Killamarsh Infant School

Killamarsh Infant School Sheffield Road, Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S21 2DX

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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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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has brought strong and focused leadership to the school. She has established high expectations for pupils and staff.  School leaders have successfully implemented necessary improvements to ensure that the school provides a good-quality education and continues to improve.  Governors are knowledgeable and ambitious for the future of the school. They possess a range of relevant skills and contribute effectively to school improvement.  Pupils are nurtured and kept safe. Their behaviour is good. Leaders develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural and personal education well through the school’s curriculum and extra-curricular experiences.  Children in the early years make an excellent start to school life in the vibrant nursery environment. Good teaching and exciting activities successfully engage children in their learning.  By the end of Year 2, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, attain outcomes that are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

above the national averages for reading, writing and mathematics.  Parents and carers are very supportive of the school. They appreciate the improved communication and the opportunities provided to participate in school and community events.  Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum that is designed to meet their needs and interests. Pupils enjoy learning about issues that are pertinent to their local community as well as to the wider world.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Most make good progress from their starting points.  The quality of teaching and learning is good. However, not all teachers ensure that time in lessons is used effectively for pupils to make consistently strong progress. This is particularly the case with the most able pupils.  Mathematical problem-solving and reasoning skills are inconsistently taught across the school.  Although knowledgeable and skilled, subject

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

leaders do not have a strong enough impact on improving pupils’ outcomes in their areas of responsibility.  Rates of absence, particularly for those who are persistently absent, although improving, remain high.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teachers take full advantage of time in lessons by consistently planning work that challenges all, and particularly the most able pupils, to achieve their best.  Further develop the roles of subject leaders to have a strong impact on improving outcomes for pupils.  Ensure that teachers consistently provide opportunities for pupils to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills in mathematics.  Reduce rates of absence, particularly for those pupils who are persistently absent, to be closer to the rates of pupils nationally.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Since the previous inspection there has been a period of significant turbulence and uncertainty in the leadership of the school. The permanent appointment of the new headteacher in January 2019 has brought stability to the school. Staff, leaders and governors describe a renewed sense of purpose and determination to ensure that the school offers a good quality of education for its pupils.  Prior to her permanent appointment, the headteacher worked with the deputy headteacher on a part-time seconded basis to successfully drive the necessary improvements. Leadership of the school is now strong. Leaders are committed to achieving good academic outcomes for pupils and to ensuring that all pupils are safe and well cared for. This commitment is shared by staff and is reflected in the school’s recently renewed ethos and values; leaders are ambitious for pupils to ‘achieve their full potential as part of a safe, happy school community’.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 School leaders, including governors, are resolutely determined for the continued and future success of the school and its pupils. The headteacher has skilfully united leaders and staff to work as a cohesive team to implement improvements. They work effectively with colleagues from other local schools to share expertise and good practice.  Leaders have used effective support from the local authority to improve areas of the school such as the quality of teaching and learning and governance. Teachers across the school, including in the early years, have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve. Governors have a secure strategic understanding of the performance of the school.  New approaches to the teaching of reading and writing have been successfully introduced. Leaders have provided good-quality training and support for all staff. For example, professional development for staff in the teaching of phonics has had a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

positive impact on pupils’ enjoyment and development of early reading skills. This is demonstrated in their improved outcomes at the end of Year 1 and Year 2.  The school’s curriculum has recently been reviewed by staff and pupils to ensure that it meets their academic and personal development needs well. It successfully develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through a rich variety of curricular and extra-curricular experiences. For example, pupils learn about the long- term impact of litter, including plastic, on the environment. They take part in community projects to clear the local area of litter and learn how to recycle plastics. They also learn how to grow and cook vegetables to eat. Leaders ensure that pupils gain an understanding of British values through the curriculum and through weekly focused personal education lessons. These lessons also prioritise the importance of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

good mental and physical health.  Provision for pupils with SEND is good. Leaders ensure that funding and support are personalised to meet individual pupils’ needs. For example, some pupils benefit from play therapy to support their emotional needs, whereas others benefit from additional reading and mathematics activities to support their academic progress. Leaders work with external agencies effectively to access additional support, resources and advice for pupils and their families. Staff receive relevant training so that provision for pupils is appropriate. For example, pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties receive good-quality support because leaders liaise with speech and language services to deliver training to staff to support pupils in school.  School leaders use the pupil premium funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. A new system to monitor and evaluate the impact of additional funding on

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

improving pupils’ outcomes is effective. As a result, leaders have a comprehensive understanding of the additional support and experiences these pupils receive. Closer scrutiny of pupils’ performance has helped leaders to significantly improve disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes.  Staff feel well supported and appreciated by leaders. They value the guidance from senior leaders and the professional development opportunities provided to improve their teaching skills, subject knowledge and leadership roles. Actions for evaluating teachers’ performance are appropriate and are implemented in a supportive way.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. The headteacher has established a friendly school through regular communication and effective partnerships with parents and the local community. A comment typically expressing the views of many parents was: ‘the teachers strive to ensure my child makes excellent progress. The

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

school is now very well led and managed so that my child is happy and excited to go to school.’  Leaders have ensured that outcomes for pupils by the time they leave the school in Year 2 are strong. Pupils are developing good English and mathematical skills. A new assessment system is effectively supporting leaders to monitor the impact of teaching strategies and hold teachers to account for pupils’ progress and outcomes. Progress for the large majority of pupils is good, and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has continued to improve this year. Nevertheless, leaders have rightly identified that not all teachers use time in lessons productively to ensure that particularly the most able pupils are appropriately challenged to achieve their very best.  Subject leaders lead their areas of responsibility well. They understand the actions needed to further improve teaching and learning in their subject areas. They are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

knowledgeable and have been supported to develop their roles to coach and mentor staff who may need extra support to improve their teaching. The headteacher is encouraging subject leaders to take a more active role in instigating and driving improvements in teaching to raise standards further. However, this is in the early stages of development and leaders recognise this as an area for further development.

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Governance of the school

 Members of the governing body are knowledgeable and have an accurate understanding of the performance of the school. They have strengthened their strategic overview of the school through good-quality training brokered by the local authority.  Governors have remained supportive throughout the period of turbulence in the leadership of the school. They have provided appropriate challenge to staff to secure significant improvements.  Governors possess a range of relevant skills to support and test the work of leaders at all levels. They visit school regularly to meet with leaders and staff to hold them to account for the impact of their work to improve the school.  Governors have a good overview of the impact of the additional funding received by the school, such as the pupil premium. The headteacher provides them with a detailed analysis of the actions taken to allocate the funding. Governors ask pertinent questions

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Governance of the school

about the precise difference funding makes to pupils’ outcomes and challenge the headteacher appropriately about the decisions made.  Governors are ambitious to improve the school and are decisive about the actions needed to ensure the best for all pupils. They are well informed and carry out their statutory duties effectively.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders ensure that there is a good culture of safeguarding throughout the school. Staff are trained in current safeguarding procedures and are aware of the potential risks to pupils. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the school’s procedures for raising child protection or welfare concerns.  The leaders for safeguarding are knowledgeable. They work in close collaboration with external agencies where necessary to ensure the well-being of pupils and their families. Records for safeguarding are recorded carefully and show that leaders are tenacious in pursuing concerns about pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching across the school is good. Leaders have taken effective action to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment since the previous inspection. Where teaching is less effective, leaders provide skilled guidance and support to teachers to help them to improve their practice.  Teachers have high expectations for what pupils can achieve in their writing. Teachers now focus more on the quality of pupils’ writing. Pupils are given time to develop their skills over extended pieces of writing through ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ writing tasks. Pupils are encouraged to assess and review their writing to ensure that they have accurately used the necessary spelling, grammar and punctuation. Teachers provide pupils with useful resources such as success criteria cards, to support them to independently make the necessary changes to their work. This is particularly effective in helping Year 2 pupils prepare for the more challenging expectations of Year 3.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The revised strategies for the teaching of handwriting and spelling are having a positive impact on pupils’ writing. Teachers are raising their expectations for the quality of pupils’ handwriting across different subjects. Daily practice of specific words with key spelling patterns which are often linked to learning in phonics are improving pupils’ spelling.  Teachers prioritise early reading. Themes of learning are planned to link to relevant texts to develop and extend pupils’ knowledge and vocabulary. Daily reading lessons, including shared reading with teachers, is helping to foster pupils’ enjoyment and love of reading. Pupils who read to the inspector read with confidence and enthusiasm.  The teaching of phonics is effective. Since the previous inspection, leaders have trained staff and purchased new resources to support the teaching, learning and assessment of phonics. Pupils who read to the inspector and were heard reading during lessons

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

used their phonics knowledge well to help them to read unfamiliar words.  Pupils with SEND and pupils who are disadvantaged receive effective, well-planned support. Teachers work closely with leaders to plan additional support and activities so that pupils’ needs are met. Consequently, the majority of pupils with SEND and the majority of disadvantaged pupils make good progress in their learning.  Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning well to support pupils to think more deeply. Pupils’ responses help staff to assess pupils’ understanding and promote the acquisition of knowledge in areas such as vocabulary and comprehension skills, as well as in the development of communication skills.  Teachers establish good relationships with pupils. Pupils trust teachers and understand that it is important to learn from their mistakes. Teachers model this well by deliberately making errors, which pupils delight in correcting. For example, pupils used

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

their knowledge of suffixes to correct the teacher’s spelling of the word ‘beautiful’. They further explained how she should have combined two suffixes instead of using just one to make the word ‘hopefulness’.  Leaders have improved the way mathematics is taught to ensure that there is a more consistent approach across the school. New resources are supporting pupils to visualise and solve problems practically. Staff have received good-quality training to support the planning and teaching of mathematics. However, problem-solving skills are not yet taught consistently across the school, and too few pupils are encouraged to reason mathematically.  Sometimes, teachers do not ensure that pupils, particularly those who are the most able pupils, are sufficiently challenged in their work. This is further affected when some teachers do not use the time available in lessons as productively as they could to make

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

the most of pupils’ learning. Consequently, not all pupils make the progress they could.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are proud of their school and are confident and motivated learners. Their social and emotional development is supported well through the curriculum. The school’s values and ethos, which have been created by pupils in collaboration with staff and parents, help them to develop their sense of identity and resilience.  Pupils know and understand the school’s rules and feel well supported by staff to improve their behaviour. Pupils understand the importance of respectful behaviour. For example, pupils typically told the inspector, ‘It’s important to treat everybody the same regardless of their beliefs and how they behave, because we are all human and have so many things in common.’  Pupils understand the importance of regular exercise and maintaining a healthy diet. The school’s recently introduced personal, social, health and economic education

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Personal development and welfare

programme of learning is ensuring that pupils’ understanding of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a key priority in the curriculum.  Pupils have a good understanding about the dangers from strangers and crossing the road as well as from using the internet. They also learn about how to stay safe in water and the best ways to behave in the event of a fire.  Pupils and parents say that bullying is rare. Pupils understand what constitutes bullying and say that staff deal with any incidents of bullying or poor behaviour fairly and effectively.  Pupils feel safe in school and say that they can talk to staff about any concerns or worries they may have. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the care and education their children receive.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Staff regularly reinforce high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong and positive.  Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. They are confident, happy to talk to visitors, sociable and collaborate well with each other at breaktimes.  In lessons, pupils listen attentively and work cooperatively. They are enthusiastic learners and express their opinions positively. Occasionally, in some lessons, learning is sporadic when teachers do not move pupils on promptly from one activity to another. When this happens, pupils lose concentration and take time to refocus on their learning.  Improving pupils’ attendance is an ongoing priority for the school. Attendance is just below average for similar schools. While school leaders’ actions to improve pupils’ attendance have been largely successful, rates of persistent absence for some pupils,

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Behaviour

although reducing, are still above the national average. Leaders analyse attendance information closely and work with families and external agencies effectively to encourage pupils to attend school. These measures are having a positive impact on improving attendance. Leaders demonstrate significant improvements for some groups and individual pupils who have previously had very low attendance. Nevertheless, reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent from school remains highly important to leaders’ improvement plans.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Outcomes for pupils at the end of key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics have improved in the last two years. This is because of leaders’ actions to improve the quality of teaching. Leaders’ persistent and successful improvement work has secured attainment that is consistently in line with or above national averages by the end of key stage 1. By the end of Year 2, pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education.  The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has fluctuated over recent years. However, over the last two years the number of pupils gaining the standard has improved towards the national average. This trend looks to have continued and improved this year.  Pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Good teaching along with carefully planned additional support and

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Outcomes for pupils Good

provision ensure that pupils make the progress of which they are capable.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below the national average but increasing. Small and sometimes varied cohorts make year-on-year comparisons of their progress difficult to compare. Nevertheless, since the previous inspection, leaders have taken significant actions to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make good progress and attain at least as well as their in-school peers. Most disadvantaged pupils attain as well as, and often better than, their peers nationally.  Careful scrutiny of pupils’ books, observations during lessons and conversations with pupils confirmed that the majority of current pupils are making good progress in their learning in a range of subjects. However, some teachers do not ensure that work for the most able pupils is provided soon enough in lessons to challenge them to achieve their very best. On these occasions, some pupils do not make as much progress as

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Early years provision Good

 Leadership of the early years is strong. Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths of the provision and have put appropriate actions in place to improve further the effective provision.  Nursery children settle quickly into school life because staff have created a stimulating learning environment where children are nurtured.  Relationships between adults and children across the early years are positive. Children follow well-established routines and procedures, which means that they enjoy school and are kept safe. They behave well, are respectful and get on well with each other.  A high proportion of children join the school with knowledge and skills below those that are typical for their age. Well-planned provision and good teaching enable children to make good progress. The majority of children attain a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year.  Children with SEND and children who are disadvantaged are well supported. Teachers

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Early years provision Good

use their ongoing assessments of children’s learning to plan activities and additional adult support. As a result, children’s needs are identified quickly and met well. Children with SEND, along with the majority of other children in the early years, enjoy their learning, make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.  Children in the early years develop their knowledge and understanding well across different areas of the curriculum. Children are encouraged to investigate and to be independent. For example, the inspector saw children independently making pirate ships out of cardboard boxes based on their reading of the ‘Pirate Pete’ stories. As they played, they also created their own sea shanty songs because the teacher had previously modelled this for them very effectively. In another activity, children worked together to build a treasure chest. They excitedly constructed boxes out of wooden

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Early years provision Good

blocks and worked together to make sure that their boxes concealed the treasure from any potential pirates who might want to steal it.  Children’s reading, writing and mathematics skills are developed well across the Nursery and Reception Years. Teachers plan to develop these skills through exciting learning activities. For example, children were motivated to use their number skills to solve problems because the teacher had imaginatively devised problems using gold coins that ‘belonged’ to pirates.  Teachers carefully monitor the progress of children’s learning. They use the range of evidence they collect from their assessments to make sure that children are making good progress across the early years curriculum. Teachers regularly check the accuracy of this information with colleagues from other schools as well as formally with specialists working with the local authority.  The early years is inclusive. Children are encouraged to embrace diversity and

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Early years provision Good

individuality through stories, music, displays and imaginative role play.  Leaders are determined to ensure that children attending the school are provided with the best possible start. They have a secure plan of further improvements they would like to make to the early years provision. For example, leaders are keen to ensure that teachers of children in the Reception Year regularly plan challenging opportunities for children to extend and deepen their understanding in different areas of learning.  Sometimes, the most able children are not given appropriately challenging activities soon enough in lessons. This limits their progress.

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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 info@killamarsh-inf.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 January – 2 February 2017

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Information about this school

 Killamarsh Infant School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school has provision for nursery children from three years of age.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of pupils who speak English as an additional language are below those seen nationally.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.  The school works closely with the adjacent junior school and other primary schools in the local area.  The school accesses support and training for staff through the local authority and through shared good practice with colleagues working in other schools.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in all year groups, including joint observations with the headteacher. In addition to observing the teaching of reading, the inspector listened to pupils read. She talked with pupils about their school and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders for early years and SEND, and four subject leaders. The inspector met with five members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector spoke with parents informally at the start of the school day. She also took account of the 20 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View and the 13 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff. There were no responses to the pupils’ survey.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation of current performance and plans for improvement; the school’s most recent information

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Information about this inspection

on the achievement and progress of pupils; information relating to safeguarding; information about behaviour management; information relating to the school’s use of the pupil premium funding and funding for pupils with SEND; the school’s most recent information relating to the attendance of pupils and minutes from meetings of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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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