Kippax North Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Headteacher Kippax North Primary School Brexdale Avenue Kippax Leeds West Yorkshire LS25 7EJ

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 23 May 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2012.

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

You demonstrate a passion and determination to provide the best for every pupil and you are committed to improving the school. You work very closely with the deputy headteacher and, through your shared vision and hard work, a positive learning culture and wonderful learning environment have been established both inside and outside of the school. Pupils love coming to school and this is reflected in high attendance and low persistent absence. The outdoor area of the school has been adapted in so many ways and pupils, parents and carers share the view that it is amazing. A wildlife area has been established in addition to an allotment where the pupils raise poultry and grow vegetables. A cycle track around the school field has been laid and the school has a set of mountain bikes, so all pupils can use it as part of the physical education curriculum. In addition, an old bungalow on the site has been transformed into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

All the pupils I spoke to were incredibly positive about the school. As one pupil told me, ‘This is a great school and we have so much fun!’ When I asked pupils what they like most about the school, they were eager to describe the sense of community, the equality, politeness, opportunities, clubs, visits and residential trips. Pupils are fully involved in the life of the school. Years 5 and 6 pupils talked with a sense of pride about their roles as junior leaders and how they carry out jobs to assist the whole school community. It is clear that the school council, class councils and junior leaders play very important roles in the shaping of their school. The inclusive ethos of the school shines through. Pupils with profound special educational needs and/or disabilities receive excellent support from teaching assistants. Those I observed in Nursery and Reception classes clearly love their learning experiences. One key stage 2 pupil was keen to tell me that ‘equality’ and

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

‘teamwork’ are the key to the school’s success and I would concur with this. In the lessons that I visited, pupils worked extremely well in pairs and groups. Parents are highly supportive of the school and this is evident in the number of positive responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. As one parent commented: ‘My son adores school. The teachers, teaching assistants and all other staff are the heart of this school. My son recalls all of his lessons with great detail and enthusiasm. This tells us how much he enjoys being part of Kippax North. The children are always happy, polite and well mannered in this school.’ These views were reinforced by all the parents who I spoke with informally at the beginning of the day. Kippax North Connections, the parent teacher association, plays an important role in the school and it has done much to support your plans for the outdoor learning environment.

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

Members of staff who talked to me, and those who responded to Ofsted’s online staff survey, said that they are proud to work in the school. They respect and value your leadership qualities and almost all say that the school has improved since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

Your self-evaluation summary paints an accurate picture of the school and the school development plan describes how you will secure further developments. Pupils achieve well throughout the school. At the end of key stage 1, in 2018, results were in line with national figures in reading, writing and mathematics. Most children in Reception in 2018 achieved a good level of development. The proportion of pupils meeting the standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has risen steadily in the last three years and is now well above the national average. Year 6 pupils achieve well, although in 2018, attainment at the end of key stage 2 in reading, mathematics and English grammar dipped considerably from the previous year. You explained that this was partly because a number of pupils with learning and behaviour issues joined the school at the end of Year 5 in 2017 and their results were below the national average. However, there is still work to be done to raise

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

attainment and progress in reading and to challenge the most able pupils in mathematics.

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

As the designated safeguarding leader, you have ensured that all the necessary safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that all records are of high quality and meticulously kept. The school business manager ensures that all checks for the recruitment of staff are in place. Safeguarding training is treated as a priority and, during the past year, all staff and most governors have attended courses on child protection. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and, when asked about bullying, they said, ‘it simply does not happen’, but if it did, they would tell an adult immediately. Pupils are supportive of each other and they all play well together, regardless of their age or gender. One pupil summed this up when saying, ‘We are all equal and we all get on well together.’ Observations of pupils’ behaviour around school and in the yard confirm this. Pupils understand the dangers related to use of the internet and were

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

able to explain what to do to stay safe when online. They are aware of the importance of road safety and older pupils receive ‘bikeability’ training. All said that they felt safe at school and were keen to describe the excellent work of the junior leaders, who were always there to help out.

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Short inspection of Kippax North Primary School

The views of the pupils were reinforced by their parents. Indeed, all of those who responded to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire agreed that their child is happy, safe and well looked after at school and many submitted written comments praising staff for their caring approach.

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Inspection findings

 My first line of enquiry concerned attainment and progress in reading. In 2018, at the end of key stage 2, pupils’ results in reading were below the national average. The new English leader explained how training has been provided for teachers and teaching assistants. Pupils have been taught how to develop their comprehension skills and particularly those of inference. Those that I listened to read did so accurately, with fluency and increasing expression. They were able to answer comprehension questions related to the text accurately. Leaders are tracking the progress of all children, monitoring teaching and moderating work. Pupils enjoy reading and a culture of reading is being established in the school. Pupils who I spoke to said that they enjoyed reading and were able to describe their favourite books and their favourite authors. Younger pupils have reading diaries that they take home and most said that they read at home on a daily

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Inspection findings

basis. Pupils are encouraged to use the school library and do so. New texts have been purchased to challenge the readers. Much work has been carried out to improve reading in key stage 2 and tracking shows that results for 2019 look much stronger than those from 2018. A larger proportion of Year 6 pupils are predicted to attain both the expected standard and the higher standard at the end of this academic year.  My second line of enquiry concerned pupils’ attainment and progress in mathematics and, in particular, what senior leaders are doing to challenge the most able pupils. This was because key stage 2 results in 2017 and 2018 showed that the proportion of Year 6 pupils reaching the higher standard in mathematics was below the national average. In key stage 1, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard was marginally below the national average. Much work has been carried out and the new mathematics leader was able to describe the

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Inspection findings

strategies that have been implemented. Close monitoring of progress and attainment is now taking place and this is matched against the school improvement targets. In all year groups, pupils are now being given access to more challenging work. I saw an example of this in a Year 3 class where the pupils were working in small groups on problems involving fractions. They demonstrated strong reasoning and problem-solving strategies. Considerable work has been carried out to improve teaching and teaching assistant practice. Training from within school and by the trust has increased staff’s subject knowledge and confidence in teaching problem-solving skills. In upper key stage 2, classes have been split, with the most able pupils being targeted with challenging work. Exercise books for most classes reflect the progress being made by pupils. However, the most able pupils are still capable of being given even greater challenge to bring about an increase in the proportion reaching the

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Inspection findings

higher standard.  Much work has been done to improve provision in the early years. Both outdoor and indoor areas provide many opportunities for children to develop their learning skills, particularly communication, physical and social skills. The early years leader was able to explain how the most able children are now identified quickly and special support put in place to enable them to make rapid progress. Early years children have now developed good reading and number skills. However, only a very small proportion of children exceed the average standard of attainment in writing by the end of the early years. However, tracking shows that more of the current children are on course to do better this year. Strong links have been established with parents, who make regular visits to school for training and play sessions. Greater parental involvement has supported learning, particularly in reading.  Your emphasis on first-hand learning means that teaching and learning in science

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Inspection findings

is strong. Results in science, both at key stage 1 and key stage 2, are consistently higher than the national average. Pupils love science and they now have their own science block. The STEM centre is specifically equipped for scientific enquiry. During my visit, I observed pupils carrying out an experiment to find the best material for a high-visibility jacket. They were using light meters to measure reflectivity and were able to explain to me how to carry out a ‘fair test’.  Across key stages 1 and 2, a strong writing culture has been established. Pupils are given a wide range of opportunities to write with a purpose. For example, pupils wrote to local agencies requesting funding to develop the school site. It is clear that pupils enjoy their writing tasks. In key stage 1 and key stage 2, the proportion reaching the expected standard in writing is significantly higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils who achieve the higher standard is

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Inspection findings

in line with the national average. Skilful teaching, accurate feedback, well-chosen resources, displays of good examples, and peer support all encourage effective learning.  Leaders for English and mathematics have recently been appointed and they are well supported. They know their subject areas well and are clear about the strategies needed to bring about improvement.  You have been key to the establishment of a curriculum that is engaging, relevant and meets the needs of the children well. Pupils have access to a wide range of activities and experiences, which give context to their learning. I would agree with your recent review which concludes that, ‘Outdoor provision, for pupils of all ages, is exceptional.’

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 reading skills continue to be developed across key stage 2, so that more pupils achieve or exceed the standard expected for their age and make greater progress  there is a greater level of challenge for the most able pupils in mathematics, so that a greater proportion reach the higher standard  writing skills continue to be developed in the early years foundation stage.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, chair of the board of trustees and the chief education officer of the multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Leeds. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you and the deputy headteacher, the leader for English, the leader for mathematics, the early years leader, the school business manager, the chief education officer of the Brigshaw Learning Partnership and three members of the governing body. I evaluated documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation summary, the school’s improvement plan, assessment data, the safeguarding training log and the recent external review. I spoke with a number of parents at the beginning of the day and considered the 52 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. I met formally with two groups of pupils from a range of year groups. The first group discussed safeguarding and behaviour with me. The second group talked about reading and I listened to them all read. I also spoke with pupils informally in lessons, around school and on the yard. You and I observed a range of learning across all classes in key stage 2 (key stage 1 classes

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Information about the inspection

were out of school on a visit), including number work in the early years and reading/writing, mathematics and science in key stage 2. We also visited the early years to gauge the quality of indoor and outdoor provision. During the afternoon, I carried out a scrutiny of the written work in English and mathematics work from several year groups and looked specifically at writing. I also analysed the responses from Ofsted’s pupil and staff surveys.

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