Swinnow Primary School

Inspection of Swinnow Primary School Swinnow Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS13 4PG

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff want pupils to achieve well and develop positive social skills. There is a harmonious atmosphere across school. Pupils told us that they feel safe. Parents believe that their children are happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has three rules: ‘ready, respectful, safe’. Staff model and reinforce these expectations successfully. Pupils respond well to this guidance. Behaviour is good in lessons and other times of the day. Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils are confident that staff will support them if they have concerns. The school’s records show that staff follow up on any inappropriate behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff plan opportunities for pupils to widen their horizons. The school’s planning and teaching of phonics, reading, writing and mathematics have improved. Pupils are achieving better in these subjects by Year 6. However, children in early years do not achieve as strongly. Pupils enjoy the range of activities which take place before and after school. Regular newsletters keep parents well informed about pupils’ learning in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is a strength throughout the school. Lessons, assemblies and responsibilities help pupils develop their citizenship skills. Advice and activities help pupils know how to adopt healthy lifestyles. Leaders value pupils’ views when planning school developments.

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better?

There are well organised plans for teaching of reading, mathematics, science and history. In these subjects pupils now make good progress by the end of Year 6. Staff adapt plans for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). We saw these plans for these pupils having a positive effect in lessons.

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better?

Leaders and staff have recently improved planning in other subjects. They are about to put these fully in place from next term. Staff are developing ways to check that pupils remember the most important knowledge. Training with a network of local schools is in place for subject leaders.

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better?

Leaders have successfully focused on improving the teaching of reading and phonics. Staff teach phonics effectively across Reception and key stage 1. Younger pupils read regularly with adults in school. However, the less able pupils do not have books which are well matched to their phonics abilities. This makes it difficult for these pupils to read unknown words.

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better?

Teachers use quality texts to develop pupils’ reading and writing effectively. This is strengthening pupils’ comprehension skills and enriching their vocabulary. Teachers use regular story times to encourage a love of literature. Pupils’ behaviour in school is good. Pupils cooperate well and work hard on 3–4 December 2019

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individual tasks. Playtimes and lunchtimes are positive experiences for pupils. Staff tailor their behaviour management strategies to meet pupils’ needs astutely. This is true in both the main school and the Oasis provision. Bullying is very rare and dealt with promptly by staff.

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Staff have planned a well-thought-through personal, social and health education curriculum. This is responsive to pupils’ needs. For example, staff devised specific work to promote positive self-identity for older pupils. Extra-curricular activities are many and varied. For example, older pupils can access clubs ranging from mindfulness to handball. Similarly, younger children enjoy shake, rattle and boogie.

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Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and priorities. They have clear plans for further improving the school. Leaders make effective use of a range of training to develop staff skills. Communication with parents and engagement with their children’s learning is well established. The school’s ‘time to talk’ informs parents what pupils are learning about. Parents hold a positive view of the school.

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Governors understand the school’s priorities and the community the school serves. Links with school leaders and visits into school keep governors well informed. Leaders and governors take careful account of staff workload and well-being.

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The nurturing provision in early years supports children’s personal development well. Staff provide sensitive guidance to children. This helps children behave well. Staff successfully support children’s social and emotional needs. Consequently, children feel safe and settle well into school. This is clear for all children from two-year-olds through Nursery and into Reception.

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However, the planning of the early years curriculum is not as well sequenced as in other parts of the school. Consequently, children’s achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has not been high enough. Not enough children have been well prepared in these subjects to start Year 1. Leaders are taking relevant action to address this. They have visited schools to identify effective practice. Staff are now developing curriculum planning and new staffing arrangements are in place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Keeping pupils safe is a priority for everyone in school. Staff receive regular safeguarding training to update their understanding. They know what to do if they have any concerns. Procedures to identify pupils at risk are thorough. Safeguarding leaders diligently record incidents in the school’s online system. The school seeks help for pupils and their families promptly. Leaders complete careful safeguarding checks for staff, governors and volunteers. This ensures that they are suitable to work with children. Leaders are vigilant to the risks to children from going missing from education. The safeguarding governor liaises well with leaders on safeguarding provision.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the revised approaches to the teaching of mathematics are not completely embedded. Lower-attaining pupils sometimes do not develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills fully. Leaders need to ensure that pupils of all abilities access the full range of the planned mathematics curriculum.  Reading books for lower-attaining key stage 1 pupils do not match their phonics knowledge effectively. This limits how successfully these pupils can read unknown words. Leaders need to continue their review of the teaching of reading in key stage 1. They need to build upon the gains in pupils’ phonics knowledge achieved over recent years.  Improved approaches to the planning of foundation subjects are advancing well. In subjects such as history and science leaders have successfully implemented these plans. The school is about to fully launch similar approaches to the planning of other subjects. Leaders need to put in place their well-thought-through plans

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

for curriculum development and staff training.  Planning for early years does not develop children’s learning effectively. Too many children have not been well prepared in reading, writing and mathematics for starting Year 1. Leaders need to ensure that planning for the early years curriculum meets the needs of children. They need to check that recent changes aimed to strengthen teaching have a positive effect on children’s achievement.

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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. 3–4 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10115208 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 6 November 2007

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is new to the post since the last inspection.  The school now has provision for two-year-olds.  The school has resourced provision, Oasis, located in a separate building on the school site. Oasis is a provision for up to 14 pupils with SEND, aged between seven and 11, from schools in Leeds local authority. These pupils have social, emotional, mental health needs.  Ofsted completed an interim inspection of the school 26 April 2011.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the subject leaders for science and history.  We considered a range of safeguarding information and documentation provided by the school and available on the school’s website. We met a range of staff to consider their understanding of the school’s safeguarding procedures. Pupils told 3–4 December 2019

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us how the school helps them to stay safe. I met with the headteacher and the school’s designated safeguarding leader.  We observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at playtime, lunchtime and around school. I reviewed responses to the school’s parent survey. We met with some parents at the start of the day. We considered correspondence from parents sent during the inspection.  We had separate meetings with four governors and a representative from the local authority, who were able to supply more information about the school.  We considered four subjects in detail: reading, mathematics, science and history. These deep dives included discussions with the headteacher and subject leaders, lesson visits, review of pupils’ books, listening to pupils read, discussions with pupils and discussion with teachers where we completed lesson visits.

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Inspection team

Michael Reeves, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Fiona Dixon Ofsted Inspector 3–4 December 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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