Sharp Lane Primary School

Inspection of Sharp Lane Primary School Sharp Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS10 4QE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 5–6 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to Sharp Lane Primary School. They learn in a safe, welcoming environment. There is plenty of good-quality equipment to help them learn. Pupils take care of their school. They cooperate well with each other and take on roles and responsibilities, such as head boy and girl, seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they enjoy school. They appreciate the adults that take care of them. Pupils trust adults to help them when they feel anxious. They say that bullying is not an issue here. Adults help sort out problems when pupils fall out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about learning. They say they learn lots of interesting things. The new headteacher has designed the curriculum to ensure that pupils make strong progress. Pupils are beginning to make links in their learning across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers build pupils’ confidence and independence. They encourage pupils to take risks and to ‘have a go’. Pupils become resilient learners. Most pupils enjoy reading, but some pupils do not. Some pupils do not have the knowledge needed to read confidently and fluently.

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better?

The new headteacher has united staff. She gets the important things done. Senior leaders know what is working well and what needs to improve. Staff have complete faith in them. Staff say, ‘The school is a completely different place since the new headteacher started.’

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better?

Leaders are improving the quality of education. They are deeply committed to the school. Their actions are making a positive difference for pupils. Pupils are achieving well in reading, writing and mathematics. They are making better progress now across the curriculum than they have done in previous years.

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better?

The headteacher and reading leader ensure that reading is a priority. They have devised a new approach to the teaching of reading. Staff have a clear model to follow when teaching reading. However, not all staff follow the approach consistently. For example, some classes do not have a regular story time. Also, the teaching of vocabulary is not consistently strong across the school.

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better?

There have been changes to the way phonics is taught in Reception. This is having a positive effect on children’s reading. The teaching of phonics in Year 1 and beyond is less effective. Some pupils do not decode accurately. They make basic errors which stop them reading fluently. The proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the national phonics screening check was well below that in other schools nationally. Struggling readers have not always received the expert teaching they need in order to keep up with their friends. Teachers’ expertise in the teaching of 5–6 November 2019

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reading and phonics is hampered by a lack of training.

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Most teachers build well on what pupils can do already. Some work is too easy for some pupils. They are not challenged enough. Leaders know this. They are raising expectations among staff.

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The early years is a hive of activity. It provides children with a great start to their education. Children settle in quickly. Staff are kind and caring. They know the children well. Children play well together. They follow instructions quickly and carefully. Children learn to be independent, for example by putting on their coats and shoes by themselves.

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Leaders have high ambitions for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers adapt learning well so that pupils with SEND fully participate in lessons. Skilled teaching assistants support pupils to be successful, while encouraging independence.

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Leaders want pupils to achieve well in all subjects. There are new curriculum plans in place for some subjects such as history, geography and mathematics. These plans order important knowledge and ideas in each subject well. Teachers plan learning that builds on pupils’ existing subject knowledge. However, some plans are new. Pupils’ learning is not yet embedded in these subjects.

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Governors are a force to be reckoned with. They live and breathe Sharp Lane Primary School. They offer effective support and challenge to leaders. They are passionate about improving the school further.

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The school gives health and fitness a high priority. Pupils enjoy many sports. They have a good understanding about why exercise is important. Most pupils are physically active.

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Pupils learn about a wide range of faiths. They debate and discuss issues of equality and diversity with maturity. They recognise that it is ‘okay’ to be different. This helps them to get along so well with everyone in the school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher makes sure that keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility. All staff attend regular training. Staff are knowledgeable about the community they serve. This helps them to be aware of any potential risks. Adults provide appropriate support for vulnerable families.

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Safeguarding

Staff know how to spot signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They teach pupils about the risks that they might face in their everyday lives and online. Pupils know that they should speak to a trusted adult if they are worried or upset. 5–6 November 2019

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Most pupils attend well. Staff work successfully with families to improve attendance. However, some disadvantaged pupils are absent from school too regularly.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. Leaders should ensure that their chosen approach to reading is implemented consistently in all classes across the school.  Although there have been significant improvements in the teaching of phonics in the early years, it is not yet strong enough in other year groups. Pupils who need to catch up have not always received the expert teaching they require. Because training has not been delivered to all staff, there are inconsistencies in the way the phonics programme is delivered. Leaders should address these issues as quickly as possible.  All subject leaders have stated their high ambition in curriculum plans. However, this work is in its infancy. Leaders should make sure teachers build pupils’ knowledge and skills in a logical order. They should check the work which pupils are doing thoroughly.  Teachers gather a great deal of information about pupils’ knowledge and skills.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

They should use this to plan learning that challenges pupils to think more deeply about subjects such as history, geography and mathematics.  Leaders have begun to work with families to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. More work is needed to ensure that disadvantaged pupils attend as frequently as their peers.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 5–6 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110668 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 30 June–1 July 2015

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a number of staff have left or joined the school. The headteacher started on secondment in February 2019 and became the substantive headteacher in September 2019.  The school runs a before- and after-school club.  Recently, there have been significant developments in the outdoor learning environment, including a new early years outdoor area.  The school is larger than the averaged-sized primary school.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers and other leaders, pupils, staff and members of the governing body. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  During the inspection, inspectors focused their activities on reading, mathematics, history and geography. This meant that, in each subject, inspectors met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, talked to pupils, spoke to teachers and looked 5–6 November 2019

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at pupils’ work.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation provided by the school. They looked at school policies; curriculum documents; safeguarding information, including the checks that leaders make on staff prior to employment; special educational needs records and published information about pupils’ performance.  Inspectors considered the 182 responses to Parent View and 26 free-text responses.  Inspectors considered the 32 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. Inspectors also spoke with a group of newly qualified teachers.

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Inspection team

Eve Morris, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rebecca Clayton Ofsted Inspector 5–6 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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