Shenton Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Shenton Primary School Dunlin Road, Off Humberstone Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE5 3FP

p.1

Outcome

Shenton Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Respect and fairness shine through all aspects of life at Shenton Primary. Pupils treat each other with kindness. They thrive in the calm and purposeful atmosphere. Teachers expect the best from all pupils and want them to do well. Pupils work hard and help each other in lessons.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school. All are welcome. Many pupils join the school at an early stage of learning English. They quickly become part of the Shenton family. Leaders provide excellent guidance and support for families and pupils. Parents and carers value the many opportunities to find out how to support their children at home.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. They greet visitors with a smile. Pupils say they feel safe in school. They understand what bullying is and say it rarely happens. They are confident that, if it did, an adult would deal with it quickly.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

There are many chances for pupils to take on extra responsibilities, such as on the school council or as playtime referees. The ‘Shenton computing support agents’ recently led an assembly about online safety. Pupils enjoy these important roles.

p.1

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. They have given a high priority to the teaching of reading. As soon as pupils start school, they have lots of opportunities to learn to read. Children in Nursery happily join in learning new sounds. This carries on in Reception, where children practise their ‘robot arms’ as they encounter new words. Teachers give pupils books that closely match the sounds they have learned. This helps pupils to read with accuracy and increasing fluency.

p.1

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils love reading and understand its importance. They read often, both in lessons and at home. Pupils enjoy hearing adults read to them in school. Leaders carefully choose books which reinforce the school’s core values of respect and diversity. Teachers focus on 28–29 January 2020

p.1

2

ensuring that pupils fully understand key vocabulary. As a result, pupils can answer demanding questions about what they have read.

p.2

2

Improving writing has been a priority for the school since the last inspection. Pupils use the words they have learned in their reading to improve their writing. Teachers ensure that pupils have a strong grasp of grammar and punctuation.

p.2

2

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Leaders work closely with staff and parents to ensure that this is the case. Staff know individual pupils well. They adapt their planning and resources to meet pupils’ additional needs. Pupils who speak English as an additional language receive excellent support. This helps them to catch up quickly.

p.2

2

Pupils do well in physical education (PE). All staff follow the detailed plans for this subject. In Reception, children learn to walk on a balance beam and hop and skip with control. Year 3 pupils learn how to dribble and pass the basketball accurately. Year 6 pupils say they have extended their ball skills and can use bounce passes and long throws. Teachers have benefited from training from local sports clubs. Pupils particularly enjoy learning to play cricket. The school cricket team is very successful.

p.2

2

Some subjects, such as history, geography, music, art, and design and technology, are linked through themes such as ‘Roman Leicester’. Leaders plan visits, visitors and practical activities to enrich the curriculum. Pupils enjoy learning in this way. However, pupils do not remember key knowledge, particularly in history and geography. In these subjects, leaders have not thought carefully enough about what knowledge they want pupils to learn and the order in which they will do it.

p.2

2

Pupils display a love of learning. Their positive attitudes and behaviour in lessons help them to learn well. In the early years, children behave well and are enthusiastic about their learning.

p.2

2

Pupils take part in a range of enrichment activities and clubs. All pupils learn how to play the steel pans. Pupils have many opportunities to celebrate their own faiths and cultures and to find out about those of others. One parent commented, ‘The school is a beacon of displaying diversity for race, religion and backgrounds.’

p.2

2

The school is well led. Staff value support from leaders to manage workload. They work well together for the benefit of the pupils. Some subject leaders are new to their roles and leadership. Governors provide regular challenge but have yet to look carefully at the wider curriculum.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

The culture of safeguarding is strong. Staff training is regular and kept up to date. Safeguarding records are well maintained. 28–29 January 2020

p.2

3

Leaders know the school community well. They are aware of specific safeguarding concerns in the local area. Leaders check carefully on pupils who are known to be vulnerable. They work effectively to engage parents and foster positive relationships.

p.3

3

Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe in different situations. They know a lot about how to keep safe online. Pupils told me that they feel safe in school. Their parents agree. Pupils know who to talk to if they have any worries.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have reviewed the curriculum and made improvements in many subjects. Their work has been successful in reading, PE and writing. However, not all subjects are as well planned and sequenced. Leaders know this and are taking the necessary steps to secure improvements over the next 12 months. For example, they know that history and geography planning needs further work to build pupils’ knowledge from theme to theme and year to year.  Some subject leaders are new to their subjects and to their roles as leaders. Senior leaders need to provide them with appropriate support and training so that they can effectively carry out their roles, including checks on the implementation of the curriculum. Governors should challenge and support leaders to check that their work on the curriculum is securing the required improvements.

p.3

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2011.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 28–29 January 2020

p.3

4

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 28–29 January 2020

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10121251 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 22 March 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Shenton Primary School is a large school. It has nursery provision in the mornings for 39 children.  The large majority of pupils at the school speak English as an additional language.  The school has responded to requests from the local authority to take additional pupils. As a result, in some year groups there are two classes and in some year groups there are three.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. I also met with the coordinator for the provision for pupils with SEND and the early years leader.  I met with members of the governing body. I also spoke with a representative of the local authority by telephone.  I looked in detail at three subjects: reading, writing and PE. I met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers, met with pupils and looked at pupils’ workbooks. I also listened to pupils reading. 28–29 January 2020

p.5

6

 I spoke with pupils and observed their behaviour around school.  I reviewed a range of documentation, including leaders’ plans for improvement, an evaluation of the school’s effectiveness and information relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  I considered the 38 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 19 written responses.

p.6

Inspection team

Joanne Sanchez-Thompson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28–29 January 2020

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7