowledge of phonics to help them read words about which they are unsure.  The teaching of writing is effective and pupils’ books show they have opportunities to write at length across a range of subjects. Pupils’ vocabulary is being developed so

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

they are encouraged to use more adventurous words and phrases along with a range of punctuation. As a result, pupils’ progress and standards in writing at the end of key stage 2 have markedly improved to be in line with national averages.  Mathematics is taught well and pupils use a range of strategies to complete different types of calculations. Pupils are given ample opportunities to apply their problem- solving and reasoning skills. This was seen in a Year 6 class, where pupils explained their strategies for working out the area of different sized triangles.  Teachers use their strong subject knowledge effectively to explain new ideas and concepts. They ask probing questions to check on pupils’ understanding and extend their thinking.  Teachers generally have high expectations of how pupils should present their work and the majority of pupils take a pride in their work. Activities are well planned and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

teachers organise classrooms effectively to manage the range of abilities. Work is largely set at the correct level for the majority of pupils so they make good progress. Occasionally, however, the most able pupils are completing work that is not demanding enough and this slows their progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils respect each other and celebrate everyone’s differences. They have a good understanding of democracy and individual liberty. For example, pupils who spoke to inspectors talked about each person’s right to dress however they choose.  Pupils understand the importance of exercise to a healthy lifestyle. They talked positively about their school meals and the importance of healthy eating.  Pupils understand the dangers associated with using the internet. They know, for example, not to share personal information with other people because of the dangers of identity theft.  Curriculum opportunities develop pupils as good citizens. For example, when learning about water, pupils raised money for a charity providing wells in Africa.  Parents are confident that pupils are well cared for and safe in school and they have no

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is consistently outstanding.  Pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning and their enthusiasm to do their best in lessons makes a positive contribution to their good academic and social progress.  Pupils told inspectors that the exceptional behaviour observed in classrooms and around the school was typical of the school. As a consequence, there is a very warm and welcoming atmosphere that helps new pupils to settle quickly.  Pupils who spoke to inspectors said they feel very safe and well cared for. Pupils say that there is very little bullying, and scrutiny of school behaviour records show that incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils say that there is always someone to talk to and sort out problems.  Pupils show great pride in their work and are proud of the school. Pupils treat each other with respect and are courteous and polite to visitors. They socialise well together,

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Behaviour

both in the playground and the dining hall.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 When children join the school in the early years their skills and knowledge are usually below those seen typically. They make uneven progress while in the Nursery and Reception classes but make good progress through the rest of the school.  Improvements to the quality of teaching mean that standards are rising. As a consequence, outcomes at the end of Year 6 improved significantly in 2018 so that pupils reached standards that were close to national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. However, few pupils reached the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined.  Pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning and their very good behaviour, along with their secure reading, writing and mathematics skills ensure that they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  There has been a general trend of improved standards at the end of Year 2. Although standards at the end of Year 2 were below average, this still reflected secure gains

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Outcomes for pupils Good

from pupils’ starting points.  The teaching of phonics has improved. Effective phonics teaching means that pupils are making good gains in their early reading skills. Pupils are confidently able to sound out new words.  Across the school, pupils are making good progress in a wide range of subjects. For example, in science, older pupils are able to list the properties of good electrical insulators and conductors. They were able to explain where these properties prove useful.  The school ensures that disadvantaged pupils make as much progress as other pupils. In some year groups they occasionally make more progress than their peers.  Pupils with SEND make good progress because they receive the right level of support, including from outside agencies.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 The headteacher has correctly identified the priorities for early years provision and has taken action to improve this area of the school. This has included training and development for the early years leader and staff, along with support from a more effective setting. However, much of this improvement is recent and has not fully had an impact on provision and outcomes.  The early years requires improvement because the quality of teaching, and as a result, the progress children make, particularly boys, is not as consistently strong as the rest of the school. The expectations of what children can achieve are not consistently high.  Children settle quickly into well-established routines. They develop positive relationships with staff and enjoy their time in the Nursery and Reception classes. Parents who spoke to inspectors were very appreciative of the care and support their children receive. Parents say that the staff are very approachable.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Early morning routines are consistent and ensure that each morning children come into school happily and are ready to learn. As a result, children separate from parents and carers easily and settle quickly. Safeguarding procedures are thorough. Staffing ratios are appropriate and the outdoor learning area is attractive, safe and secure.  Classrooms are welcoming, bright and inviting. Staff have worked together following local authority advice and support to ensure that space is well planned and stimulating.  First-hand experiences are planned and valued. For example, children were excited that chicks had hatched in the classroom. They handled the chicks safely and carefully, modelled by an adult. Their eyes opened wide as they talked about how the chicks felt and looked.  Although some adults model language well to reinforce new vocabulary and extend children’s understanding, others are less effective. This means that sometimes children

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Early years provision Requires improvement

are presented with spoken language that is of variable quality.  Written language, displayed in captions and labels, is evident around the provision but is not used systematically to support speech and early writing. Teachers do not consistently model for children how to correctly form letters or write captions, labels and sentences.  Recently there have been more opportunities for children to develop their early reading and writing skills both indoors and outside. However, adults have not checked closely enough that these activities are having the desired impact for all children, especially boys.

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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 headteacher@lawefield.wakefield.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 May 2014

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Information about this school

 The school has increased in size over the last three years and is now larger than the average size for a primary school. This growth is part of an agreed plan in partnership with the local authority for the school to change from a one-form entry school to a two-form entry school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is a little below average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average.  The proportions from minority ethnic communities or who speak English as an additional language are well above average. An above-average proportion of pupils join or leave the school other than at the usual times.  Since the last section 5 inspection, there have been changes of headteacher and deputy headteacher. Similarly, several teachers have joined the school and some are new to their leadership roles.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning across the school. Most observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, inspectors visited classrooms, the dining hall, playgrounds and attended a class assembly.  Meetings were held with pupils, governors and school leaders, including subject leaders.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the start and end of the school day. They took account of the 12 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as parents’ written comments using free-text and by telephone message. They also took account of responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plans. They assessed current pupils’ progress by scrutinising their exercise books and discussing their recent learning.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, talked with them in classrooms and evaluated

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Information about this inspection

samples of their work in a range of subjects.

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Inspection team

Amraz Ali, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Judy Shaw 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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