Fountain Primary School

Inspection of Fountain Primary School Fountain Street, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS27 0AW

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 November 2021

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 24 and 25 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Fountain Primary School are polite, friendly and courteous. They are happy to come to school, and one pupil said, ‘I would like to come to school every day of my life.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They receive lessons about bullying and say that if it happens, staff help them, and it is dealt with. They feel that they can talk to any adult in school about a problem even if ‘it is not a problem in school’. This includes the pastoral team, whose members they hold in high regard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders plan a curriculum that exposes pupils to a range of opportunities and experiences that help them to develop their confidence. Leaders plan ‘wow’ experiences at the beginning of each topic to enthuse pupils. For example, pupils in Year 5 visit Armley Mills to engage them in the history topic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in school is good. Adults have high expectations, and this is reflected in pupils’ conduct in lessons. Pupils are highly motivated and work collaboratively. They are respectful to each other and adults. This is because there is a clear behaviour policy in place that all staff consistently apply. Pupils know the ‘golden rules’ and feel that they are fair.

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better?

Leaders, including governors, have a clear vision for the school based on high aspirations for all pupils. They have thought hard about making the curriculum interesting and engaging, and have made sure that it is well planned across all subjects. The curriculum builds on pupils’ prior knowledge and becomes more complex over time. In mathematics, teachers model concepts and mathematical vocabulary that support pupils’ learning. Teachers identify pupils’ misunderstandings and plan support to ensure that they catch up quickly.

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better?

There is a well-planned curriculum in French and history that enables pupils to remember what they learn. For example, pupils in Year 6 say that they understand how to use words such as ‘mon’ and ‘ma’. This is because they remember from previous lessons that nouns can be masculine or feminine.

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better?

Leaders promote a love of reading by providing pupils with a range of engaging books. Leaders carefully choose books that pupils will read throughout the year that link to each topic. Pupils speak excitedly about the books that they read in English and those that help them to remember facts in other subjects, such as history. For example, pupils say that the book ‘Wolf Brother’ helps them to remember important historical timeframes, such as the stone age, bronze age and iron age.

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better?

Leaders plan phonics lessons so that all teachers deliver it consistently across classes. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. However, some 24 and 25 November 2021

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pupils who struggle to read do not always engage in their phonics lessons. They do not remember the phonics sounds taught in the previous lesson. This means that they cannot learn the new sounds in the current lesson. As a result, they fall behind their peers.

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Leaders have worked hard to improve the early years setting since the previous inspection. Both the outdoor and indoor environment have rich opportunities for children to learn. Children learn in a happy, nurturing atmosphere. Teachers check what children already know and use this to plan activities. However, plans do not always set out the precise knowledge and skills that leaders want children to develop in different areas of learning.

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Leaders identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively from early years to Year 6. Leaders provide appropriate support to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve the best outcomes across the curriculum. The pastoral team supports pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs to regulate their emotions through a well-planned nurture programme.

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The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is well planned. Leaders ensure that pupils are emotionally ready for school at the beginning of each year through a two-week focus on mental health. Pupils know about e-safety and the importance of not sharing personal information, the impact of illegal drugs and of excessive alcohol. Pupils understand British values, including democracy. These values are embedded in the curriculum. Pupils can explain the role of governance in school.

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There is a range of opportunities for pupils to become responsible citizens, including: library monitors, who support other pupils with their reading; playtime monitors, who manage equipment; and pupil parliament members, who make positive changes to the school.

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Governors know all aspects of the school well. They ask leaders challenging questions and hold leaders to account for the quality of education pupils receive. Governors are fully aware of the provision for pupils with SEND and check the impact leaders make.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in school. Leaders check adults’ suitability to work with children through their recruitment process. Leaders ensure that all adults understand the indicators of harm and safeguarding risks. They do this through regular training and safeguarding updates each week. Staff are aware of local safeguarding risks.

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Safeguarding

Leaders identify and support families in need. They work with external agencies to provide extra support if required. 24 and 25 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although leaders have implemented a systematic phonics programme, some pupils who struggle to read cannot access the phonics lessons that are being delivered. This is because phonics teaching for these pupils does not match their phonics knowledge. Leaders should ensure that pupils who struggle to read are taught the phonics that builds on the sounds they know so that they can catch up quickly.  Leaders have not defined the knowledge that they expect children to gain in the early years as well as they have in the rest of the school. Leaders need to ensure that curriculum plans in the early years carefully identify and sequence what pupils need to know in each area of learning so that pupils are prepared for their next stage of learning.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 24 and 25 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200690 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.fountainprimary.leeds.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 March 2018, under section 5 of the Education act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  There has been a high turnover of staff since the previous inspection. A deputy headteacher and special education needs coordinator have been appointed since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation. 24 and 25 November 2021

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 During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders. They met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, reading, history and French. Inspectors spoke to leaders of these subjects. They visited lessons, spoke with pupils and teachers, looked at pupils’ work to understand the quality of education and listened to pupils read.  Inspectors met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead in order to check that safeguarding procedures and processes were effective. In addition, inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the central record of recruitment checks on staff.  Inspectors considered the views of staff through formal meetings and reviewing the 17 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors spoke to parents informally before the start of the school day. We

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considered the 67 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s survey for parents.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes and as they moved around school.  A range of documentation provided by the school was examined, including the school’s development plan, behaviour and attendance logs and curriculum plans.

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Inspection team

Jenny Thomas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pritiben Patel Ofsted Inspector Adrian Fearn Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 November 2021

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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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